Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

English translation below

تفشي وباء الكورونا اكد واثبت اهمية  والحاحية الاهتمام بتعزيز صمود واستدامة انظمة ونهج الزراعة الاسرية الحضرية وانظمة الغذاء المحلية مما يستوجب الانتباه الى ضرورة تطويرها من خلال دعم صغار المزارعين  والمزارعات خصوصا في المناطق الزراعية الحضرية وشبه الحضرية من خلال تعزيز وتمكين البنية التحتية الزراعية وتوفير مدخلات الانتاج وتسهيل قنوات التسويق المحلي وضمان اجراءات الامان والسلامة الصحية وكل ذلك لن يكون سهلا بدون توفر الاطر المؤسسية للمزارعين  والملتقيات المتخصصة التي من شانها تسهيل انخراط المزارعين والمزارعات في عملية التاثير في السياسات الزراعية الداعم والمسهلة لحقوقهم.

ان للنساء المزارعات والرياديات في المناطق الزراعية الحضرية وشبه الحضرية كما في الزراعة الاسرية دورا اساسيا ومحورا في عمليات الانتاج والتسويق الزراعي ولكن هذا الدور مازال غير معترف به بالشكل المطلوب مما يستدعي تعزيز دورهن في التاثير في السياسات الزراعية ومناصرة حقوقهن بانفسهن من خلال ملتقيات للعمل النسوي الريادي والمشاريع الزراعية.

منتدى غزة للزراعة الحضرية يرى اهمية الترويج واعتماد مناهج الزراعة الاسرية الحضرية ولكن بشرط توفر البيئة الداعمة والمسهلة وهذا لن يكون دون الاعتماد على تقنيات ومناهج الزراعة البيئية ومن بينها ادخال التكنولوجيا الزراعية والاعتماد على الموارد المحلية المستدامة واستراتيجيات التكيف الايجابية التي طورها المجتمع المحلي على مدار السنوات الماضية وقت الازمات ، وتعظيم المشاركة والمساهمة والمسؤولية المجتمعية والمؤسسية

ان تجربة منتدى غزة للزراعة الحضرية  في فلسطين اثبتت اهمية الانخراط المجتمعي في مراجهة وبناء وتطوير السياسات الزراعية باعتبارها احد اهم ركائز التغيير الايجابي في سياق عملية التنمية الزراعية المحلية واعتبار تطوير سلاسل القيمة للمحاصيل الزراعية مدخلا مهما لاحداث  اثار ونتائج ايجابية بمشاركة اساسية من المزارعيم نساءا ورجالا, هذا الى جاني تسهيل بناء الملتقيات الزراعية المتخصصة والريادية لتسهيل عمليات التاثير في السياسات ومناصرة الحقوق وتبادل الخبرات والمعارف والتجارب على المستويات المحلية والوطنية والاقليمية والعالمية  وهذا الترابط والتواصل يعتبر اساسيا في بناء وتعزيز خطة العمل الاقليمية للزراعة الاسرية على مستوى الاقليم العربي الى جانب بناء شراكات اقليمية متوازنة وعادلة من شانها تعزيز الصمود والاستدامة المؤسسية للمبادرات والملتقيات الزراعية الناشئة والواعدة في المنطقة على غرار منتدى غزة للزراعة الحضرية والملتقيات المجتمعية المتخصصة المتفرعة عنه 

See attached GUPAP's relevant input and PPP in English

The outbreak of the Corona epidemic has confirmed and demonstrated the importance and urgency of focusing on strengthening the resilience and sustainability of urban family farming systems and approaches and local food systems. Accordingly, it is important to develop such systems by supporting small female and male farmers, especially in urban and semi-urban agricultural areas through strengthening and empowering the agricultural infrastructure, providing production inputs, facilitating local marketing channels and ensuring safety and health measures. It will not be easy to perform all these actions without the availability of  farmers’ institutional frameworks and specialized forums that would facilitate the involvement of male and female farmers in the process of influencing agricultural policies that support and facilitate their rights.

Women farmers and entrepreneurs in urban and semi-urban agricultural areas as well as in family farming play a basic and central role in agricultural production and marketing processes, but this role is still not recognized as required, therefore, it is important to strengthen their role in influencing agricultural policies and advocating for their rights  by themselves through forums for female entrepreneurs and agricultural projects.

The Gaza Urban Agriculture Forum envisages the importance of promoting and adopting urban family farming approaches, but on the condition that a supportive and facilitating environment exists, and this will not be available without relying on environmental agriculture techniques and approaches, including the introduction of agricultural technology, reliance on sustainable local resources and positive adaptation strategies that the local community has developed over the past years during periods of crises. This is in addition to maximizing participation, contribution, and social and institutional responsibility

The experience of the Gaza Urban Agriculture Forum in Palestine has demonstrated the importance of community engagement in confronting, building and developing agricultural policies as one of the most important pillars of positive change in the context of the local agricultural development process. The development of value chains for agricultural crops should be considered an important entry point for creating positive effects and results with the essential participation of male and female farmers. This is in addition to facilitating the formation of specialized and pioneering agricultural forums to facilitate the processes of influencing policies, advocating for rights and exchanging expertise, knowledge and experiences at the local, national, regional and global levels. Such engagement and communication are essential in building and strengthening the regional action plan for family farming at the Arab region as well as building balanced and fair regional partnerships that can enhance the resilience and institutional sustainability of the emerging and promising agricultural initiatives and forums in the region, such as the Gaza Forum for Urban Agriculture and the specialized community forums that branched therefrom.

 

Use of Policies to Promote Family Farming with the Involvement of other Relevant Sectors

Promotion of family farming seems to require the same generic steps regardless of where this is to be undertaken. However, how urgent this is depends on the food production and general economy of the area in question. Moreover, there seems to be a categorical difference between why family farming ought to be promoted in those two areas. This note discusses both of those reasons and suggests how policies may be used to achieve the present objective.

Immediate action is needed in countries where a greater portion of the population is engaged in agricultural pursuits owing to the following reasons:

   • Incidence of inadequate and/or inappropriate nutrition is high in those countries.

   • High unemployment and/or under employment rates are a chronic social problem there.

   • Considerable number of children and youth do not have access to adequate and appropriate education, health care or social security. Hence, there ability to acquire modern technological skills is very limited.

   • Owing to the permissive trade policies and defective national laws, national and multi-national monopolies are making alarming inroads into the already fragile local agriculture and food trade causing the following;

1. Introduction of few food species resulting in vulnerable monoculture which is intended for the manufacture of factory food to supplant the wholesome and varied local food culture.
2. This approach will result in environmental degradation owing to the clearing up of large areas, intensive use of biocides and fertilisers. The last often results in soil salination and permanent loss of arable land.
3. Factory foods and drinks are ‘promoted’ intensely with the help of those proficient in public mind management. Intake of such stuff is known to result in an increased incidence of NCD’s as they are rich in sugar, starch and fat.
4. As this practice is capital-intensive, it will not open employment opportunities to people engaged in family farming or youth who are not competent in factory farming. Thus, it does not provide the slightest advantage to the people we intend to assist.

 

   • Weaknesses in national infra-structure adversely affect the critical transport sub-system of the national food system. Furthermore, lack of adequate irrigation facilities i.e., inadequate supplementation sub-system of a food system may also be a problem.

   • Secure land tenure is often a major problem family farmer’s face. Urgent and effective legal measures should be taken to deal with this challenge.

   • Aging adults and youth migration into cities often give rise to a critical shortage of man-power. We do not propose the reductive solution of mechanisation as a solution for it will often exclude the present day farmers as they lack the necessary skills nor are they educated enough to acquire them in a timely fashion.  Furthermore, their children are frequently not educated enough to carry out anything other than temporary unskilled labour and are a burden on cities where there are few or no social services. What is needed is a mechanism to attract them back to farming with a clear prospect of earning a decent livelihood.

   • In some instances, armed conflict makes it difficult to provide the services taken for granted in affluent countries.

We have included lack of security for the sake of completeness even though the problem of peace making is one of the thorniest to resolve. The argument this far illustrates what non-agricultural hindrances we will have to surmount before we can begin to direct our attention to family farming. But before we proceed to specific policies, let us consider what we want to achieve by promoting family farming:

   • Family farming should contribute to family and local food security and adequate nutrition, and should there be a surplus production, it should be used to help one’s neighbouring areas achieve the same objective. This is very different from the pseudo altruism of growing ‘ecological food’ to be sold in cities for high profit for personal gain without addressing the question of family and local nutrition.

   • It should enable the farming families to earn a decent livelihood or at least make a significant contribution towards it.

   • It should promote the local biodiversity in food species and the well-being of the environment.

   • Whenever possible, it should help to sustain and popularise the local food culture.

   • It will encourage the rural youth to take up family farming as an attractive profession and will do everything possible to attract some of the young people who have left home to return and take up agricultural or related pursuits.

