Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Dear colleagues,

Dear HLPE,

The undertaking of study on Sustainable agricultural development for food security and nutrition, including the role of livestock is timely and relevant to development agenda at global, regional and national level. The current structure and contents of the V0 draft of the Report is very well developed and balanced between chapters and agricultural development overall and the livestock sector. The draft report provides detailed review of the existing materials and data from the relevant sources. The trends and responses described in the report are applicable in the different countries and conditions. Let me slightly reflect the contexts of important role of sustainable agricultural development, including the livestock in ensuring food and nutritional security in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) region.

Agriculture is of paramount importance in the CAC region because of the role it plays in the development needs of its countries. First, the sector, as emphasized earlier, supports the livelihoods of the large majority of the population in rural areas, and to some extent in urban areas. In this, the role of agriculture, including livestock sector plays an important role in contributing to food security of these countries. It  supports the livelihoods of not only in rural but also in urban population of the region significantly contributes to the GDP of the most CAC. Thus, the current contributions of agriculture, including the livestock assume special significance for ensuring food security, poverty reduction, and protecting the environment through sustainable use of the natural resources. In addition, the region has a large area (256 million ha) of rangelands which provide the vital feed resource for livestock, important in biodiversity conservation, and could play important role in environment protection. Cereals (wheat, barley), food crops (potato), cotton, horticultural crops (vegetables and fruits), livestock (small ruminants, sheep and to lesser extent goat, and cattle that provide meat and milk) are important agricultural commodities.

However ,there are still challenges to improve productivity and production and incomes and livelihoods of small-scale farmers and livestock keepers. Those requires undertaking of following actions:

In ensuring Food and nutritional security

- Improved technology for increased productivity and production of crops in a sustainable manner in both irrigated and rainfed situations without affecting natural resource balance and environment;

- Increased investment in agriculture and agricultural research, extension, and education and their restructuring;

- Access to inputs including small farm machinery, fertilizers, credits, etc.

in livestock sub-sector

- Livestock (both small and large ruminants) management in irrigated, rainfed areas and mountainous areas, where it supports livelihoods of large populations of subsistence farmers/herders in the region

- Forage and feed availability

- Rangeland regeneration and conservation

- Improved breed, insemination, livestock health, and transboundary diseases

- Processing and marketing of milk and milk products

I believe that the final version of the report will be equitably relevant to National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), Rural Advisory Systems (RAS), education systems, development agencies, public and private sectors, consumers and producers.

On behalf of the Central Asia and the Caucasus Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (CACAARI) I would like to thank the HLPE Project Team for excellent work and sharing with broad audience the V0 draft of the Report, considering issues typical to the CAC region.

Dr. Alisher Tashmatov,

Executive Secretary,

CACAARI

I suggest that you investigate the poverty alleviation and food security research and development efforts that have been introduced by the agriculture engineers at the University of Cordoba in Monteria, Cordoba, Colombia.  These engineers have successfully studied how to produce more cassava and white yams (Discorea) using better planting techniques in much the same manner as Cornell University studied how more rice could be grown using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).  Once the techniques for increasing the yield of cassava and white yams were perfected, each of the ten agriculture engineering professors at the university introduced these techniques in one to three municipals in the Department of Cordoba with the help of their agriculture engineering students (there are 30 municipals in Cordoba).  Many classes have been given.  The additional cassava and white yams are used for both human consumption and for animal feed by the poorest farmers in the Department of Cordoba.  In particular, the cassava foliage is being used to increase pig production in the region.   The poorest farmers in the Department of Cordoba are now producing more of a high value food commodity and earning additional income. This is a major change for the lives of these farmers. The ownership of animals is a way for the poorest farmers to dramatically increase their income.

See articles “Research on Cassava Foliage Production in Colombia” by Bernardo Ospina, Luis Fernando Cadavid, Jorge Luis Gil, and Álvaro Andrés Albán;

“Cassava Crop Development in Colombia” by Alvaro Balcázar B., Hernán A. Mansilla A., Santafé de Bogotá DC.

See first three case studies in book “Adding Value to Root and Tuber Crops: A Manual on Product Development” (pages 119 to 128).

Paul V. Rigterink, PhD

United States of America

Dear all,

On behalf of CIHEAM-Bari I would like to thank CFS-HLPE for this interesting initiative. The topic of this report is relevant, timely, and of interest to a wide audience. It helps also substantiating goal 2 of the SDGs that’s to say “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture”.

I do believe that it is of paramount importance to highlight linkages between sustainable agriculture and food and nutrition security. That’s particularly important in the Mediterranean, especially in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries, where operates CIHEAM - an intergovernmental Mediterranean organization dealing with agriculture, food, environment and rural development.

I would like to thank the project team for attention that they paid to the Mediterranean (cf. box 4 on evolution of diets in the Mediterranean) as I think that the Mediterranean area represents a good “laboratory” and that the promotion of the Mediterranean diet can contribute to achieving sustainable food and nutrition security in the Mediterranean area.

