Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

I come from a farming family in a fertile area of southern France. My great grandfather was a wealthy farmer. At that time, life revolved around the local market. When I was a child (in the sixties), the family farm still had a tractor, cows, poultry, rabbits, orchards and vineyards (for home consumption). My uncle, who remained a farmer until he retired, was “encouraged” to shift to irrigated maize monoculture, and became dependent on the prices on the international market. His children moved out of agriculture to get unskilled jobs in the neighbourhood. You still eat well at home, but an increasing share of processed foods from the local hypermarket and my cousin is obese. No money to fix the house which badly needs repairs, and no creek to swim in any longer. Is this what we want to promote?

But as farmers’ children leave the land, young university graduates who have a hard time finding employment are now looking towards farming with a view to make a living and change lifestyles. NGOs are helping them access land, credit and training (see  http://www.terredeliens.org/la-fondation

http://www.landco.nl/uploads/Case%20Study_Terre%20de%20Liens.pdf).

Consumers interest in shorter food chains which provide local foods and the boom of organic foods are generating opportunities for alternative food systems, which look much more like traditional farming, integrate vegetal and animal production and are aimed at local markets. My nephews (who have pharmaceutical degrees for which there is no jobs and are not interested in working in the local Intermarché) have become skilled agriculture labourers and go from contract to contract. They can stay in the village they grew in, maintain the lifestyle they want and meet women who share similar values. Agriculture is multifunctional and not all about income.

When I read CSA, I thought YESS! Community Supported Agriculture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture is an interesting approach (several contributions mentioned the importance of rural-urban linkages). ... until I checked the website and realized that CSA is also Climate Smart Agriculture :-).  Institutional purchasing of local production  (for school canteens, hospitals, etc…) has proven extremely effective in re-activating local food production

Eco-tourism is indeed an interesting option (as well as more generally Payment for Environmental Services). Farmers should be valorized as guardians of biodiversity and culture.

What about landless people in rural areas who play an important role in family farming (and are often ex-farmers themselves)? The importance of food processing has been mentioned by several contributors: it can add value to farm production, create jobs and income, provide convenience food and allow consumption of nutrient-rich foods offseason.

What role can schools and universities play in promoting agricultural careers to youth? Start looking at, supporting and learning from what seems to work locally. And move beyond the value chain approach towards a food systems approach, which will require a multidisciplinary perspective, looking at economic, social and environmental dimensions. Agriculture started as a means to better feed people and enhancing food security. We need to overcome the present disconnect between production and consumption.

School and university curricula and material should also be reviewed not to discourage children and students from rural lifestyles and  farming, and should valorize local cultures.

What approaches are most successful in promoting the equality of female farmers?Several contributions have addressed this issue. The problem of time-allocation in households who face rapid lifestyle changes is key. Women play a key role in both the productive and reproductive (i.e. domestic) sphere, and it will be essential to ensure that they have the time to shift to a more appropriate combination of tasks. Labour-saving technologies (including availability of convenience foods) are essential but social organization and time allocation within the household and within the community will be equally important, and may create off-farm employment (e.g. organization of child-care centres, community kitchens…).

What measures can development organizations and governments take to make rural areas more appealing for future farmers? A key dimension is that of social services: parents want decent health care and schools for their children, but it also important to look at leisure activities. 

The question which is rarely asked is what food production would enable farming families to have a sustainable livelihoods and consumers to eat better? Sustainable diets are needed for health, sustainable management of the environment and local biodiversity and social equity.  Farming families are best placed to build upon local knowledge and culture and supply local markets year round with the variety of seasonal foods needed for a healthy and active life.

·         What role can schools and universities play in promoting agricultural careers to youth? Please share any relevant programs you are aware of.

Globally, efforts are being made to induce the interest of young people to agriculture. In Nigeria, states are being supported by the national government to develop programmes that can encourage young people to go back to the farms. Some are providing incentives such as farmplots/lands and other resources, however these programmes are so few; there is also lack of awareness and the target group is not identified at institutional level but aimed at the unemployed youths. The problem with this trend is that farming is still being used as subsistence support structure for poverty reduction. Nigeria’s current agricultural development strategy is agro-based, a sector that completely excludes the participation of women and the youths. Although women make up majority in smallholder farming, value addition is completely handled by men who access markets without the women and youths that contribute heavily in agricultural production.