We may be asked, why talk about policies instead of giving examples of successful actions or refer to a long list of international resolutions or authorities? There are several very good reasons for our approach:

   • However successful a project/scheme may have been at a specific location, its success in other locations is not thereby guaranteed owing to the changes in geographical, climatic and Soil conditions within a country.

   • The obstacles to family farming with which we began our discussion cannot be surmounted by best practices in family farming, resolutions or by scientific articles about it.

   • It is generally agreed that in spite of the successful efforts of trade and industry to gravely undermine democracy, a national government can still play an important role in determining a country’s future. One of the implications of this is that the government has the will and ability to undertake actions to achieve national food security and nutrition. This involves taking the necessary steps to remove those obstacles to successful family farming. Both sets of action are undertaken with reference to a set of suitable policies and not specific examples.

Such policies when appropriately implemented will coordinate individual local efforts so that they will benefit the individual family farmer, the locality where he works, region and the country as a whole in attaining food security and adequate nutrition. This can never be achieved by isolated projects/schemes however successful they may have been in local terms. National involvement is essential here in order to ensure an adequate infra-structure and land tenure, deal with the threat of monopolies, etc.

   • It is undesirable to have non-governmental sectors to participate in promoting family farming for two main reasons. Pseudo altruism of ‘ecological food production’ has already been mentioned. The second problem is that unless they are carefully integrated into a holistic endeavour directed at the goals listed earlier, there is a great danger of family farming turning into being a tool of various vested interests. We ought to keep in mind that the rewards of family farming should first go to the family involved, after that to the immediate area and then to the country as a whole. We are not interested in using family farming to boost export trade, but rather in helping the family farmers to earn a decent living while procuring sufficient food for their adequate nutrition, etc.

   • We do not claim good policies to be a panacea, but if they are followed up with appropriate implementation at strategic and operational levels much would be done towards attaining our objective. Moreover, it would be inclusive of governmental, non-governmental and individual efforts provided they do not serve some partisan interest.

   • Another problem in carrying out projects/schemes outside the auspices of the relevant policy is that they may pull in a variety of directions. This will make the total effect of the endeavour unpredictable with respect to what we intend to achieve.

So far, we have refrained from discussing one important aspect of family farming viz.; how to ensure that it would go a significant way in enabling family farmers earn a decent living. First, let us recall that after air and water, food is the third essential thing to life. Unless adequately nourished, neither the adults nor the youngsters will be able to acquire new skills needed to make worthwhile and appropriate improvements in farming. Therefore, adequate nutrition of family farmers has a logical priority above everything else. However, later in this discussion, we will address this issue.

The Way Forward

The keen reader will have perceived by now that promoting family farming requires not just a food and agriculture policy, but a set of them. While the former will focus on family farming per se, the others will support and sustain it by removing the obstacles it faces. Now, we face the challenge of how do we go about designing and implementing such a policy set.

Here, we need to make sure that two practical matters can be settled:

   • Institutions of the national government are sincerely will and able to coordinate their actions towards the same objectives we have identified as the aims of family farming. We must not overlook the inter-departmental jealousies, reluctance to cooperate with other departments, etc. It is time those bodies understood that isolated efforts do not solve even the simplest of problems. Not only do we need to think outside silos, but we need to act from there.

   • International organisations should direct their cooperation with reference to the goal a given policy set is intended to attain. In the present instance, family farming, but they should bear in mind its emphasis is first and foremost on family nutrition and income and then local and eventually national food security and nutrition. Unless the non-governmental bodies are willing to meet this requirement, their involvement would prove rather detrimental.

Our next step is to design a policy set to whose implementation international organisations and local non-governmental bodies may fruitfully contribute. As we have seen earlier, revision of a number of policies other than that on food and agriculture is required to pave the way for the latter. We shall call those adjunctive policies because their help is necessary.

But it is critical that the adjunctive policies and the food and agriculture policy should display in inter-policy harmony with respect to the objectives the latter is intended to attain. For instance, assume that we have the optimal food and agriculture policy needed to promote family farming, but if the national trade and legal policies allow huge factory farms where monoculture is in use and manufacture and/or import of factory food and drink, and their promotion, family farming will fail for reasons we have already discussed.

Likewise, our food and agriculture policy will not succeed if it does not display an intra-policy harmony. It will lack this quality its implementation included support for the production of ‘ecological food’ to be sold for a high price in distant big cities. True, this will earn a farmer an income, but it does not make wholesome food available to him. Moreover, most family farmers are not familiar with ‘ecological foods’ and selling techniques.

So, what really happens is that people from cities with ‘advanced agriculture education’ will purchase family farms to produce such items using a few locals as labourers. This neither helps with the nutrition of farming families nor the locale where they live. Indeed, it will provide food of better quality to the urban affluent, but paraphrasing an old adage “nutrition begins at home.” Another reason for intra-policy disharmony is the use of farm machinery, seeds, and animals etc., which require capital-intensive methods.

We emphasise here that we do not deprecate the use of modern methods; some of them are quite appropriate with respect to the well-being of the environment as well as the farmers’ ability to master them in a short time. The greatest mistake many ‘experts’ make is to ignore the current learning ability of family farmers, the time it takes, and the resources needed to maintain farm implements and not to mention their climate tolerance.

Thus, the success of the food and agriculture policy required to achieve our aims depends on the following:

   • An inter-policy harmony exists among its adjunctive policies and between them and itself.

   • Our food and agriculture policy displays an intra-policy harmony among the means used to implement it.

One may now quite reasonably object that it would be impossible to ascertain whether those harmonies obtain unless we have already formulated our policies. This is correct, but we believe that keeping these requirements in mind before we begin on the necessary policies would be useful to avoid them. We will present some of the features the adjunctive policies should embody in order to ensure the success of our food and agriculture policy. Although they are far from being exhaustive, it is hoped that they would be useful as a general guide on their subsequent expansion.

Revision of Adjunctive Policies

We will list some of the most relevant policies and their proposed implementation strategies will be given in Roman numerals. Whenever applicable, those strategies will be placed in two categories, viz., international and national. For the sake of brevity, regional policies are subsumed under international ones.

FINANCE:

International:

   • Regardless of the source, funding for promoting family farming should be channelled through the organisation most fitted for the purpose in order to avoid wasteful replication, policy disharmony, unnecessary administrative costs, etc. Here, FAO with its world-wide representation and high competence in the field ought to be employed as this channel. It is hoped that donor organisations including NGO’s will be able to see the rationality of this policy proposal.

Strategies:

      I. UN and FAO ought to act vigorously to persuade international donors to consent to this arrangement. Suitable tactical measures such as national conferences, publicity,   etc., ought to be undertaken to promote national willingness to accept the proposed arrangement.

      II. Inter-organisational conferences with relevant donor organisations in order to persuade them to agree to this step are very important. Diplomacy and reasoned persuasion may be some use here even though the undesirable ploy of using organisational autonomy may still raise its Gorgon head.

      III. Stoppage or at least a drastic reduction of loans to national and international food and agricultural monopolies. Much advocacy and legal measures may be needed to achieve this objective.

National:

   • As countries where a greater proportion of the population is engaged in agricultural pursuits, suffer from chronic shortages of wholesome food, their finance policy should give priority to the promotion of family farming both to deal with that problem and enable a significant numbers of people to be gainfully employed. In order to compensate for their shortage of financial resources, some ways forwards have also been included here.

Strategies:

1. Greater portion of foreign aid should be channelled to extend and expand family farming and trade as described in V and VI under trade strategies below; it would be optimal to require such funds to be channelled through FAO while how such international and the national financial resources are to be employed may be done by coordinated joint action between it and national food and agriculture authorities.

1. Aspects of national financial policy favourable to the formation and operation of food and agriculture monopolies in the country including tax benefits should be annulled with immediate effect. These include retail and restaurant/eatery chains.

1. Reductions in defence budget and investment in prestige projects will make more resources available for use to promote family farming.

EMPLOYMENT

International:

   • Encourage safe labour-intensive methods in countries where rate of unemployment is high.

Strategies:

      I. Disseminate information on appropriateness of the methodology in use i.e., it should be benign to environment, safe to the people, suitable for use under given climatic conditions, potential users have the capacity to acquire within a reasonable time the knowledge and skill needed to use and maintain the tools involved.

National:

   • It is important to understand that unemployment poses the greatest real threat to national security. Actively support the labour-intensive occupations and remember those who describe some work as ‘monotonous’ or ‘boring’ are highly paid ‘experts’ writing while firmly seated in comfortable offices; they have no idea of the difference between having a ‘boring’ job and being penniless in a country with scarce social services.

Strategies:

1. Financial incentives to enterprises that promote safe labour-intensive work.
2. Prevent any ‘relocation’ of a facility that may result in direct or indirect unemployment in the country.
3. Concentrate on assisting sustainable employment opportunities that entail no harm to the environment.

