Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Agricultural extension and advisory services must play a major role in realizing gender equality and improved nutrition through a truly participative democratic organizational structure (based on Open Systems Design Principles) conducive to creating an environment of symmetrical dependence where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, an organizational environment conducive to enhancing human behavior in general and ideal-seeking behavior in particular.

Further info: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/antifragile-heteroticorganisations-jc-wa…-?trk=v-feed&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3Bm6QQEHSCtXj01J4k06N58A%3D%3D

As part of my duties, we have to conduct training programmes, Model courses for farmers as well as for the field functionaries/trainers. It is common to see, these programmes are dominated by males. However, in one of the recent Model training courses for Field Veterinarians, we found 4-5 women vets coming from a single state, Kerala. I asked the reason that only women nominated from the state, while mostly male vets travel to distances for these trainings. They shared that they themselves took the lead this time and got themselves nominated for the training and the department was also supportive on the matter. My idea of narrating this is to highlight women themselves will have to take lead surpassing their limitations as the programmes and schemes alone may not be helpful. The AEAS often find it handy to handle male participants as with women there are several domestic commitments as narrated well  here, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/20…

Its a question of mindset, unless specifically called for, the AEAS personnel don't make efforts to ensure women participation. To start with, the AEAS personnel may be incentivized for encouraging women to participate in capacity  building programmes, skill trainings. Women extension agents could be better suited to engage to serve women farmers. In case of dairy Cooperatives, we saw, women supervisors were appointed in Rajasthan as elsewhere too  in India, especially in All women dairy Cooperatives. These women supervisors could interact well with women compared to their male counterparts. Often we saw them chatting with rural women right inside their kitchens, where, they were able to discuss many of their problems with the comparatively aware supervisors. Women have manifold questions to seek answers for, beyond farm too and often they don't have channels to seek answers to these queries. These women supervisors mingle well with rural women and able to advise them on matters concerned with including their health, thrifts, children's education etc. The Home science graduates including those qualified in Food and Nutrition having good knowledge of nutrition in general and nutrition for women and children in particular could be roped in as extension agents to educate rural women on importance of good nutrition, while linking it with nutrition sensitive agricultural production practices.

Agricultural extension and advisory services (AEAS) doing so many things for social & ecological harmony. So many organizations, governments, and individuals are doing their best but still a long way to go.

It's time to introduce a single platform to the development of agricultural livelihoods.

A platform for everyone who can add some value. I working for years to sustainable agriculture establishment and I have seen so many organizations, governments, and individuals working in their own way. They using their force, their energy, their talent, their knowledge towards development and betterment of the agricultural society and it will make difference in many lives but again it's required an advanced and full proof plan for complete change with sustainability.

If we talk about gender and nutrition only, that is already very important part of complete agricultural life cycle.

We must accept that woman is the axis of human life and women always known for her management for life, hardcore survivor, and responsible human being.

As AEAS want to cover this topic than there are following steps should be taken;

1. An awareness campaign about the Healthy Lifestyle, food requirements, working capacity, time management, the basic necessity of living with result oriented regular follow-ups and anytime assistance. 

2.  Kick back training program for every family to an establishment of sustainable living. Training about asset & resource management, health requirements & food habits, the importance of cleanliness & quality management, assets & liability management, skill development & integrated business management.

3. Categorized every individual as per skills and available resources. Provide them the managed work platform. Monitored and guided by experts. Meanwhile, create local experts for lifelong assistance. Employment generation fills the all gaps. 

4. Practical group assignments to perform and better output. Divide work as per category, Female can perform in-house management, they can maintain books, packaging, procurement, hand work with soft skills, food & cleanliness management etc. so they take care of these activities and other side males can handle outdoor activities, hard work skills, security & protection, heavy work, field operations etc. so they actively fulfil their part.

5. In a healthy and balanced work environment always establish a positive and productive social development so if a family generate reasonable living needs, there will be no place for inequality and Malnutrition type of words.