Schools and universities can start by developing demonstration farms, most university agriculture departments in Nigeria do not own laboratory farms, they cannot even demonstrate the theory that they preach, do not tap into the creativity of the youths through research and so, end up graduating students who are more eager to be employed outside of the sector than willing to build careers in the agriculture sector. Most young people view agriculture as a subsistence poverty reduction tool because of the way it is practiced in rural areas; the farmer suffers to produce, sells at a loss to the urban marketer, who adds value to it and makes all the cash. This vicious cycle is repeated every year and rural farmer is only able to feed the family.

·         What approaches are most successful in promoting the equality of female farmers?

Enhancing the literacy level of women is one very important strategy that can promote women’s participation in simply agricultural activities like processing and handling, decision making, access to markets and negotiation without fear, access to funding and extension services etc. International development organisations and the UN must force (embargo) countries to domesticate treaties and protocols aimed at empowering women. Countries must be held accountable to develop gender specific interventions that can uplift women to bring about equality.

·         What measures can development organizations and governments take to make rural areas more appealing for future farmers?

When institutions start setting up demonstrations farms and other value chain structures in rural communities, community members will start to see the benefit of agriculture and their world perception of farming as a poverty reduction tool will change. Over 60% of the knowledge and skills that we possess comes through practical learning than reading. Since development organisations may not be able to engage in farming directly, developing partnership with governments and such rural communities will help through provision of capacity development. When women and young people’s capacities are developed at community level, youths do not necessarily have to migrate to seek for jobs in the urban areas. Value chain addition activities a preserve for men engaged in agro –processing, will become available to women and youths living in the rural communities.

·         Please share any relevant case studies about empowering women and youth in agriculture to achieve better food security.

Women and youths in Nigeria are now the majority in aquaculture farming, a trend that has just emerged in the last 5years due a new policy thrust that has led to a massive capacity development in aquaculture. Training programmes were made cheap targeting people in schools, churches, mosques, civil service etc. Fish has become affordable, available and accessible in most communities that do not have rivers or lakes because small water bodies are being used in their cultivation. Lessons learned from this sector can used to improve participation in other agricultural sectors.

Cordelia Adamu

Vice President/ Project Manager

Abuja 1

Nigeria

>>ENGLISH VERSION BELOW<<

En los últimos 12 años PROSALUS ha tenido muy interesantes experiencias en zonas andinas de Perú y Bolivia en relación al empoderamiento de las mujeres y a la generación de incentivos para los jóvenes.

Así, por ejemplo, en 2002 PROSALUS y su socio local ESCAES (Escuela Campesina de Educación y Salud), a petición de la propia población, decidieron poner en marcha una intervención en la microcuenca del río Chotano  (provincia de Cutervo, departamento de Cajamarca, Perú) centrada en el desarrollo nutricional de 18 comunidades rurales. En los primeros contactos de conocimiento de la zona e identificación de la intervención, constatamos que las mujeres no tenían ni siquiera voz en los espacios y asambleas comunales; se sentaban al fondo de la sala y no intervenían en ningún momento. Constatamos que había un altísimo índice de analfabetismo de adultos, principalmente entre las mujeres.

Por ello, la intervención arrancó desarrollando un trabajo de alfabetización de adultos con metodología Reflect-Acción, dando prioridad a las mujeres (de hecho fueron la gran mayoría de participantes de este programa). Al mismo tiempo que prendían lecto-escritura y operaciones matemáticas básicas, se iba desarrollando con ellas un proceso de diagnóstico rural participativo que ponía la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición en el centro de la reflexión, pero que abordaba muchos otros temas, incluyendo las relaciones de género, las cargas de trabajo, los derechos de las mujeres, su posibilidad de participación activa tanto en las decisiones productivas de la undiad familiar como en los espacios públicos de la comunidad. El cambio fue sorprendente. Dos o tres años después, en visitas de seguimiento a este proceso que fue acompañado por PROSALUS y ESCAES a lo largo de unos 8 años, nos encontramos que en las reuniones comunales las mujeres ocupaban la parte delantera de la sala y estaban prontas a intervenir, y que en todas las iniciativas de mejora productiva que se desarrollaron en las comunidades estaban también mano a mano con los hombres tomando decisiones y participando con empeño. E incluso empezaron a ocupar puestos políticos en las estructuras de gobierno de la comunidad.