 

TRADE

International:

   • An appropriate global trade policy is vital to the success of family farming. Fully aware that vested interests of trade and industry more than ably supported by the WTO, it will require great moral courage and clarity of thought in that organisation to admit national and international food and agriculture monopolies pose the greatest threat to sustainable and equitable global food security and adequate nutrition, cause adverse climatic changes, loss of soil fertility, etc. In view of this, it is incumbent upon the FAO and the UN to persuade WTO to re-negotiate food and agriculture trade and industry policies. WTO should revoke the privileges such trade and industry now enjoy while granting them to smaller cooperative endeavours that demonstrably promote sustainable, varied, wholesome and balanced nutrition through out the world.

Strategies:

      I. There seems to be no alternative except for the FAO, UN, ILO and other international NGO’s to rally around and persuade WTO to undertake a radical change in its global trade policy as it affects food and agriculture trade and industry.

National:

   • Gradual revocation of privileges granted to existing national and international food and agriculture trade and industry in a country should be carried out. Establishment of such new entities should be rigorously prevented.

   • New production and trade in cash crops replacing food crops should be strictly prevented. The existing production and trade in such items should be carefully reviewed with a view to enhancing the national FSN.

   • Emphasis should be placed on a trade policy that facilitates family farming and cooperative disposal of food with a view to its concentric expansion.

Strategies:

1. FAO and UN should encourage the national authorities to influence WTO towards changing its global trade policy as it affects food and agriculture.
2. National NGO’s and other relevant groups should vigorously canvass the government to undertake the action described in I above.
3. News providers should publicise the current state of national nutrition, incidence of NCD’s, relevant dietary competence, vital importance of national food production and food culture, the employment opportunities it offers, etc., with a view to changing the public opinion in a  manner that promotes family farming.
4. Providers of news and entertainment should show the public the misery of unskilled rural migrants in slums and hovels in big cities and refrain from presenting the people a falsely glamorous picture of city life.
5. Trade ministries should facilitate the establishment of cooperative family farms, food preservation and storage facilities, regional units to facilitate the purchase of agricultural implements, seed, household animals, etc.
6. They should also promote cooperative or state-run local transport from food producers to the nearest consumer centra. Railway and water transport is to be given priority here.
7. Assistance should be given to the establishment of family run and/or non-chain restaurants in population centra nearest the sources of food production. These may be extended farther from such sources as food production increases in concentric circles. It should be remembered that the twin goals of this effort are the enhanced local nutrition and enabling the family farmers to earn a decent income. It has nothing to do with providing distant city dwellers ‘ecological food’ while producers may get cash but have to subsist on low quality food in inadequate quantities. This peculiar brand of ‘altruism’ has been advocated vociferously by some who have been trained in advanced agriculture unknown to the poor family farmers. Another fancy idea is introduction of hydroponics to make up the loss of food production due the abandonment of rural farms. This fails to address the food needs of the poor, enabling large numbers of people to secure a gainful employment as well as diminishing their dietary enjoyment for reasons described previously. Hence, the last two tactics should be rejected.

TRANSPORT

   • Success of family farming is incumbent upon adequate transport from farms/fishing ports or villages to the nearest populated areas. At present, we are not concerned with distant cities or exports, for our aim is to ensure the adequate nutrition of those nearest to production centra while enabling food producers to earn a decent income.  This will be gradually expanded in a concentric fashion as food production increases. Therefore, the relevant transport policy would be to improve local and/regional transport rather than the whole. Not only is this less expensive, but it would help the bottom-up improvements in farmer/fisherman income and local nutrition. This may seem counter to traditional ‘development’ theories, but they all show very meagre results when administered from the distant top.

Strategies:

1. Some of the international aid should be channelled to this purpose concentrating on railway and water transport. What is crucial to remember is the newest is often the worst. Appropriateness with respect to local climate, geography, available human resources necessary to run and maintain the system should be always borne in mind.

Improvements in local ports should be undertaken. Small vessels suited for the purpose can often be made out of the available local materials. What we need is adequate functionality in transporters and not sleek ‘cutting edge’ stuff that is difficult to maintain locally and besides, very expensive.

HEALTH

International:

   • FAO ought to work in closer collaboration with WHOM and the national health authorities to establish adequate primary health care especially in food producing areas. It is self-evident that ill health will make family farmers much less productive and may impair children’s ability to acquire the relevant and appropriate skills. This should receive highest priority at the highest level.

Strategies:

1. Strategic persuasion of the relevant organisations including NGO’s to undertake this task by the FAO.
2. UN engagement in this task remembering to encourage its implementation at local and regional levels. A national endeavour at this juncture will fail to have the results required for our purpose.

National:

1. Health aid from every external source should be directed at this goal. No foreign entity should be permitted to establish ‘high tech’ speciality units in the capital for prestige or any other vested interest, but the potential undertakers of such projects should be requested to invest in primary health care in agricultural districts.
2. National news providers, NGO’s and other public organisations should vigorously agitate to achieve this objective. It should be remembered that unless public helps to a service itself, political authorities are content to engage in masterly inaction.

DEFENCE

International:

   • Arms and ammunition used in countries we have described earlier come from affluent nations as defence aid or purchase on credit. Such affluent nations should seriously consider donating a significant portion of such aid to promote food production. They should display statesmanship rather than short-term strategic interest here.

Strategies:

1. It is proposed that UN should convene an international conference to encourage arms donors to at least half their donations and offer the rest to the present purpose. FAO would be the most suitable promoter of this strategy.
2. The relevant international organisations should exert their influence to induce the national governments to reduce their military expenditure in favour of agriculture.

National:

1. National organisations and news providers should actively campaign towards the same end. Public indifference is the greatest hindrance to real progress in every country.
2. What national governments should do here is obvious. We hope that they will display maturity and a real desire to help food producers in appropriate ways, but not by introducing eye-catching and inappropriate methods.

EDUCATION

International:

   • UNICEF and other international organisations involved in child welfare should do their utmost to establish and continue dietary education in schools so that they will be able to acquire the relevant dietary competence from a young age.

Strategies:

1. Aid to prepare suitable teaching material in collaboration with local nutritionists, cooks, etc.
2. Influence the local education authorities to incorporate dietary education in school curricula.
3. Work shops and conferences devoted to the purpose.

National:

   • Appropriate dietary education that embraces the local food culture and personal hygiene should be made an integral part of school curriculum. This should be accompanied by education concerning the local environment and its importance.

   • Public education designed to increase people’s dietary competence.

Strategies:

1. Revise the current teacher training programmes to qualify people to teach those subjects.
2. Develop suitable school curricula.
3. Utilise external competence in presentation and a portion of foreign aid for the purpose.

 Involvement of news providers and national non-governmental organisations to facilitate public education.

ENVIRONMENT

International:

   • Donors should ensure that they do not support activities detrimental to the environment of a target nation even though those may yield ‘economic growth’ in the short run.

   • A holistic international policy on environment is an urgent necessity. Paris agreement has not been a resounding success with respect to its implementation. Besides, it lacks the specificity the matter requires For instance, commercial deforestation, marine pollution, dumping of dangerous materials, etc., require attention.

Strategies:

1. Supporting birth control to reduce the geometric progression of consumerism.
2. International action similar to ban on the sale of ivory applicable to tropical hard woods.
3. Support environmental regeneration through actual reforestation with local species (but not televised events where saplings are left to die after the organisers have reaped enough publicity.), recovery of salinated and/eroded soil, land detoxification, removal of plastic waste from the oceans, etc.

National:

   • Introduce birth control as a national priority essential for survival and an adequate quality of life for all.

   • Prevent foreign industries from ‘relocating’ to the country because of lax laws pertaining to labour safety and protection, factory safety, protection of environment and cheaper labour.

   • Energy efficiency should be made compulsory in every sector.

Strategies:

1. Reforestation of denuded land with local species.
2. Tree planting by the roadside and public spaces and encouraging the people to grow fruit and/or nut trees in their gardens.
3. Restrictions on the use of biocides and fertilisers to prevent marine pollution.
4. Permit logging only when successful previous replanting of the same species as the cut down ones in an equal number can be proven.
5. Introduce stringent measures against illicit logging and capture of exotic land and sea animals backed by the affluent foreign countries whose depredations have already caused grave harm in South East Asia.

LEGAL

International:

   • The relevant international organisations should actively deprecate the establishment and operation of national and multi-national food and agriculture monopolies of every size.

   • Introduction of international laws to devolve food economy in favour of cooperative operations. We know that this may appear strange to the traditionalists just like heliocentric view of solar system did to the clergy, but when it is widely accepted that political power should be devolved, there is no rational reason to exclude economic power from becoming decentralised, i.e., devolved into smaller cooperative national units.

   • Support every national effort to preserve and regenerate the environment.

National:

   • Legislative measures needed to require the policies and strategies listed here to become the law of the land.