If we want a real change we need to work from scratch and push to the top in one shot, as if we want to make a tasty dish, after all, we required all ingredients on time.

We are reaching the 4th industrial age and still, we have a big gap between developing and developed countries. We have the sharp technology and huge knowledge so we need to act accordingly.

I try to explain as I have my working experience.

Thank you so much

English translation below

Mes contributions sont données en dessous des questions reprises:

1) Quelle devrait être, à votre avis, l'intervention des services de conseil et de vulgarisation agricole dans le développement au sens plus large, au-delà de l'octroi et de la facilitation de l'accès au savoir, à l'information et aux technologies ?

Les agents et le système de vulgarisation constitue à mon avis les piliers du développement rural et d'atteinte de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle dans nos pays du tiers monde t notament en Afrique. Ce sont les porteurs de changement tant en termes de mentalité, de comportement que d'organisation. Dans ce cadre, leurs interventions doivent être de proximité et permanentes sur le terrain. Ils doivent jouer un rôle d'accompagnement et d'agent de changement  car ils sont des références sures pour les producteurs. 

2) Quels sont les problèmes spécifiques qui empêchent les services de conseil et de vulgarisation agricole de venir à bout des inégalités entre les sexes et promouvoir la nutrition?

En Afrique depuis les politiques d'ajustements tsructurels des années 1990 et 2000, l'Etat est résumé à jouer un rôle regalien et les agents de vulgarisation sont invités à intervenir à la demande. Cet état de fait à négativement impacter le niveau d'encadrement et d'accompagnement des producteurs pour le changement et les innovations. Car le niveau de scolarisation et d'ouverture des producteurs au monde extérieurs des producteurs est font de leur premier contact avec les personnes externes mais de proximité et les agents de vulgarisation en sont les premiers. Donc avec la restructuration des systèmes de vulgarisation qui a comme conséquence la diminution du personnel, des moyens logistiques et financiers et la quasi abandon des formations continues de ces agents, ces derniers ne sont plus opérationnels sur le terrain et ceux qui le sont ont des niveaux de formation et de technicité non conforme avec les besoins de changement et d'innovations. 

A cela il faut ajouter la faible ratio des femmes comme agents de vulgarisation, le faible niveau de connaissance des agents en termes de genre et de nutrition. Les actions sont plus axées sur la production et la productivité notamment des céréales et des cultures d erentes que sur la diversification de la production. Ils interviennent très peu dans les questions de genre et d'accès aux moyens de productions et de transformations pour améliorer le statut nutritionnel des ménages à base de produits locaux. C'est que nous essaiyons de changer dans les projets que nous concevons en oeuvrant à renforcer les capacités des agents de vulgarisation avec des connaissances et des outils simples sur le genre et la nutrition et pour promouvoir la consommation diversifiée des produits locaux.

3) Connaissez-vous des exemples de services de conseil de vulgarisation agricole ayant réussi à résoudre les problèmes d'inégalités entre les sexes et à améliorer les résultats nutritionnels ? Quels sont les facteurs, notamment les approches et les outils spécifiques, qui expliquent ce succès ?

L'approche qui j'ai vécu l'expriénce est dans la diminution des inégalités dans l'accès aux intrants et à la terre pour les femmes accompagné de la promotion de la diversité de production de légumineuse en association avec les céréales ou les cultures de rente comme l'anacarde. Cette approche intégrée a permis d'apporter un appui en semences améliorées de soja et de niébé aux femmes, à ls formés à travers leurs pairs "formateurs endogènes" plus proches d'elles, et faciliter leurs accès aux terres productives sous l'anacarde et les champs de céréales en sensibilisant les hommes sur les bienfaits des légumineuses sur la fertilité des sols, les avanatges nutritionnels et la diversité de sources de revenus des ménage. 

