Sustainable Farming Systems for Food and Nutrition Security

Aliza replies to Takele Teshome's comment and shares an example from one of her training programmes. In addition to organizing workshops and meetings, her team also conducted training programs to build capacity of local men and women (Known as "Community Hunger Fighters") on nutrition related messages so that they diffuse this knowledge within and outside the community. 

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Aqleem suggests supporting the uptake by farmers of biological agents to manage plant diseases.

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Deepka shares the following concerns:

• Extension services focus on limited crops and varieties and do not incorporate farmers' knowledge.
• Small and marginal farmers are going through the dilemma of choosing between nutrition oriented or cash generating agriculture.
• The need for strengthening a network of farmer-led institutional platforms and increase the cooperation between agencies and groups. 

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Dhananjaya shares a series of measures that could improve the nutritional and economic situation of smallholders while also reducing environmental stress.

• Provide orientation about improved farming techniques;
• Promote the production and consumption of indigenous foods depending;
• Provide inputs like seeds, medicines and machineries for farming;
• Promote intensive farming to get better productions from limited area of the land;
• Promote the use of traditional tools;
• Increase awareness on crop diversification;
• Apply early warning system of disasters;
• Promote other types of farming such as livestock, birds raising, aquaculture, cash crops;
• Provide barren land to smallholders should they want to cultivate on it;
• Introduce livelihood programs to reduce dependency on farming activities.

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Muraleeddhar argues that climate change is perhaps the most serious environmental threat to the fight against hunger, malnutrition, disease and poverty. He therefore suggests that agricultural extension personnel take a lead role in promoting sustainable farming systems. He also mentions that the rising importance of food safety be addressed by farmers and that the food sovereignty concept could guide farmers in deciding which food to produce.

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Sonali shares an article she authored on "Developing Climate Resilient Food Systems in Wardha District of Maharashtra".

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Takele stresses that sustainable farming systems require proper land use planning and cropping patterns. He also highlights that the strong focus on food availability, while ignoring the access and utilization diminutions of food security, hampers nutritional progress that can also tackle micronutrient deficiencies.

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