Strategies:

1. Legislative action to gradually devolve food and agriculture monopolies in the country.
2. Tax benefits to all those engaged in agricultural pursuits in line with the local food culture, re-introduction of neglected food species, environmentally sound agriculture, family farms, family or cooperative restaurants, etc.
3. A ban on road transport of food when rail and water transport of it are suitable.
4. High tax on factory food.
5. A ban on the promotion of factory food.
6. A legal mechanism to establish rural banks that will cater to the needs of family run farms, restaurants, food preservation and storage facilities and fisheries.
7. A ban on changing farms growing food crops to the cultivation of cash crops, and export of national food crops for cash when it adversely affects national nutrition as it did in West Africa by export of pea nuts on the advice of World Bank.
8. Legally requiring the establishment of railway and water transport whenever possible.
9. Legal restrictions on the introduction of farming methods merely because they are ‘high tech’ especially when high unemployment levels exist in a country. It should be required that labour-intensive measures are to be employed in order to provide employment opportunities to as many unemployed people as possible.
10. A ban on deforestation; a project will not be exempt from it until and unless it simultaneously undertakes to regenerate a denuded area of comparable size by planting and nurturing there local trees, shrubs, etc.
11. Strict measures to ensure the protection and regeneration of the local environment using local species only.
12. Every legal effort must be made to introduce human birth control as a necessary component of preserving the environment and maintaining the quality of human life for reasons given earlier.
13. In some countries, law of equal inheritance has reduced the individual’s portion of one’s ancestral land into insignificance. Obviously, this does not contribute to successful food production and therefore its revision should be given serious consideration.
14. Equitable land reform and secure land tenure are urgent In some areas of the world.  Effective action in them is long overdue.

We have included a large number of legal strategies even though we are fully aware of the uneven distribution of effective law enforcement throughout the globe. Moreover, reasoned necessity is seldom compatible with political opportunism, incompetence, superstition, corruption etc. that are wide-spread in spite of the much vaunted broad access to information. Further, scientism and belief in so-called ‘theories often blind the educated just as religion has done and still does. It seems impossible to make one grasp the simple ontological fallacy of regarding human behaviour as a phenomenon only involving non-living objects, hence, the current theorising.

Let us now take up the food and agriculture policy required to promote family farming. Leaving aside its preamble, it will be generally agreed that it would be the following:

   • Goal of the food and agriculture policy is to achieve global/national food security and adequate public nutrition. On elaboration, it will observe the qualitative and quantitative aspects of food security, whose sustainability depends on the availability of the ecosystems services, hence the well-being of the environment. We have described elsewhere why human birth control is an essential element of a sound environment policy.

The perspicuous reader would have understood by now that promotion of family farming is a strategic measure appropriate to achieve our main objective described immediately above. We have also pointed out the immense difficulties it faces from many other policy domains and have proposed some ways of overcoming them. Thus, placed within the context of the present food and agriculture policy, it would be reasonable to delegate the following purposes to family farming:

   • Enhancing nutrition and food security of the family involved.

   • Contributing to improved nutrition and food security of the locale.

These may seem too modest to those advocates of scientism who ignore dietary enjoyment of the people, their actual capacity to acquire new skills, the value of food culture and agricultural biodiversity, etc. We are only interested in helping living people whose dietary needs are urgent. Once the number of areas where family farming thrives increase, their surplus food can be made available to a wider circle and the process can be repeated as a food system is progressively devolved.

While FAO and other international and national entities do their utmost to overcome the shortcomings in adjunctive policies, we can now consider how to ensure intra-policy harmony within food and agriculture policy at international and national levels.  Afterwards, we will take a brief look at the tactical measures that may be taken to promote family farming in the field.

International:

1. FAO and other international organisations involved in food and agriculture should intensify their support to and advocacy of preserving agricultural biodiversity, local food culture, and agriculture practises benign to the environment.
2. They should actively deprecate the inappropriate use of ‘better’ and/or newer species and methods.
3. In discussions related to the value of food, they should give priority to the real value of food i.e., its value derives from its vital importance to life, and has little to do with the gain of the intermediaries involved in a food system.
4. They should not ignore the importance of human dietary enjoyment and the social value of meal times, for food cannot be equated with fuel used in engines.
5. They should commission impartial research to establish the claims made by the advocates of ‘food fortification’ adding minerals and vitamins to insipid food, for nutrient uptake is an immensely complex process.
6. They should support national efforts to produce seeds, saplings, etc., of indigenous food species so that those may be made available to family farms free of charge or at affordable prices.
7. Their role as the main channel of foreign aid to agriculture has been already discussed. It will not be easy because vested interests are rather strong, but it is a powerful tool to deal with the misery of hunger.
8. They should support an intensive proliferation of cooperative food production and its sale either as meals at restaurants, preserved or raw food.
9. They should support the establishment of appropriate on-the-job training facilities for farming families, shared tool and implement depots and purchasing and Storage units etc.
10. FAO should intensify its role as a reliable source of appropriate know-how to family farmers.
11. They should emphasise the food security and adequate nutrition of the food producer and his locale first and secondly on cooperative trade in gradually expanding circles as the surplus food output increases.
12. They must understand food production should evolve over a period of time and not in ‘revolutionary jumps’ as the dismal failure of the so-called ‘green revolution’ amply demonstrates.  Please remember there are still people who remember the misery of its aftermath and the loss of previously moderately fertile soil due to its salination.

 

At the country level, our food and agriculture policy remains the same while its implementation will be confined within the national boarders. This proposal differs from the traditional approach in that it does not require or recommend a nation-wide effort undertaken with great deal of fan fare. What we require however, is that the government together with international organisation do its utmost to deal with the problems the adjunctive policies pose to the national food security and adequate nutrition and refrain from assessing the value of food in purely commercial terms.

In addition, it would be highly desirable that the efforts to promote family farming embody the strategies given below. There is no reason that NGO’s should not participate in this endeavour as long as their involvement follows the dos and don’ts listed throughout this contribution. Owing to shortage of finances, other material resources or the appropriate know-how, the implementation of these strategies may be unevenly distributed in a country. Though regrettable, continuation of even that would help its wider distribution in the long run.

Strategies:

1. Every effort should be made to channel foreign aid ear-marked for food and agriculture through FAO so that unified budgeting policy could be adopted. Such funds reinforced with local allocations must be administered as rationally and honestly as possible. Reliable outside auditors must be employed to minimise the temptation to engage in creative accounting.
2. Work closely with education department and reputable local nutritionists who are versed in the qualities of national food to develop appropriate school syllabi for dietary education and request the local news providers to disseminate such information to the public.
3. Cooperate closely with the department of justice to develop an appropriate legal framework on lines described earlier. However, do not introduce into the national statute book the vacuous ‘right to food’.
4. Expand the agricultural extension services; it would be more effective to construct them as mobile units so that they may re-used as needed. They should be deployed as close as possible to the targeted family farms. They are to be used as on-the-job training units proving the required services. They should only provide practical training that is relevant to the work of the trainees. Dr. Banji’s contribution to the present discussion is a good example of the kind of training intended. Naturally, one will have to modify the species used with respect to the food culture of the target area, its climate, geography, etc.
5. Establishment of plant nurseries and seed and livestock depots in the target areas may be necessary. Very often, in countries where public nutrition is deficient, it is difficult to obtain these. NGO’s may contribute by financing those, so that what is needed can be provided free of charge or at low cost.
6. With the assistance of the relevant competent organisations, local food preservation and storage facilities should be built in suitable locations.
7. Similar help will be needed to set up cooperative purchasing units to enable family farmers to purchase farm implements, tools, etc. Such units may also include repair shops run by the suitably trained locals.
8. Identical type of assistance should be provided to the local fishermen with suitable alterations to what is provided.
9. Food and agriculture authorities should cooperate vigorously with the providers of transport to enable the food producers to reach their nearest potential end-users. Please recall that the latter are not those who live in distant cities.
10. Encourage the education and health authorities to improve their services in the target area. Ability to acquire new skills and putting them into practise require the facilities they provide.

 

Concluding Remarks:

The reader will notice that we have not shown conclusively that human birth control is an integral part of a sustainable future for the living, for we have done it extensively in this forum. Instead of talking about ‘not thinking in silos’ which is really re-inventing the steam engine under a different and longer name,  we have done it by pointing out how easily the adjunctive policies may become the greatest obstacles to  the success of family farming.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the FAO, NGO’s and the general public to do their utmost to induce the decision-makers to make the necessary changes in adjunctive policies.  If we should neglect this and focus only on food and agriculture in isolation, it would be analogous to laying asphalt on a long strip of wilderness hoping it would somehow become a road. Hope is not a strategy; it is something that may make suffering tolerable.

We have been critical of the so-called ‘better types’, ‘cutting edge technology’ etc. If we impartially examine world’s food production, it will be clear that we have more than enough food to go around. So, we do not need technology to get higher yields of progressively less flavour, we need it to devise better harvesting, preservation, storage and environmentally benign transport.