Cette approche nous a permis de passer de 8% de femmes à 43% de femmes bénéficiaires en 1 an et augmenter le score de diversité alimentaire des ménages de plus de 31 points en deux ans.

Les facteurs à succès sont la proximité de la vulgarisation avec des "formateurs endogènes comme relais des animateurs terrains avec un sentiment de confiance et de bonne dispositions aux innovations; l'association culturale et la diversité de productions avec une visée d'augmentation de la productivité et de la diversité alimentaire qui est favorable à l'amélioration nutritionnelle des ménages. Enfin, en appuyant des productions dites pour femmes (soja et niébé) dans des champs des hommes en majorité a été facilité par la complémentarité et les avanatges démontrés.

Les outils sont les intrants agricoles, les boîtes à images avec des exemplaires en langues locales pour les "formateurs endogènes", les "champs modèles" qui sont organisés autour des "formateurs endogènes".

4) A votre avis, quel devrait être le rôle des principales activités d'une instance mondiale telle que le Groupe de travail sur la nutrition du Forum mondial pour le conseil rural (GFRAS) pour faire en sorte que les services de conseil et de vulgarisation agricole soient plus sensibles à l'égalité des sexes et puissent contribuer à l'amélioration des résultats nutritionnels.

Le role des instances mondiales est avant l'adoption et la promotion d'approche qui ont fait preuve de succès et de les partager avec les autres acteurs.

Il faudra aussi que ces instances font du pladoyer auprès des institutions comme la Banque Mondiale et le FMI pour ne pas destabiliser le système de vulgarisation dans une visée à réduire les dépenses mais de l'utilisation pour booster et diversifier les productions, promouvoir des agents de vulgarisation des deux sexes et renforcer leurs capacités en matière de genre et de nutrition.

Enfin, il faut aussi du pladoyer pour augmenter les financements du secteur et mettre à contribution les acteurs non étatiques (ONG, Associations, Organisations paysannes, ..) et le secteur privé qui est un acteur de changement vis à vis de ses clients comme entreprise sociale.

My contributions are given below in relation to the questions raised:

1) To what extent do you think should AEAS be involved in broader development, going beyond providing and facilitating access to knowledge, information and technologies?

The agricultural extension system and its agents are, in my view, the pillars of rural development and the achievement of food security and nutrition in our Third World countries, in particular in Africa. They are the bringers of change as much in terms of the way they think and behave as of organization. In this framework, their interventions must be characterized by closeness and permanence in the field. They must play a role of supporter and agent of change because they are a certain reference for producers.

2) What specific challenges have you encountered that hinder AEAS from addressing gender inequalities and promoting nutrition?

In Africa, since the structural adjustment polices of the 1990 and 2000, the State has returned to play a kinglike role and the extension agents are invited to intervene on demand. This state of affairs has impacted adversely on the level of training and support for producers for change and innovation. For the level of schooling  and  openness of producers to the external world is made from the first contact with  people from outside but at first hand, and the extension agents are the first of them. Therefore, with the restructuring of extension systems which  has the consequence of reducing personnel, logistical and financial means and the virtual abandonment of continuous training of these agents, these last are no longer operational in the field and those that are  have training and technical levels that do not conform with the needs of change and innovation.

To that, it is necessary to add the low ratio of women as extension agents, and the low level of knowledge of the agents about gender and nutrition. Activities are more directed towards production and productivity, in particular of cereals and cash crops, than to diversification of production. They intervene very little in the questions of gender and access to the means of production and transformation to improve the nutritional status of households based on local products. That is what we were trying to change in the projects that we set up by working to reinforce the capabilities of extension agents with knowledge and simple tools on gender and nutrition and to promote the diversified consumption of local products.

3) Do you know any examples of AEAS successfully addressing gender inequalities and supporting improved nutrition outcomes? What factors, including specific approaches and tools, led to success?