The report is based on rigorous academic standards and its content is technically accurate and sound. The methodology and conceptual framework are appropriate and applied properly. The results are correctly interpreted and conclusions are sound. As for references, they are also appropriate but more recent references can be used.

In the framework of analysis of the contribution of sustainable agricultural development to ensuring food security and nutrition can be stressed better the multiplier effect of agriculture in rural areas and its contribution to the development of non-farm income generating activities.

As for the social dimension of agriculture, can be added a box about the so-called “social/care farming”.

As for environmental sustainability (cf. heading 3.3) biodiversity (or agro-biodiversity) can be considered as an additional subheading.

In the report should be also better stressed the advantages and benefits of mixed farming systems with both crop and animal production. Improving the sustainability of agricultural systems implies a better integration of crop production and animal production in local and territorial agro-food systems.

In the conceptual framework it is maybe better to first explain linkages and interrelations between sustainable agricultural development and food consumption within food systems/chains then to highlight interconnectedness of these with the four dimensions of food security and nutrition. Anyway, a more detailed description of the conceptual framework should be provided.

All in all, I do thank experts for this interesting and evidence-based piece of report and look forward to its final publication in order to use it as a reference document in our training, research and cooperation activities at CIHEAM-Bari in general and the department of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in particular.

Regards

Roberto Capone

 See suggestions in answer to question 12.

Paul Rigterink, PhD

Are there any major omissions or gaps in the report? Are topics under-or over-represented in relation to their importance? Are any facts or conclusions refuted or questionable? If any of these are an issue, please send supporting evidence.  

I am particularly interested in smallholder systems where animals represent less than 10 percent of the total farm output in value terms.  In particular, I am interested in helping the most poor raise chickens, pigs, goats, and other small animals to increase their income and food security.  In the case of chickens, backyard producers value chickens for their adaptability, contributions to the family’s income and general welfare, and for insect control and fertilizers in the garden.  In most family flocks, chickens scavenge plant or food residues and insects around the home.  With minimal care, family flocks can hatch and raise chicks, produce high-value meat, and supply eggs.  Eggs can be a particularly important source of food for children with protein malnutrition who are between six months and three years of age.  Live chickens sold for meat bring a good price and are a primary source of household income for poor farmers.

It is extremely difficult for families to maintain flock numbers and replace birds which are lost or sold if they cannot produce chicks on the farm.  Buying replacement chicks from a hatchery is expensive and can be disastrous for household chicken production.  Hatchery birds may require artificial incubation, disease control measures, or special feeds not available on the small farms.  The loss of hens’ broodiness (readiness to set on eggs for hatching) is particularly serious.  When hatchery roosters cross with traditional hens, flocks can lose their ability to hatch and raise chickens in just one generation.  It is best to avoid dealing in hatchery birds which have lost most of their ability to successfully hatch eggs.  In addition, to gain the maximum profit, the use of poultry feeds is discouraged. Which experts do the HLPE Project Team and Steering Committee use when confronted with practical questions rather than policy questions?

In addition, inexpensive disease control markedly increases the survival and productivity of a family flock.  The following four preventive practices, given every three months, will eliminate most health problems in poultry flocks:

1.      Vaccination for Newcastle disease

2.      Deworming for roundworms and tapeworms

3.      Dusting under wings for irritating external parasites such as lice

4.      Treatment for chronic respiratory disease to increase production.

What recommendations does the HLPE Project Team and Steering Committee have for veterinary supplies for pigs, goats, and other small animals? 

Other questions that might be answered include:

Is the application of fundamental disease control to prevent losses from common infections and parasites worth the investment?

1. Can the veterinary medicines required be repackaged in the small quantities required by poor farmers?  In particular, how can their flock be vaccinated for Newcastle disease?
2. What methods were used to insure maximum egg production (e.g. supplemental feed and keeping the chickens shaded)?
3. Should small farmers sell primarily eggs, live chickens, freshly processed poultry meat, or cooked chicken meat to maximize profits?
4. What are the best methods for preventing the loss of chickens from predators and thieves?

See my paper “Doubling the Income of Africa’s Poorest Farmers” at https://sites.google.com/site/paulrigterink/home/poultry for additional information

Hello;

A good contribution.

Disaster is a factor it avoids & eco-fertilizer is not discussed. The agriculture is a field one can't explain all, so rather touch all it can discussed the tech & other measure use in agri sector from 2000-10. I saw the comments & other-your works; you try to touch everything which is quite impossible.

Regards,

Md.Moshfaqur Rahman

Bonjour,

Dans le §4. 2.  : "role of livestock", j'ai été très surpris de ne pas voir mentionner le rôle de l'élevage dans les mécanismes de reproduction de la fertilité des terres cultivées. Pour des centaines de millions d'exploitations (notamment les plus petites), l'élevage joue un rôle déterminent dans la reproduction de la fertilité des terres cultivées et permet l'obtention de rendements parfois significatifs pour ceux qui n'ont pas accès aux engrais de synthèse faute de pouvoir d'achat. En ce sens, cet "élevage des pauvres" joue un rôle essentiel dans la sécurité alimentaire de ces ménages. Il contribue aussi à réduire l'utilisation d'engrais de synthèse et dons la production de gaz à effets de serre.