But that will not be enough. We waste great deal of food in other ways. Restaurants and cafes, customers who do not finish their meals, domestic dietary incompetence account for a very significant food loss. It is only recently that this problem has been acknowledged. This is not a problem amenable to any research, for it is a flaw in our behaviour.  Dealing with it requires a change in personal attitude to food.

Even if we should succeed in solving those technical and attitudinal problems, a far greater challenge remains to be overcome. We have more than hinted at it in these pages, viz., and invasive commercialisation of the world’s food systems. This has gone so far as to make it a roller coaster ride to a dreadful disaster. A cursory look at the number of food species used to provide our food, the very few companies who monopolise seed and livestock breeding should give everyone a grave cause for concern.

Furthermore, proliferation of ‘groups’ i.e., huge conglomerates of companies that own and run wholesale and retail chains as monopolies, not to mention the chains of dubious eating places makes the picture even more grim.  All of them are mere middlemen who earn enormous profits at the expense of the actual food producers and the gullible end-users who believe in advertisements and other modes of promotion.

What they sell is neither nutritious, healthy, nor yet do we know what long-term effects the additives they use may have on our health.  Moreover, to maximise their profits, they resort to extensive monoculture of crops and factory farming of livestock, which are highly detrimental to the environment and inhumane to the animals. Further, it deprives people of their culinary enjoyment which is a part of human cultural patrimony.

Every impartial end-user will agree meat, fruit and vegetables that are ‘improved’ do not have the same attractive flavour. They are invariably insipid, but they are all of the same size and colour. In other words, they look good, but have no taste, another example of eye-candy. We personally know of bunches of ‘improved’ tomatoes which are common in Scandinavia.  They have a uniform size, fine red colour, but free of detectable tomato taste. Their stalks are very aromatic, but the edible parts have no smell whatsoever! This is a cutting edge tomato.

Family farming will thus bring back to more people food enjoyable as food and not human fuel. It is benign to the environment and enables the farming families to meet their nutritional needs with culinary enjoyment and eventually, his neighbours and the people in the country. At the same time, those families will be able to earn an income which may soon be sufficient to meet their other needs. We hope this note will make some contribution towards achieving that objective.

Best wishes!

Lal Manavado.

 

 

 

Dear, FAO

I am Ibrahim representing from Marginalized communities Advocates Network a National organization working In Somali, we give technical support and light farm equipments to vulnerable communities in river line of Juba and Shebelle rivers of the cross somalia.

MCAN would like to be part of this experience sharing forum and much appreciated if you get gives links of your programs heads in Somali so that we join to the large partners with you FAO.

My comment.

Its always great to focus on responding effects on families of agricultural unions of farmers, governments, NGOs and civil societies need to set an sustainable strategy to end hunger in the continent and the  world at large inclusiveness and direct support has to initiated to local farmers.

Ibrahim Hassan Mohamed

Chief Executive Director

Cereal-based diets of the poor are qualitatively deficient in micronutrients-vitamins and minerals due to low intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes and foods of animal origin. Consumption of nutritious millets has also come down in India.  Calorie sufficiency may ensure protein sufficiency, (though not protein quality), but it does not ensure adequacy of micronutrients. For almost 2 decades, The Dangoria Charitable Trust has been experimenting with Nutritionally sensitive and environmentally sustainable agriculture for improving food and nutrition security in villages of Medak district in the South Indian state of Telangana. With advocacy, education and training, even small and marginal farmers can be persuaded to diversify from traditional crops like paddy and sugarcane to growing micronutrient dense vegetables and fruits,  The package of interventions included free distribution of good quality seeds and saplings of a variety of micronutrient dense vegetables and fruits with technical know-how and do hohw. Women raised saplings of plants like moringa, curry leaves, creeper spinach ( basilla alba) which were purchased from them for distribution. Green methods of farming like vermicopositing and botanical pesticides like neem seed decoction and chilli garlic decoction were also introduced. Families with pregnant women and 6 to 24 months old children were specifically targeted.Robust health and nutrition education,( behaviour change communication) particularly of pregnant  women and mothers of preschool children was a very important part of the strategy. Knowledge attitude and practice practi surveys of mothers with children under 2 years of age were done initially and endline to examine the impact on  mothers' understanding. Family diet surveys were also done

There was a remarkable increase in families growing vegetables and fruits following intervention.. Household consumption of vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables also increased significantly., and Most importantly mothers' knowledge of food and nutrition, including  infant and child feeding practices, hygiene and common infectious diseases, their causes and management showed remarkable increase.

Backyard poultry with few high egg-yielding birds were sold to the families.This also significantly improved household egg consumption.

For best results technological engineering should be combined with social engineering. Families were encouraged to consume home-grown foods rather than sell it. Horticulture intervention may meet family's demand for  vegetables, but that will not be sufficient to combat hidden hunger. A more comprehensive package including legumes, millets and animal foods would be necessary.

Homestead production has a special role in the present corona pandemic where mobility and transport are affected. Government and agriculture extension workers should be sensitised for such a strategy.

See the attached publications

Dr.Ms Mahtab S. Bamji,

INSA Emeritus  Scientist, Dangoria Charitable Trust,Hyderabad

(Director Grade Scientist, Retd.National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India)

Address for correspondence: 211, Sri Dattasai Apartments, RTC Cross Rds, Hyderabad, 500020

Rural Centre: Dangoria Charitable Trust Hospital, Village Narsapur, Medak District,

Andhra Pradesh .,502313

Web site: www.dangoriatrust.org.in

FAMILY FARMER TO ERADICATE HUNGER AND ESTABLISH FOOD SECURITY (UN FSN-FORUM)

Family farming is the most encouraged and sought initiative to establish food security and eradicate hunger. Devising new 'Organic Farming Methodology & Technology' with adequate consultation from the agriculture counsellors with improved poilicy uptake can ensure good economic reforms for the farmer.

Precision Agriculture with Sustainable Farming should be welcomed as the deserving option, which involves elementary access to Information Communication & Technology, Adoption of Micro & Drip Irrigation, Farm Mechanization, Multi-Layer Farming, Forage & Fodder Cultivation, Provisional Veterinary Clinics, Facilitation of free counselling sessions for ignorant farmers, Facilitation of free Seed Distribution Drives, 'Young Agrarian Conclaves' to stimulate young generation to adopt 'Organic Agriculture' as a perky career.

It is an urge to acknowledge improvements needed for hassle free economic returns to the marginal peasants by supporting and foster free lease of agriculture land for a minimum period of 3-years into which 15-20% of the agriculture produce can be abstracted as land security amount by the government.

Awareness to elect 'Modern Agriculture Practices' in lieu of 'Conventional' like cultivation of Fruits & Vegetables, Spices, Oilseeds, Development of Water Catchments (Aquaculture), Coconut (Copra Oil Extraction), Plantation Crops (Sugarcane, Coffee, Tea), Atypical Cultivation like Cereal - (Amaranth, Buckwheat, Pearl Sago, Barley, Broken Wheat, Millet-Ragi, Sorghum), Pulses - (White Chickpeas, Horse Gram, Turkish Gram, Sesame, Field Beans), Spices (Carom Seeds, Star Anise, Brown Cardamom, Mace, Nutmeg) & Cash Crops (Bamboo, Cotton, Lavender, Chives, Oregano, Chamomile) are to name a few which are not in regular cultivation by the conventional farmer.

This transformation can be achived by assisting family farmer by imparting 'Practical Skill Sessions' by Agriculture Universities and designated Ministry of Government.

 

English translation below

1) Impact de l'épidémie de la COVID-19 dans la région NENA

La région du Proche-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord (NENA) est confrontée à des défis majeurs, dont l'éradication de la pauvreté et de la faim, ainsi que la lutte contre le changement climatique et la préservation des ressources naturelles afin d'éviter de nouvelles dégradations.

Comment l'épidémie de COVID-19 a-t-elle exacerbé les difficultés rencontrées par les petits exploitants agricoles familiaux (SSFF)?

Au Bénin, les restrictions imposées par les autorités en ce qui concerne le déplacement des populations a contraint beaucoup d’exploitants agricoles à voir leurs produits périmés. C’est le cas des producteurs de la tomate et de la mangue qui n’ont pu écouler leurs productions. Certains comme les producteurs de riz ont eu du mal à s’approvisionner en intrants pour le début des campagnes.

Et quels sont les principaux domaines d'intervention susceptibles de favoriser efficacement la résilience des SSFF et de garantir des moyens de subsistance durables?

• Garantir l’approvisionner des intrants
• Faciliter l’accès du marché
• Renforcer les capacités de stockage
• Accélérer le processus de mécanisation des opérations agricoles

 

Pouvez-vous nous faire part d'exemples de réussite dans la région?