The approach with which I have had experience is in the reduction of inequalities in the access to inputs and to land for women, accompanied by the promotion of diversity of production of pulses in association with cereals or cash crops, like cashew nuts. This integrated approach has resulted in support through improved soya seeds and cowpeas for women, to train them through their peer "local trainers" closest to them, and to facilitate their access to productive land under cashew trees and to cereal fields, making men aware of the benefits of pulses for the soil’s fertility, the nutritional advantages and the diversity of the sources of revenue for households.

This approach has allowed us to pass from 8% to 43 % of women benefitting in one year, and to improve the score for household food diversity by more than 31 points in two years.

The success factors are the close up nature of the extension with local trainers passing on encouragement in situ, with a feeling of confidence and good disposition towards innovation; the association of culture and the diversity of products with a view to increase productivity and food diversity, which favors improved nutrition in households. Finally, supporting products considered to be for women (soya and cowpeas) in men's fields was in most part made easy by the complementarity and advantages shown.

The tools are the agricultural inputs, slide shows with examples in local languages for the local trainers, model fields, which are organized around the local trainers.

4) What do you think the role and main activities should be of a global forum such as the GFRAS Nutrition Working Group in helping AEAS to become more gender-sensitive and able to contribute to improved nutrition?

The role of the global forum is first the adoption and promotion of an approach that has been proved successful and to share it with other actors.

It will also be necessary for the global forum to plead the case to institutions like the World Bank and the IMF to not destabilize the extension system by trying to reduce expenses, but to use it to boost and diversify productions, promote extension agents of both sexes and reinforce their capabilities in terms of gender and nutrition.

Many of us would agree that youth are important, they need to be empowered to be decisive on agricultural matters, but there are constraints in doing so. For example, in India,

i. they don't own land. The AEAS contact those who are the owners of land even when they are not engaged themselves in agricultural operations.  The AEAS should approach those who are actually working in the field, so that they can help influence the decisions of the owners of land.

ii. Financial institutions ignore youth for the want of collateral: May be youth have wonderful new ideas but can't implement for the want of money. The AEAS can organize youth competitions for scouting the innovative ideas to be implemented to improve agricultural practice including improving household nutrition.

iii. Youth are not invited in the meetings organized for agricultural and rural development issues. It is the elderly males who often participate in these meetings. The AEAS must ensure meeting to be age and gender balanced for effective meeting outcomes.

iv. The AEAS must pay attention to Social Media usage in farm sector like WhatsApp, Facebook etc as these media attract youth more than the elderly. The youth including females would be able to influence each other while sharing useful information via social Media.

v. Youth are more closer to information and communication technologies including Social Media they can better fit to connect farmers to markets, reducing transaction costs, and raising food system efficiencies. Young people should be engaged more in agricultural value chains, and AEAS should focus more on value chain extension than only giving production advice. It's the question of farm profitability not only the farm productivity, which can be understood better by youth than the older generations who have mindset of more production of traditional crops than having focus on profitability or we can say commercial orientation to farming than taking it as a way of life.

The AEAS has to change its mindset to meet the emerging requirements of new capacities, new demands and how to cater to these new requirements using innovative extension methodologies. The link between agriculture and nutrition is certainly the new requirement which needs to be met with new ways than the conventional approaches.

AEAS has to go for agricultural innovation system since it is a necessary condition to accelerate productivity and achieve food security, nutrition and above all the value chains of human welfare and quality of life with substantial conservation of the environment. It is affirmative to develop a mechanism for sustainable farmers' adoption of technologies with delivery and capacity building. 

High acquisition costs for agricultural package technologies application with time disparity, that of men. In my country women are interested in technologies that will not add workload time to the existing condition and demand the innovation of that can ease the existing burden with triangulated benefits (food security, nutrition and income generation); infrastructural development is one of the hindering point to resolve the gap of gender access and control of agricultural technologies.

1) To what extent do you think should AEAS be involved in broader development issues, going beyond providing and facilitating access to knowledge, information and technologies?

