The world produces double the quantity of food needed by our population, most of which is wasted, post harvest losses and the balance rots in Government go downs.
The group may like to consider focusing on ‘Integrated Producer Oriented Development (IPOD) as against ‘Market Oriented Development’, the cause of the current agrarian crisis and look at the following possible solutions to make food accessible to the hungry, under nourished and the poor smallholder producers/ rural communities:
a) Communities in rural areas to set up their producer orgs/ company (PC), staffed by educated rural youth, trained to become general practitioner (GPs)/ MBAs in agriculture, with public funding for managing the risks and take over all problems and responsibilities other than on farm activities, from their members
b) Human and institutional capacity building of unemployed women and rural educated youth
c) Develop plans and budgets for nutrition through integrated smallholder agriculture as applicable to each area
d) Create a mechanism for rural communities to access nutritious food at farm gate price (half to one seventh the retail price)
e) Advocate for assistance and support by the public sector to mobilise adequate resources
f) Ensure that the local species, breeds and varieties are adapted, as followed by successful farmers practicing low cost integrated agriculture as applicable in each area, are supported and widely replicated
g) Primary and secondary value addition to optimize shelf life to minimize post harvest losses
The group may like to consider the following actions:
a) Get the different stakeholders to focus on nutrition through agriculture
b) Emphasis on human and institutional capacity building
c) Share experience and information among stakeholders
d) Increase work at the local level
e) Align programmes and funding
f) Adopt innovative approaches to mobilizing resources
g) The producer company (PC) to manage members' risks and take over all problems and responsibilities including finance and marketing, other than on farm activities
h) Document comparativer research and successful farmer models for wide replication
i) Engage the Private Sector, in this case the successful farmers in ach area for wide replication
Subhash
Subhash Mehta