Dear forum members,
I would like to respond to this question by the facilitators
1) Under what conditions can agriculture succeed in lifting people out of extreme poverty? Particularly those households with limited access to productive resources.
In my opinion, developing and encouraging food production in marginal areas should be the center to reduce extreme poverty. Local food production allows access to food and, sometimes, good nutrition. Around food production and through ages, markets and market systems developed. Unfortunately, these systems are on the way to being extinct due to competition from modern productions. For example, to harvest cereals or olives, some people use heavy machinery that is not adapted to mountains, destroys the soil and often owned by outsiders who allow its use against rent payment
I believe that the following constitutes key components to help lifting people out of extreme poverty in marginalized areas:
a. Capacity development to bring in the knowledge of new tools for food production. Ex drought resistant varieties of their usual food. Also, it is not enough to form cooperative. It is essential to develop a training cursus for cooperative management and food production;
b. Any intervention needs to respect culture. Ex Dont bring in new varieties of barley where people are used to eat rice. Development cost will be higher and results not guaranteed;
c. Develop local market systems to build the new tools and marketing. Ex. Develop harvest machineries that are adapted and teach the locals how to build them and market them locally. This could bring job opportunities for youth.
Dr. Malika Bounfour