Response: It will certainly be nice if AEAS can go beyond facilitating access to knowledge, information and technologies to issues such as sensitivity to gender and nutrition. However with the current syllabus of for training agriculture extension workers this may not be possible. A team of AE workers to include a social scientist in the team would help. Extension workers as it is have enough on their hands and may not be able to cope with more. Some sensitisation would help.    

2) What specific challenges have you encountered that hinder AEAS from addressing gender inequalities and promoting nutrition?

Response:  In India as well as perhaps other countries, human nutrition is not taught as a separate subject. In earlier years this subject was included. But now it is not. Consequently, the nutrition knowledge of agriculture scientists in general, (including the extension workers) is rather poor. They are unable to appreciate the need of making cropping pattern nutritionally sensitive and environmentally sustainable. Also their mind set tends to be male centric and women are invariably left out of extension activities. This is now to some extent changing in India.

3) Do you know any examples of AEAS successfully addressing gender inequalities and supporting improved nutrition outcomes? What factors, including specific approaches and tools, led to success?

For last over 20 years, the respondent (a nutrition scientist) is associated in honorary capacity with Dangoria Charitable Trust, - a non profit NGO, and  is working in the villages of Medak district of the South Indian state of Telangana (previously, Andhra Pradesh), on issues of health, nutrition, gender and livelihood. Our effort has been to persuade small and marginal farmers (mostly latter) to divert a small piece of their land to growing nutritionally important crops like vegetables (including green leafy vegetables), fruits, pulses and millets. Organic methods like vermi composting and use of botanical pesticides and water conservation are taught. Health, nutrition, sanitation education for behavioural change are important part of our effort since no technology can succeed without social engineering. Though women are the major target, family approach is used. To start with only men used to come for centralised training. But now we send invitation letters in the name of the women and let them bring their husbands. Even illiterate women enjoy getting letters in their name and get someone to read them out to them. This plus improved transportation from villages by way of shared auto rickshaws , and now mobile phones (which most women possess) has made a vast difference and now women come, often with their children. Apart from agriculture related technologies, cooking demos with nutrition education form part of both centralised as well as decentralised hands on training. DCT has a food processing centre and value addition to farm produce is also taught. ( www.dangoriatrust.org.in)

Impact is assessed through acceptance of technologies, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) surveys and household food consumption surveys done initially and finally. Impact on KAP is very good. Food consumption pattern of the household shows significant increase in the consumption of GLV, but not the other vegetables. 25-50% of home-grown vegetables are sold due to high market price, and home grown veggies (other than GLV) replace what is normally purchased from the market. However in the non-intervention villages, there is significant decline in the consumption of vegetables, suggesting that the home- grown vegetables, at least prevent the slide in vegetable consumption due to price rise.

Back yard poultry with high egg-yielding breeds have improved household egg consumption markedly.

Our attempt has been to promote two ways agriculture - keep growing crops like paddy and sugar cane which they grow for income, but also develop some homestead gardens on small patches of quarter acre or less for nutrition gardens. Home consumption rather than marketing is the mantra. BYP needs very little space or investment and recurring cost.

See the following publications:

1. Bamji MS, Murty PVVS, Vishnuvardhan Rao M, Satyanarayana G. With technical support from  N.Venkateshan. Diversification from agriculture to nutritionally and environmentally promotive horticulture in a dry-land area. Sight and Life, 25: 38-42, (2011)
2. Murty PVVS, Vishnuvaradhan Rao, Bamji MS. Impact of enriching the diet of women and children through health and nutrition education, introduction of homestead gardens and backyard poultry in rural India. Agric. Res. 5(2)210-217 (2016).

4) What do you think the role and main activities should be of a global forum such as the GFRAS Nutrition Working Group in helping AEAS to become more gender-sensitive and able to contribute to improved nutrition?