Je parlerai d’exemple de réussite au Bénin. En effet, il a été mis en place une Task Force par l’agence de développement Sèmè City  pour se pencher un certain nombre de question tels que :

• Nourrir les populations avec le développement d’application. Un certain nombre de startups se sont mis ensemble pour étudier les populations que rencontrent les agriculteurs familiaux.
• Des startups dans l’approvisionner se sont mis ensemble pour approvisionner les populations en produits de premières nécessité.

 

2) Transition viable vers des systèmes agroalimentaires plus durables

Pour répondre aux besoins d'une population croissante, il est essentiel d'accélérer la transition vers des systèmes alimentaires plus durables, notamment en tenant compte de la dégradation des ressources naturelles déjà rares et de l'impact du changement climatique dans la région NENA.

Pouvez-vous décrire brièvement les principaux facteurs d'impact des changements climatiques sur la productivité des principaux systèmes agricoles de la région?

• Poche de Sécheresse, inondation, absence ou retard de pluie,

• Comment faire en sorte que l'innovation et les solutions numériques accélèrent cette transition des systèmes agro-alimentaires?

• D’abord, il faut une collaboration entre les Startups et agriculteurs familiaux
• Former les agriculteurs familiaux à l’utilisation des TICs

Notre entreprise Africereal Group par exemple a obtenu un financement auprès de l’USADF pour le développement d’Appcereal. Nous avons donc positionné des Techniciens Agricoles dans les communes pour encadrer les producteurs, nous sommes en train de digitaliser le Conseil Agricole et ces techniciens vont être des relais incontournables sur le terrain. Nous voulons donner l’habitude à nos agriculteurs familiaux de recourir aux services de drones dans l’analyse des stress et la cartographie de leurs champs. Des données qui seront également utiles pour notre base de données. La collaboration est donc importante pour accélérer la transition des systèmes agro-alimentaires. En plus de cela, nous leur facilitons l’accès aux finances via Mobile money et aussi au marché et à des équipements.

Comment la DNUAF peut-elle fournir des outils et des mesures qui aident le SSFF à faire face aux défis climatiques et socio-économiques?

• La formation
• Les voyages de partage d’expériences pour le transfert de technologie
• Création d’une plateforme de données et d’informations qui permet de partager des outils utiles

 

3) Vers une croissance inclusive et équitable

L'amélioration de la productivité et de la durabilité des petites exploitations agricoles familiales ne suffira pas à elle seule pour atteindre les objectifs de la DNUAF ou les ODD dans la région NENA. La mobilisation des adolescents et des jeunes, des femmes et des personnes en situation de vulnérabilité, comme les migrants, sera essentielle pour parvenir à une croissance à long terme, inclusive et équitable.

Dans votre expérience, quels sont les stratégies, instruments ou mécanismes efficaces pour garantir un accès adéquat aux services, aux ressources et à la protection sociale des groupes marginalisés ou vulnérables, y compris dans les contextes humanitaires?

• Malgré le caractère informel du secteur agricole, tout soutien aux petites exploitations familiales peut et doit aller de pair avec la promotion de l’Agenda du travail décent. Les agriculteurs familiaux accomplissent des travaux pénibles et parfois dangereux afin de réduire les coûts et compenser la faible productivité de l'exploitation, au point d'impliquer également les enfants. Sur la base de votre expérience, pourriez-vous indiquer trois actions prioritaires qui permettraient de créer des emplois décents pour les petits exploitants ruraux, les jeunes et les femmes, et d'éliminer le travail des enfants dans les exploitations agricoles familiales.
• Développer l’éducation financière au profit des agriculteurs familiaux, des jeunes, femmes
• Former les groupes d’acteurs à l’entrepreneuriat agricole et professionnaliser leurs activités
• Une collaboration entre les exploitations agricoles et des entreprises privées permet de créer des emplois décents. C’est ce qui se fait avec Africereal et l’union des producteurs de riz. Sur chaque prestation de service de mécanisation des opérations que nous faisons, l’union est rémunérée. Ceci lui permet de sécuriser nos machines et de mobiliser leurs membres à notre profit.

 

4) Promouvoir un environnement propice à la mise en œuvre de la DNUAF

La création d'un environnement favorable à la mise en œuvre du plan d'action régional de la DNUAF suppose de disposer de ressources suffisantes et d'une gouvernance et de dispositions institutionnelles efficaces et inclusives.

Comment définir les rôles des gouvernements, des organismes de développement, des organisations d'agriculteurs, de la société civile et du secteur privé dans la mise en œuvre de la DNUAF dans la région?

Pour le faire, il faut dynamiser les cadres de concertation pour un meilleur dialogue entre tous les acteurs. L’Etat doit jouer son rôle de régulateur, les organismes de développement doivent travailler avec les entreprises privées/startups qui eux vont collaborer avec les exploitants agricoles. La Société Civile quant à elle doit travailler sur des aspects du Conseil Agricole sans oublier de défendre les intérêts des acteurs agricoles.

• Quels sont les goulets d'étranglement auxquels les institutions susmentionnées peuvent se heurter dans la mise en œuvre de la DNUAF dans la région et comment y remédier? Par exemple, en termes de politiques, de ressources financières, de capacités techniques, etc.

• Absence de dialogue entre certains acteurs. Pour cela, il faut dynamiser les cadres de concertation
• Mauvaise gouvernance au sein des groupements de producteurs. Il faut former au leadership les responsables de ces acteurs.
• Vieillissement des producteurs. Il faut encourager l’entrée de jeunes dans l’agriculture et donc la rendre sexy.
• Absence de ressources financières : aider les pays à mettre en place des banques de développement agricole
• Faible mécanisation des opérations : aider les entreprises comme AfriCereal Group qui sont dans la mécanisation d’avoir suffisamment de moyens pour aider les Etats.

 

5) Partenariats

Des partenariats associés à des initiatives de développement durable peuvent créer des synergies permettant de relever des défis interdépendants qui doivent être abordés.

Dans le but de mettre en œuvre le Plan d'action de la DNUAF et de ses sept piliers dans la région NENA, comment construire et établir des partenariats innovants? Et comment/quelles initiatives existantes proposez-vous de reproduire ou d'étendre?

• Renforcer la collaboration entre les startups et les producteurs
• Renforcer le partenariat entre les entreprises privées et les universités ou écoles agricoles
• Renforcer la collaboration entre l’Etat et les entreprises privées pour intervenir dans la digitalisation du Conseil Agricole et dans la mécanisation des opérations agricoles.

1) Impact of COVID-19 outbreak in NENA region

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is facing key challenges including ending poverty and hunger as well as responding to climate change and the conservation of natural resources to avoid further degradation.

How does/did the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbate the challenges faced by small-scale family farmers (SSFF)?

In Benin, the restrictions imposed by the authorities on the movement of populations have forced many farmers to see their products expired. This is the case of tomato and mango producers who were unable to sell their produce. Some, like the rice farmers, found it difficult to source inputs for the start of the seasons.

And what are the main areas of interventions that could efficiently build SSFF resilience and ensure sustainable livelihood?

• Guarantee the supply of inputs
• Facilitate market access
• Strengthen storage capacities
• Accelerate the process of mechanization of agricultural operations

Can you share success examples in the region?

I will talk about a success story from Benin. Indeed, a Task Force has been set up by the Sèmè City development agency to look into a number of issues such as:

• Feed populations with application development. A number of startups have come together to study the populations encountered by family farmers.
• Supply startups have come together to supply populations with basic necessities.

 

2) Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems

In order to meet the needs of a growing population, it is essential to accelerate the transition toward more sustainable food systems with special consideration to the degradation of the already scarce natural resources and climate change impact in the NENA region.

Can you give brief description of key CC impact factors on productivity of main farming systems in the region?

• Drought pocket, flood, absence or delay of rain,

How can innovation and digital solutions accelerate such transition of the agi-food systems?

• First, there needs to be collaboration between Startups and family farmers
• Train family farmers in the use of ICTs

 

Africereal Group, for example, has obtained funding from the USADF for the development of Appcereal. We have therefore positioned Agricultural Technicians in the municipalities to supervise producers, we are in the process of digitizing the Agricultural Council and these technicians will be essential relays in the field. We want to get our family farmers into the habit of using drone services to analyze stress and map their fields. Data that will also be useful for our database. Collaboration is therefore important to accelerate the transition of agro-food systems. In addition to that, we make it easier for them to access finance via mobile money and also to markets and equipment.

How can the UNDFF  provide tools and measures that help SSFF facing the climate and socioeconomic challenges?

• Training
• Experiences sharing trips for technology transfer
• Creation of a data and information platform that allows sharing of useful tools

 

3) Towards an inclusive and equitable growth

Improving the productivity and sustainability of small-scale family farmers alone will not be sufficient to achieve the UNDFF milestones or SDG goals in the NENA region. The engagement of adolescents and youth, women and individuals in vulnerable situations such as migrants, will be critical to long term, inclusive and equitable growth.

