Components where I feel we need to focus:
1. Exposure of small farmers through education and awareness: Small farmers are usually slow to respond to new types of technologies. This is because they have strong belief in their norms and customs. It is important for small farmers know more about other types of farming or culture beyond their local areas. This is particularly true where physical boundaries like mountainous, hills, valleys and rivers separate settlements from one another.
2. Communication and connectivity: Small farmers become more aware of investments when they are connected to markets. Connectivity could be through motorable road networks or information communication technologies, like mobile phones and information sharing through TV and radio.
3. Incentives to produce more: A mechanism should be in place to buy farm surplus or when prices of farm produce are below the cost of production. This would encourage small farmers to produce more. Investments could be in form postharvest storage facilities establishment, provision of minimum support price systems, crop insurance schemes for loss from pest/disease or natural disasters etc.
4. Food/Nutrition and hygiene/sanitation: small farmers should produce beyond their traditional crops to enrich their dietary habits. Supplements through vitamins and mineral tablets are not a solution. Farmers should know nutrition value of their crops. In addition, clean drinking water supply is necessary to keep them away from water born diseases and maintain good hygiene/sanitation. It is important to see small farmers and their children strong and healthy to keep local economy moving.
5. Investments in Sustainable Land Management (SLM)- It is important to keep small farms productive for the current and in years to come. Although substantive gain from SLM is a long term, it is good to invest in it to increase farm productivity and reduce risks of farmland degradations. There are good lessons where SLM has proven to be successful for those households headed by a woman doing a mixed farming.
6. Good coordination among agencies supporting small farmers is necessary- Small farmers usually practice mixed farming to reduce risks of crop failures. Farm labors are contributed either by family members or rotational basis among the households. Farm labors are becoming scarce because of migration to urban areas. It is important for various agencies (donors or local authorities) to connect and coordinate so that the farmers are not called for meetings time and again. In the name of participatory planning or engagement of local in decision making, the farmers are asked to attend numerous meetings when there is a lot to be done on farms.
Chencho Norbu