GFRAS should continue to emphasise that agriculture is not only for income and export but also to ensure household and individual food security. Insist on syllabus of agriculture degree to have a course in human nutrition and importance of gender sensitivity. Both farmers and farm women need training in marketing skills. For pull towards profitable marketing role of middle man should be reduced and remunerative procurement price should be given. As it is farmer is hit if she/he produces more and there is glut or produces less. Cost of production has gone up. Resistance to biotechnology including genetic engineering and GM foods should go.

Agricultural extension and advisory services form an integral part of support services which holds great promise in reducing gender inequality and improved nutrition. However, access to the right resources and controls to ensure best practices are followed needs to be addressed in developing countries such as Guyana. Access to the right planting material, even basic services such as a soil analysis needs to be done by supporting agencies but are not. However, the solution can be partnering with private investors who wish to empower women and assisting them via access to finance, planting material, training, other agricultural inputs and markets in order to develop a sustainable supply chain. Thus, these women can earn more and provide better nutritional value meals to their children.

English translation below

Las politicas de extension y asesoria agraria en una comunidad agricola determinada deben surgir de sus necesidades mas sentidas y esto solo se logra conviviendo con ellos hasta el punto de ser aceptado como uno mas de ellos, con objetivos y metas claramente definidos en un cronograma de tiempo y con estrategias que se adapten a cada comunidad, no es igual una comunidad que carece de agua, principal limitante para la produccion agricola, que otra comunidad que carece de insumos agricolas como en mi pais VENEZUELA, que los productores trabajan a duras penas pese a que hay agua de sobra para producir. Las semillas no son certificadas, los fertilizantes son escasos y muy costosos, etc.

En relacion al punto de desigualdad de genero, las mujeres en mi pais han abandonado el campo para hacer largas filas y obtener productos subsidiados por el gobierno...

Saludos

Agricultural extension and advisory policies in any agricultural community must arise from its members most pressing needs, and this is only achieved by living with them to the point of being accepted as one of them, with clearly defined objectives and goals within a timeframe, and with strategies that are adapted to each community. It is not the same a community that lacks water -the main limiting factor for crop production-, than another community that lacks agricultural inputs, as happens in my country VENEZUELA, where producers are working in dire conditions despite the fact that there is plenty of water. Seeds are not certified, fertilizers are scarce and very expensive, etc.

Regarding the issue of gender inequality, women in my country have left the farms and are now waiting in long lines in order to obtain subsidized products by the government.

Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Providers in rural communities:

AEAS should be local indigenes, skilled in community engagement strategies, to enhance and serve as agents or community animators, in policy formulation and promotion of key development agenda, for the development sector going beyond agriculture and nutrition issues. It should include fundamental information in the areas of social, financial as well as digital inclusion, so that messages that filter to the rural community are targeted and focused in a holistic form developed with the specific socio-economic as well as cultural chararcteristics of the community in mind.  

The roles should be gender sensitive to ensure that certain delicate issues are tackled appropriately.

Challenges of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Service Providers role in addressing gender inequalities and nutrition:

The difficulties of addressing such issues which stem from socio-cultural and religious norms within the rural communities are sometimes critical.

If the AEAS message is in conflict with what pertains in the rural community, the design and presentation of the message should be sensitive to existing norms and seen as a means not to change the entire cultural ecosystem but to enhance the already existing norms with a strategy that in all inclusive of the entire community stakeholder hierarchy to prevent resistance and promote sustainability. 

GRAS, AEAS role as a means of promoting gender equality and nutrition sensitive information:

This should be seen as key. As agents in this area of development, already existing practices, norms and traditions shoud be carefully assessed and improved using participatory community engagement strategies making room for unique socio-economic as well as cultural implications.

Rural communities have a rich ancient, scientific and cultural heritage which should not be overlooked as archaic but seen as a basis to be improved for future generations - gender and nutrition thematic areas are no exceptions, thus this should be recognised and developed for the better to preserve the social fibre of the rural community which have survived millennia.