Based on your experience, what are effective strategies, instruments or mechanisms to ensure adequate access to services, resources and social protection among marginalized or vulnerable groups, including in humanitarian contexts?

Despite the informality of the agriculture sector, any support for smallholder family farming can and should go hand in hand with the promotion of the Decent work Agenda. Family farmers are engaged in arduous and sometimes hazardous work to cut costs and compensate for the farm’s low productivity to an extent of involving children too, based on your experience please give three priority actions to enable decent employment for rural smallholders, youth and women and to eliminate child labour in family farming.

• Develop financial education for the benefit of family farmers, young people, women
• Train stakeholder groups in agricultural entrepreneurship and professionalize their activities
• Collaboration between farms and private companies creates decent jobs. This is what is being done with Africereal and the Union of Rice Producers. For each service of mechanization of operations that we do, the union is remunerated. This allows it to secure our machines and mobilize their members for our benefit.

 

4) Enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF

Building an enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF regional action plan means that there are adequate resources and that governance and institutional arrangements are effective and inclusive.

How do you define roles of Governments, development agencies, farmers’ organizations, civil society and private sector in implementing the UNDFF in the region?

To do this, we must revitalize the consultation frameworks for better dialogue between all stakeholders. The state must play its role of regulator, development organizations must work with private companies / startups who will collaborate with farmers. Civil Society for its part must work on aspects of the Agricultural Council without forgetting to defend the interests of agricultural actors.

What are the bottlenecks –any of the above institutions may encounter in achieving the UNDFF implementation in the region and how to overcome them? E.g. in terms of policies, financial resources, technical capacities, etc.

• Lack of dialogue between certain actors. To do this, we must boost the consultation frameworks
• Poor governance within producer groups. Those responsible for these actors must be trained in leadership.
• Aging of producers. We must encourage the entry of young people into agriculture and therefore make it sexy.
• Lack of financial resources: help countries set up agricultural development banks
• Low mechanization of operations: help companies like AfriCereal Group which are in the process of mechanization to have sufficient means to help States.

 

5) Partnerships

Partnerships associated with sustainable development initiatives can create synergies to address interconnected challenges that need to be addressed. With the aim to implement the UNDFF action plan in its seven pillars in the NENA region,

How can innovative partnerships be built and established? And how/what existing initiatives would you propose to replicate or scale up?

• Strengthen collaboration between startups and producers
• Strengthen the partnership between private companies and agricultural universities or schools
• Strengthen collaboration between the State and private companies to intervene in the digitization of the Agricultural Council and in the mechanization of agricultural operations.

 

 

Family Farming , COVID and Market

Due suddent lockdown created huge problems of finding market for local production of the family farming system in Sri lanka.

I have nice experince even before covid or after covid, people with having product with local market target have sustaine well with the having regional, national and international orientation.

One dairy farmer faced zero market access due covid lock down, he can't stop milk production as well distroy harvest without selling. he try to contact with conventional supplier but they refuse to come due to covid, then he lan to sell via social media by targeting surrouding villagers, he put post on social media about quantity of milk produce by the family farm, he collected order via social media and sold by home dilivery, farm doesnt stop due to covid and earn more profit than previous. 

Most of family farming fail due to less access to market and less amount of production, also COP comaratively high, so therefore we should plan to target niche market family farming to take advantage of the market. there are numbers of cases available in SrI Lanka that they having niche market and use of correct communication technology.

Introduction

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2019-2028 the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF). The UNDFF serves as a framework for developing public policies to support family farming worldwide and to contribute significantly to the achievement of the Agenda 2030, by strengthening family farming in order to eradicate rural poverty in all its forms and to address the need for a global food system that provides sufficient, affordable, environmentally sustainable and nutritious food.

Through a Global Action Plan, the UNDFF provides detailed guidance for the international community on collective, coherent and comprehensive actions that can be taken to support family farmers. Designed around seven mutually reinforcing pillars of work, the Global Action Plan recommends a series of interconnected actions from the local to the global level.

The multidimensional nature of family farming, the farm and family, food production and life at home, farm ownership and work, traditional knowledge and innovative farming solutions, the past, present and future are all deeply intertwined. This multi-functionality makes family farming key actors in promoting such a transformative vision of food system, once they are provided with effective support.

FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa region (RNE) has a history of engagement in efforts to strengthen small-scale family farming in the region. Since 2018, it has designed and implemented the three pillars of the FAO Regional Initiative on SmallScale Family Farming (RI-SSFF).

To facilitate the implementation of the Decade in the NENA region[1], building on the experience of the RI-SSFF, a UNDFF Regional Action Plan is being developed for the NENA region by FAO RNE, in consultation with strategic partners and relevant stakeholders. This seeks to contribute to a 10-year process in support of SSFF, implementing actions to achieve the UNDFF Global Action Plan (GAP) in the region.  

This paper provides my perspectives, about stakeholders’ actions in regard to especially areas of focus and related partnerships at the global, regional and country levels, which would bring about sustainable development and scaling up of achieving SDGs by 2030.

In my response below, I present a discourse that gives insight into questions 2-5 with major focus on Question 5, that is 2) Sustainable transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems, 3) Towards an inclusive and equitable growth,4) Enabling environment for the implementation of UNDFF, and 5) Partnerships.

Partnerships 

Partnerships associated with sustainable development initiatives can create synergies to address interconnected challenges that need to be addressed. With the aim to implement the UNDFF action plan in its seven pillars in the NENA region. Meaningful partnership can be built based on an analysis of the family farmer agroecosystem vis a vis turn points for sustainable development. In this discourse, I pull out what I consider as key gaps in the agroecosystem and indicate related innovative role players who would be appropriate components in building meaningful partnerships. Thus, meaningful innovative partnerships would best be built based on an agroecosystems/holistic farming landscape approach. 

The agriculture sector is multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral. For the agriculture sector to sustainably perform and so cause sustainable development, it is especially multi-sectoral nature must be considered in all activities. Family farmers have needs very much aligned with needs of the community and nation at large. For this reason, family farmer related interventions must be holistic and so multi-sectoral. The Swedish Development Agency (Sida) funded Agroecology in Practice project that run for 6 years in Uganda (Uganda Martyrs University), Ethiopia (Mekelle University) and Sweden (University of Applied Sciences- SLU)  aimed at bring about this aspect of Sustainable agriculture development. The project opened eyes of participating farmers to view the farm as a system, as well as the farm surrounding environment. It contributed to the sustainable land use and management in the TIGRI Region, under the effort of Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This way, farmers were able to understand the complexity of their environment, its components and necessary partnerships for their agriculture business to be sustainable. Thus, Agriculture, Health, Education, Communication/Transport, Commerce, Environment, Information Technology, etc all have strong contributions to sustainability of the Agriculture sector. Unfortunately, the community involvement part of the project was scaled down and more effort was put on building the necessary human resource (at Master and PhD levels) to influence policy and also do the training of family farmers beyond the project life. 

Consequently, partnerships formed to ensure sustainable development of family farmers, must be multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral at local and international levels. Training of family farmers in applying a system wide development of their farms must be enhanced. Governments must initiate Public Private Partnerships (PPP) with strong elements of inclusiveness as is guided by the Malabo (2014) Declaration. 

In country like Uganda the agriculture sector like all other sectors are driven majorly by the private sector. In this case, public private partnerships (PPP) are very paramount. As such, Governments need to recognize the contribution of the private sector to sustainable development. Whereas government organs develop policy and also guide the policy implementation process, for agriculture, family farmers are the on ground private sector implementers and direct beneficiaries of policy. In Uganda the Private sector Foundation, which is multi-sectoral participates in the budget process. Even though, the budget towards agriculture has never reached 5% in spite of the 10% that was directed by the Maputo Declaration ((2007).  The Smallholder farmer Association in Uganda is also instrumental in influencing the sectoral budget.

Between 1986 and 1993, UNDP/FAO support the Development of Horticulture Industry in Uganda. Cognizant of the fact that most smallholder farmers/family farmers produced vegetables and fruits, a variety of new germplasm was introduced with minimal in put into partnering with planting materials producing companies. The developed government nursery capacity was minimal and later on the private sector embraced production of vegetative germplasm with limited expertize. This lack of key private partnerships resulted into distribution of infected plant materials and limited growth of the horticulture industry. Today seed production is privatized, which is a good way to implement the global policy on liberalization and privatization of business. However, the seed industry has caused sustainability issues. First crop diversity is reduced because the private seed industry is most interested in optimizing revenue, so they market only the highest yielding ones and phase out low yielding varieties. Local varieties are completely out competed and lost in spite of their unique characteristics and resilience. In South Africa, just out of Johannesburg, is a group of women who save and market seeds of indigenous varieties.

