Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Good day,

I will be looking forward to participating in the consultation.

Crop and livestock integration will enhance sustainanble food security.

Few smallholder farmers in the tropics/sub-tropics grow staple food crops at anything near their potential yield (e.g. maize potential yield is 7-9 tonnes/ha and the average actual yield in Africa is about 2 tonnes/ha). If this yield gap could be filled it would solve the issues of food security, indeed there would be an excess. Filling the yield gap requires better soil/land husbandry (improved soil fertility and soil ecological health), especially as poor farmers cannot afford to buy fertilizers and pesticides. The  use of leguminous trees and shrubs as 2-3 year "Improved fallows" or "relay cropping" can partially restore crop yields (for maize to about 4-5 tonnes/ha), so freeing land for other crops, especially cash crops like fruit trees. The farmer then has the choice to purchase inputs to raise yields to the full potential.

African farmers have suggested that they would like to grow their traditional foods (originally gathered from forests) as new cash crops. After 20 years R&D this is now happening (10,000 farmers in 400 villages) with very exciting livelihood and environmental impacts (see attached), which include the creation of new business and job opportunities for young people and especially women in post-harvest value-adding, and local / regional trade in traditional markets. I have published a highly adaptable, generic 3-step model which I believe to be applicable in semi-arid to humid-zone regions. I believe that up-scaling this approach could resolve the agricultural sustainablity crisis. See also:

 Leakey, R.R.B. 2014. Twelve Principles for Better Food and More Food from Mature Perennial Agroecosystems, In: Perennial Crops for Food Security, 282-306, Proceedings of FAO Expert Workshop, Rome, Italy, 28-30 August 2013, FAO. Rome.

Leakey, R.R.B. 2014. The role of trees in agroecology and sustainable agriculture in the tropics. Annual Review of Phytopathology 52: 113-133.

Leakey, R.R.B. 2014. An African solution to the problems of African agriculture, Nature & Faune 28 (2): 17-20.

I would like to comment inclusion of pastoral production in a broader way as they are the most economically vulnerable community to different natural, political and manmade shocks and hazards. Moreover, livestock production in the pastoral areas is tradition and focused on livestock number rather than their productivity. This leads to degradation of rangelands and reduces its carrying capacity. Facilities like road, water supply, feed production, veterinary service and market outlet are determinant factors to bring sustainable development in the pastoral areas of East Africa. Combating illegal livestock trade is also one of the major problems that make the pastoralists the least beneficiary from their livestock resources. The local livestock breeds are less productive but well adapted to the harsh environment and the traditional pastoral livestock management system. Giving prior attention for livestock genetic potential improvement through developing synthetic breed seems pertinent for sustainable livestock sector development. Last but not least is animal welfare at slaughter houses and abattoirs. This is critical especially while slaughtering camel in Jigjiga and Dire Dawa town of Ethiopia. In this practice first the camel hind leg is cut at knee to immobilize for slaughtering. This practice is inhumane and very cruel way of immobilizing life animal as the animal is conscious and fully feel the pain. I have attached pictures for your information.

AGRICULTURE FAMILIALE DURABLE COMME MODELE D'AGRICULTURE EN AFRIQUE

Gender inequality can be a cause as well as an effect of hunger and malnutrition. A program evaluation from four Asian countries indicated that agricultural training combined with nutrition education empowered women in their ability to offer healthy diets to their families through homestead gardening, while being associated with improved nutritional status. Farmer Field Schools are another practical example of how agricultural development can be both gender-and nutrition-sensitive and complementary to other health-based nutrition interventions. Gender and nutrition are often mainstreamed in Farmer Field Schools, including Junior Farmer Field Schools. There are plans to standardize this approach as part of greater efforts to maximize positive nutritional impact through agriculture.In addition to that, women assume managerial roles at these schools (e.g. presidents, treasurers) with the same frequency as the men. These schools not only directly empower women, but they also enable men to change their view on women. Against this backdrop, following pathways may be chosen to ensure nutritional security through gender mainstreaming, child care programmes and fisheries.