Cordialement

Hubert Cochet

Professeur

AgroParistech

UFR Agriculture Comparée et Développement Agricole

UMR Prodig

Hello Friends,

Thanks for sending me the Draft Report. Here're some initial remarks. In case of further interest, I'll be prepared to expand.

1 – I'd expect much broader coverage of aquaculture, including marine farming. Its importance for world nutrition is fast growing and so is its production.

2 – That's OK with me that you have concentrated on livestock, however, from more general point of view, it's the most wasteful branch of the food production system. Among others, it's consuming many millions of mt of edible marine food to produce fishmeal for livestock's consumption, not to speak of the mega-millions of mt of agricultural production that either could be used for direct human consumption, or could expand over areas presently used to grow animal fodder.

3 – I'd like to draw your attention to the tremendous lobbying power of various environmental groups, like WWF, Pew, GP, and the like, which have been attacking fisheries for "global overfishing" and for bringing the marine production to "the brink of collapse". I just wrote an article, debunking it, by confronting them with the latest FAO data. Such panic-mongering may be occurring also in other branches of agriculture, esp., where they may be encroaching major petro-chemical interests. So, watch out!.

4 – I'd recommend, while presenting the livestock to expand the discussion to contain also alternative approaches to massive food production for the billions of hungry people.

Best regards,                         

Menakhem Ben-Yami

FAO Fisheries Officer 1975-1982.

Dear Sir,

I wonder whether the material presented in the document is meant to serve the interests of “IPCC” or to serve the people/nations to develop sustainable agriculture.  

From this report it is clear that the report is not really made to serve the people/nations to build sustainable agriculture. 

Emissions and global warming has insignificant influence on agriculture. IPCC goes on changing the sensitivity factor that relates anthropogenic greenhouse gases with global warming. Also, now they say in a qualitative manner that it is only more than half of global temperature constitutes global warming.  From the balloon and satellite data so far the global warming is only 0.15 oC. This is insignificant to influence agriculture. The seasonal and annual and dry to wet periods temperature variation goes beyond 10 oC that the local crops experiencing for the centuries.

The main component of climate change that has direct impact is natural variability. This I worked for several countries and adapted agriculture to them. Sometimes these are modified by local/regional ecological changes – land use and land cover changes --.  Based on this concept, forefathers developed agriculture systems that are sustainable under variable rainfall conditions. To improve the economy and nutrient security they adapted animal husbandry in to agriculture. This system was killed by chemical input mono crop agriculture.  Here the yields increased with the level of irrigation and fertilizer supply and reached a plateau by 80s. So, the increase in production was due to chemical inputs. But, technology is not the primary cause for increasing the production but the primary component is irrigation. Agriculture under small holdings will be sustainable not with the technology but by providing supplemental water over rainfall. 

The chemical input agricultural technology introduced the evil pollution [soil, water, air and food] that is affecting the health of life forms including the humans and crop production as well quality of potable water. To better utilize the scarce natural resources under small farm holdings is cooperative farming under organic inputs.

These are the issues that the report should have concentrated rather than emissions and global warming to serve IPCC.

I am more of a practical man than theoretical like IPCC which only creates panic and help collect billions of dollars to collect and share. Some of these are exposed very recently.

Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy

Sera muy interesante estudiar este informe para desarrollar la producción agrícola y garantizar la alimentación de millones de alma que en este mismo momento están pasando hambre. Con todo respecto quisiera de ante mano, sugerir, que en este plan debe considerarse el desarrollo de un sistema que inicie desde el campo con la inclusión de los pequeños y medianos agricultores en asociativas para garantizar los financiamientos que puedan provenir de las instituciones internacionales de financiación. Asistirles en la preparación de la tierra para la mejora de sus productos con tecnología y con prácticas que la misma FAO ha desarrollado en múltiple ocasiones.

La inclemencia del clima es uno de los obstáculos que el agricultor está enfrentado y que en múltiples ocasiones les ha ocasionado daños económicos porque la sequía o las inundaciones o un huracán le ha destruidos sus cosechas. Otro mal pollo que atraviesa el agricultor es la plaga que destruye sus cosechas o que por razones de la misma les imponen veda prohibiendo la entrada de sus productos a los mercados internacionales.

Para finalizar, quiero referirme al sector ganadero, es bueno decir que se ha avanzado en este sector pero quiero referirme a un fenómeno en particular que se está presentando en nuestro país. En cierta región del Cibao desde hace década la agricultura de la siembre de café y cacao con el tiempo fue decayendo hasta desaparecer y los agricultores pasaron a la cría de ganado y las tierras montañosa que antes servían para el café y el cacao ahora se están usando para la siembra de pasto para el ganado que por razones de la sequía y que el agua no puede llegar a las fincas ya que hay que bombiarla seven en la necesidad de trasladar el ganado a los ríos y esto le produce descaste físico.

Muchas gracias.