As regards mechanization, most family farmers still depend on the hoe, machete, and ax where a Massey Ferguson Tractor does not exist. There is evident lack of appropriate technology. A visit to the Appropriate technologies institute at Ede, Netherlands in 1989, exposed a variety of intermediary technologies that could be very handy for a family farmer. These would reduce drudgery and fit into the agroforestry, permaculture, and integration of fruit tree systems that are advocated for the family farmer to adopt so as to ensure sustainable agroecosystems. Such appropriate technologies would be adequate for a family farmer at all value chain segments. 

Recent visits to BioFach, at Nuremberg, Germany showed the changing trend in exhibition from fresh produce to value added products. Most products had been produced at cottage processing industry level, especially those from Eastern Europe. Similar observations were made during the Organic World Congress, New Dehli, India. Family farming would do a lot in ensuring value addition based on cottage industry and in reducing postharvest food loss, which is key to addressing hunger as well as to maintain sustainable use of natural resources; avoiding pollution of the environment by non-renewable energy based industries. Such appropriate technologies are lacking at family farming level. In my personal experience, farmers processing tamarind into various products would have trees planted, tamarind pod waste used as fuel or composted to produce safe organic fertilizers/compost to substitute non-renewal sources. Many other production and appropriate processing technologies would be based on interrelated systemic connectivity that builds the desired sustainability. 

In Uganda rural agro-industrialization has been highlighted every annual budget year, but it has not adequately taken off as those leading implementation have prioritized establishment of industrial parks, yet family farmers with appropriate technologies would bring about rural agro-industrialization with inclusiveness and equitable distribution. In Cameroon just out of Yaoundé is a women’s group that adds value to their production of cassava into a multiplicity of products. Another initiative is in Uganda where St. Jude Farm at Buseesa is known for solar fruit drying for export. In private research, the Center for Ecosystems Research and Development-CERD, Uganda has added value to local dry fruits by making sweet bars to substitute sweets that spoil children’s teeth. 

Such industries would reduce postharvest losses and also reduce volumes of waste that are brought to urban settlements and yet cost money to be collected, as well as ending up into water bodies like Lake Victoria. The waste would remain on farm and add fertility and hence reduce on the currently on-going land mining through family farming. 

At family level, on farm waste from cottage industries is a good feed into waste composting systems that would produce fertilizers for family farmer use, generate biogas for the family and reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This would increase sustainability of family farms and reduce pollution of their drinking water as well as fresh water fisheries. In Austria, Lubke Land Management and Research Institute has appropriate composting systems that may be adopted for family farmers’ communities to use. A related rapid composting system can be found also at Katisi Organic Institute, Chongwe, Zambia, while small homestead waste output has been found by the Center for Ecosystems Research and Development-CERD to be good enough to sustain continuous production of compost at household level.

Furthermore and during 2018 and 2019, there were numerous interceptions of exports to the European Union due to infestation with prohibited organisms and overdoes of synthetic pesticides above minimum residue limits. Most of such produce was produced by family farmers and bulked for collective marketing. In spite of clear Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS), the competent authority (National Plant Protection Organization- NPPO) had limited intervention to manage the entire value chain. However, private exporters of fruits and vegetables had done their best to set up systems that would prevent escalation of interceptions. There was clear disjointed efforts between the private and public sector in addressing the concern, though the EUC did the best in alerting the NPPO/MAAIF. Thus, the north-south partnership between the EUC and NPPO would have achieved best results if the importer, NPPO, exporters and family farmers had formed a strong partnership to address this challenge. 

Therefore, one would consider scaling up and replicating the initiatives describe as cases above and outlined below. 

Key Partnerships to scale up or replicate

Sustainable development is a responsibility of all citizens of respective countries in the NENA region and beyond. It is a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral business. Governments, the private sector and various development agencies have to forge various strategic partnerships to cause sustainable development which would be a two way involvement of family farmers.

The Swedish Development Agency (Sida) funded Agroecology in Practice project that run for 6 years in Uganda (Uganda Martyrs University), Ethiopia (Mekelle University) and Sweden (University of Applied Sciences- SLU)  aimed at bring about this aspect of Sustainable agriculture development would be very appropriate at family farmer level. The Multi-sectoral nature of family farming calls for a unified way of agricultural extension integrated with farmer to farmer and farmer field school methods. 

Aligned with a systems approach is the blend of public and private partnerships. The case of Uganda where the Private Sector Foundation and the Small Scale Farmers Association participates in the budget process is a good lesson. Family farmers must influence the policy environment in order to perform sustainably and remain competitive.

Most family farms are smallholder or small scale. Their major involvement is production of fruits and vegetables either alone or mixed with animals. To ensure productivity, elite and adopted resilient germplasm is required. Such materials should be introduced from where they are and bulked in well managed and certified nurseries to avoid distribution of associated diseases and pests. In this regard, public private partnerships are necessary. Government Ministries of Agriculture, farmers and the industry must work hand in hand. The UNDP/FAO Development of Horticulture Industry (1986-1993) in Uganda was very useful in improving family farmer systems and need be scaled up and replicated. Lessons on indigenous seed variety conservation should be taken from groups like that at Johannesburg in South Africa. Cases of community seed backs in India and the ISSD supported community seed production in Uganda should be studied and included in multistakeholder partnerships for scaling and replicating.  

At technology level, family farmers are stuck with the hoe. Appropriate technologies that best fit their agroecosystem must be accessed. This calls for south to south partnerships and with the north such as the Center for Appropriate Technologies, at Ede, Netherlands, as well as related industries in especially India and some places in Africa. These partnerships should involve bringing down experts from such institutes to work with family farmer associations and small scale industries who would be supported by Governments to afford paying for copy rights and patents or to support foreign investments in production of such appropriate technologies for different value chain segments. Involvement of UNIDO in bring family farmer adapted/customized appropriate agro-processing technology from Eastern Europe, India, cases of fruit drying and value addition by CERD thereafter in Uganda as well as cassava processing at Yaoundé are paramount.  

Declining soil fertility is a common phenomenon among family farms in Africa. Synthetic fertilizers are one option, but most times family farmers do not afford and so end up simply mining their land and shifting to virgin plots, which has greatly contributed to environment degradation, poverty and hunger. Yet, smallholder family farms would generate their own fertilizers by composting farm waste. Partnerships with the Land Management and Research Institute-Lubke Technology in Austria, the Center for Ecosystems Research and Development-CERD as well as Katisi Organic training Institute, Chongwe, Zambia would enable this to happen through local training of trainers and equipping of farmers to practice composting themselves or by their associations.

In case of exports of fruits and vegetables from Africa, recent challenges have been inadequate compliance with Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards. The north-south partnership between the EUC and National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) would solve the problem. This would require creating strong partnerships between importers, NPPOs, exporters and family farmers. Instead of NPPOs concentrating on the upper part of the value chain, they would also be involved at the lower segment on farm through agroecosystem wide/unified extension services intervention. This implies also scaling up farmer to farmer learning and farmer field schools which were previously supported by FAO programmes. 

Research is key to sustainable development. This, too, has to be by multi-disciplinary teams in order to produce relevant packages. Family farmer involvement is paramount. CGIAR centers must create partnerships with family farmers and conduct more on farm and farm lead research as opposed to the most practiced on station research.

Lastly, enabling policies are only possible through multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral processes. As such, governments should bridge existing policy gaps by bringing all stakeholders together to forge the future policy arena that will deliver sustainable development. Today’s policy makers in most African countries do not measure up to the task, and often very useful policies remain on shelf without approval or are not implemented.

Impact of Covid-19 is multidimensional on smallscale farmers: disruption of farming activities like planting or harvests, lack of labor for farming due to return of migrant laborers to their native villages, supply chain disruption (where farmers cannot take their produce to the markets due to lockdown restrictions on transport, markets, people), loss of jobs and declning demand for and affordability to buy food and other commodities, the fear and risk of infection by covid-19 in crowded market places, lack of on-farm storage that leads to spoilage of perishable vegetables and fruits after harvest as well as milk, disrupted support services like input retailers, farm machine services, seeds, and fertilizers and pesticides. Rural households also lack clean water and toilets for minimum hygiene. It's a very difficult period and a testing time for all smallholder farmers, daily wage earners, landless laborers, small traders/collectors, women, and children. Targeted external support is critical to relieve the painful impacts of covid-19 for all rural households, farmers or otherwise.

National and local governments, cooperatives, NGOs, and the private sector actors must come together to help the farmers and others in the following areas: (1) raising the covid-19 awareness among the local population and assistance on how and where to get treatment and prevent the spread of the disease; (2) improving the organization and distribution of food and financial aids to the people in need by various groups; (3) ensuring supply of seeds and other farming inputs as well as support services to farmers; (4) revamping processing and post-harvest management facilities and distribution avenues for food and other commodities by enabling marketing avenues and transport facilities; (5) improving the access to finance/credit for farming activities; (6) improving clean water, sanitation, and healthcare facilities to all rural residents; and (7) regular communications  and sharing of good practices to manage during the pandemic.