Pathway 1

Women’s participation in aquaculture may have certain effects on improving family nutritional status

Pathway 2

Encouraging women to paricipate in the fisheries related movements

Pathway 3

Organize picnic for  collective feeding session for underweight and malnourished infants under the Positive Deviance (PD) approach, an intervention aimed at reducing malnutrition among children less than three years of age in West Bengal. For twelve days in a month, mothers with undernourished children may follow this regime. This is followed up by an 18-day break wherein care givers monitor the feeding practices in the respective child’s homes and record progress. Every month the malnourished child may be weighed and in most cases, mothers may find their children gaining weight between 100 and 600 gm. A pleasant surprise and a great moral booster for them

Pathway 4

The scope is for an improvement and expansion of food sources in the village school, which is a center of grassroots level in the remote areas.

Pathway 5:

In India there is a need to link Village (Panchayat) Ponds developed under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS); Village Childcare Centers (Anganwadi) and Village Schools and Earn while you learn for teachers, Women Self Help Groups, Farmers Friends , Farmers Field Schools and students.

Bonjour Monsieur,

nous répondons favorablement a votre offre de participation a cette importante question , nous vous transmettrons dans les jours qui suivent un draft sur nos travaux sur le projet pilote de gestion durable de la viande de brousse et de la mise en place des mécanismes de création de la filière viande de brousse en valorisant toute la chaine.

la mise en place des stratégies de valorisation des terres contre l'accaparement des terres par les multi nationales.

et un modele de collaboration entre les populations riveraines et les multi nationales dans le cadre de la Reseponsabilité Sociétale des entreprises.

dans l'attente de savoir si nous avons été retenue , nous reviendrons avec détails pour repondre 

1. Le rapport analysera ensuite les incidences (défis et opportunités) de ces tendances sur le plan de :
   1. la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (en particulier, les carences en nutriments, l'obésité et les maladies chroniques), la réalisation du droit à l'alimentation, en faisant ressortir les considérations liées aux différences entre les sexes, ainsi qu’aux inégalités ;
   2. l'accès à la terre et aux ressources naturelles ;
   3. l'accroissement de la production et de la productivité agricoles ;
   4. le développement économique ;
   5. la santé de l'environnement et des écosystèmes, y compris le changement climatique et la biodiversité.

I would advice the respective authority to include Aquatic agriculture as one of the component of sustainable agriculture. Due to the changing, there  is a need to  direct or develop a theme related to Improved Aquatic agriculture for rural livelihood sustainability.

Yassin Y Mashuubu

La population africaine est nourrie à 75% par les productions provenant des paysans. L'agriculture familiale demeure la meilleure solution pour lutter contre la pauvreté et l'insécurité alimentaire en Afrique. Elle doit être centrée sur les paysans eux-mêmes et non influencée par les politiques au nom et en lieu et place de ces derniers. La subvention des organisations paysannes devrait âtre une priorité pour les gouvernements de nos pays afin de donner un coup de pousse à celles-ci.

Cependant, le constat est très amer, lorsqu'on constate par exemple pour notre pays que, pendant que les Nations Unies décrètent 2014, Année Internationale de l'agriculture Familiale, le gouvernement lance un vaste projet de 23 Parcs Agro-industriels dont le premier à Bukanga Lonzo, a démarré avec un financement de plus de 80 millions de dollars.  Aucune annonce sur ce grand événement depuis le debut de l'année et voilà que nous nous trouvons à sa fin. Il est clair que ce n'est pas la priorité pour le gouvernement.

Par ailleurs, nous avions souhaité que les parcs agricoles soient implantés pour soutenir les efforts des paisibles citoyens paysans répartis dans les environs. On constate toujours qu'ils ne sont pas impliqués sinon pour applaudir lorsque les autorités politico-administratives sont en visite sur le site. Les paysans vont petit à petit être transformés en ouvriers agricoles et par ricochet, perdront leur identité.

Nous avons toujours plaidé pour une implication des dynamiques paysannes en RDC dans les instances de prise de décisions au lieu de les subir.

Ir Hubert K. NDOLO

In the attached files (2 page only, published in a little book on deforestation), I tried to present two contrasted visions on the future of agriculture (including livestock) which may be useful to the forthcoming HLPE study and the discussions. I drew on the foresight study "Agrimonde" (scenarios and challenges for feeding the world in 2050) and some other work on structural transformation, employment and labor productivity in agriculture. Visions are part of the drivers and challenges, and they shape our future.

Please have this in consideration:

Will minimizing food waste affect the growth of agriculture/farmers?

How will minimizing food waste affect the rest of the food value chain?