Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Hello All (again)

Small-scale women farmers face substantial obstacles to achieving beneficial access to markets in South Africa with its highly corporate concentrated and male dominated ownership of much agricultural production, processing and retailing. One strategy that a number of women farmers (in different locations with no connection to each other) are using is selling produce to women’s groups, family societies and local undertaker businesses. These groups and small businesses are buying food for community and social events, such as weddings, parties and funerals. At these events there are particular foods that are expected and that the women farmers understand. The farmer has a regular market that they can be prepared for as these clients collect every Friday for events happening over the weekend. As this is a direct sale the farmer gets a much better price than when selling to designated agents, at the large rigidly structured fresh produce markets that dominant in South Africa, or to supermarket and other supply/value chains. The buyers are also getting the food they want at a more reasonable price.

The women farmers in some cases know the members of these societies and businesses personally. In other cases, where they don’t know them personally, they still easily relate with them as people (mostly women) coming from the same or similar communities and cultures.

This is an opportunity for the development of greater autonomy for farmers who are able to sell for better returns through market circuits outside the corporate value chains. It is an example of a local (territorial) market opportunity that could be built on and expanded. 

The value chain approach, with its focus on the narrow economic value of vertical links between actors, does not see these kind of opportunities that are based on social and horizontal relations as much as on the economic part of the transaction. Different approaches to research are needed to understand markets within the wholeness of people’s lives within their contexts, of which the market is just one part.

The submission, in the template format, is attached with more information.

That will be all from me before the Monday deadline. Thanks for the opportunity of sharing.

Marc...

Dear all,

In  India, over 85% of the small holders own less than 1 ha land, which is further getting fragmented due to division in the family particularly among brothers. This makes mechanization difficult along with problems in Connecting Smallholders to Markets. Moreover, many landless livestock keepers contribute milk, meat & eggs- supplying much needed Animal sourced foods-protein & other micronutrients essntial for human health & well being. Can we think of Collective farming, farmer producer organizations to remedy the situation & making agriculture profitable to small holders. I know collective farming is easier to say but difficult to put into practice, unless there is lot of common sense among the stakeholders. We also have problems of small landholding scattered here & there, not at one place, making farming even more stressful. Land consolidation may resolve this, but again it is a teething problem. These are some of the basic issues, if we could resolve them, we can expect contributing to sustainability of small farms.

Thanks!

Mahesh Chander

Hello All,

In Dar es Salaam one of the largest sources of fresh milk is the territorial (local) raw milk system based on produciton by mostly small-scale dairy farmers in urban, peri urban and the surrounding region. A study comparing it to a value chain supply model found that the territorial (local) raw milk market system outperformed the value chain in that it gave better returns to the primary producers and lower prices to the milk drinkers. The raw milk production also links with other local production activities, such as through the provision of manure for urban and peri-urban horticulture. The production and distribution takes place within a symbiotic food system with a multitude of small-scale actors from the producers to traders and retailers. These operate through a range of locally and socially embedded relations involving direct selling, local traders, and local markets.

See attached submission for more information.

Please find attached a case study realted to "Set 2: Connecting Smallholders to Markets".

Best regards

Judith Hitchman

Dar es Salaam is a city of around 5 million people that is primarily feed by a form of territorial market with no corporate vertical or horizontal integration and little to no state coordination. Instead, this is a “symbiotic food system” based on the activities of a multitude of small-scale and interdependent actors operating based on common cultural repertoires and relations of at least familiarity. It is a food system that both ensures the provision of food in a way that is relatively accessible (cheaper and neare than the corporate supplies, such as supermarkets) to the poorer urban eaters and creates a large number of livelihood opportunities in urban and rural areas. This is most strongly demonstrated by the production and distribution of the key staple foods of maize and rice, with a long track record of delivering food at a city feeding scale and doing this in a way that makes a substantial contribution to rural development. It is not a static system; it is evolving, not least through the substantial increases in total production to keep pace with the needs of a fast-growing city. More should be done to learn from and build on these types of practices.

The completed submission template is attached with further information.

Please find attaches a case study of ENJEAL NYS AGRO from Cameroon

Please find attached a case study from the Netherlands.

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg

The subject you are addressing are vital – in arena of climate change. The world is slowly pushing itself with drought stricken and flood affected areas – resulting into miserable condition of small holders in developing world.

India prioritized agriculture since it became independent in 1947. “Land to Tiller” concept was our major land reform to make tenants owner– farmers in early fifties. This was followed by special programme for small and marginal farmers to provide them productive assets for strengthening their farming through bank finances. Our current approach is not only right to Food which we provided – but to increase farmers’ income on par with urban counterparts that is why we have programme for “Doubling of Income” in five years project at national level for entire country. Our small holders have come out from subsistence farming. As regards, Nutrition – there are still issues and gaps which we are trying to bridge.

What needs attention at international level is prioritizing agriculture – we have, as civil society organization, followed up this COPs. There was limited success of mention of “Food Productivity” in Paris Agreement. Nothing about farmers – small holders – who dominate world farming and are key to “Food Security”, “Nutrition Security” and all SDG goals.

We had consistently taken stand that agriculture is key to food security. Agriculture has natural capacity to mitigate as it absorbs CO2 from atmosphere – due to photosynthesis process and that reduction in land under agriculture – due to increasing non-agricultural activities is cause of global warming. If agriculture has to be successful, ‘Small farmers, marginal farmers, women farmers – need attention and need to be nurtured – as they do not like farming which has become risky business. The end result is many countries face migration – or food riots and militancy. In these parts of the world – where minimum food to survive is not available – leave apart nutrition, the hungry millions are growing.

Hence at international level and even country level agriculture – small farmers and their families need to be prioritized. As one of FAO report on nationally determined commitment reveal that in resolutions of large number of countries there is no mention of agriculture.

What needs to be done is create influential lobby for agriculture – both FAO and IFAD have to take lead. In fact GACSA under leadership of Dr. Federica of FAO has done considerable path – breaking rock. But if SDG goals are to be meet both FAO and IFAD need to come out from shadows and take lead in COP meet and influence the world leaders and address them in separate meets. This has to be at highest level. Second important initiative which both organization can take is to identify the countries - where this is required to be done. It may not be necessary in developing countries or countries which have dominant large holder (like Middle-East).

We would be happy to hold an international inter-action in Gujarat – India with your collaboration.

Thanks for response to our note.

With best wishes,

Please find here the contribution of Associazione Rurale Italiana

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antonio onorati

Dear colleagues,

Please find attached the experience of WFP Cuba.

Best regard

Asistente de Programas

Programas

La Hababa, Cuba