En otros lugares PROSALUS ha tenido experiencias igualmente interesantes en cuanto a empoderamiento de la mujer en el contexto de programas de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional, pero sirva este ejemplo concreto como muestra. Nuestra experiencia ha sido que el empoderamiento de las mujeres en estos procesos, además de hacer avanzar los derechos de las mujeres, hacen mejorar extraordinariamente los resultados en cuanto a seguridad alimentaria y nutricional.

Respecto a los jóvenes, tuvimos una experiencia muy interesante trabajando con la red de escuelas rurales de Fe y Alegría Perú en la provincia Quipicanchis (departamento de Cuzco). En la zona de actuación de Fe y Alegría en esta provincia, comunidades situadas a gran altura, la dieta era muy pobre y los índices de desnutrición crónica en menores de 5 años alcanzaban el 60 % en algunas comundiades. El proceso de trabajo se orientó a enriquecer la dieta incorporando hortalizas; para ello, en una primera etapa, se trabajó con las 30 escuelas rurales de la red, se instalaron invernaderos escolares, se incorporó el trabajo de los invernaderos y la educación nutricional en el curriculum y se utilzó la producción de hortalizas para el desayuno y almuerzo escolar. Al cabo de tres o cuatro años vimos que existían las condiciones para dar el salto a trabajar directamente con las familias. A lo largo de varios años se instalaron casi 400 invernaderos familiares, se capacitó a la población, se constituyeron asociaciones de productores, se mejoró la alimentación de las familias y también su generación de ingresos. Y en todo el proceso, los chavales fueron la clave, fueron los que ejercieron de catalizadores, convencieron a sus padres y compartieron con ellos los conocimientos que habían aprendido en la escuela. Eran los más entusiastas promotores del proyecto.

El potencial de trabajo con los jóvenes rurales es grande, pero hacen falta condiciones, hacen falta políticas públicas de apoyo a las comunidades rurales. Si en estas zonas no hay abastecimiento de agua, no hay suministro eléctrico, no hay escuelas y puestos de salud, no hay servicios de extensión agraria y de apoyo a los campesinos, no hay ningún tipo de oferta cultural y de ocio... será casi imposible entusiasmar a los/as jóvenes para que tomen el relevo generacional en la agricultura familiar y campesina.

In the last 12 years PROSALUS has had very interesting experiences in Andean areas of Peru and Bolivia regarding the empowerment of women and the creation of incentives for young people. 

For example, in 2002, PROSALUS and its local partner ESCAES (Education and Health Farmers School), following a request of the population itself, decided to launch an intervention in the micro-basin of the Chotano river (Cutervo province, Cajamarca department, Peru) focused on the nutritional development of 18 rural communities. During our first visits to explore the area and identify the intervention, we find out that women had no voice even in communal spaces and assemblies; sat at the back of the room, and at no point did they participate. We corroborated a high level of adult illiteracy, especially amongst women.

Therefore, the intervention began developing an adult literacy work following the Reflect-Action methodology, giving priority to women (in fact, most of the participants in this program were women). While they learnt to read and write, a participatory rural appraisal process focused on food security and nutrition, although addressing many other issues like gender relations, workloads, women rights or their active potential participation in fruitful decisions at the household or community level, was developed. The change was amazing. Two or three years later, in follow-up visits of this process, implemented in cooperation with PROSALUS and ESCAES over 8 years, women were occupying the front of the room and were ready to participate in communal meetings, and they were jointly involved with men in all productive improvement initiatives developed in the communities, making decisions and participating with determination. They even began to take up political positions in community government structures.

Although this particular example is a representative one, PROSALUS has also gathered interesting experiences in other places regarding the empowerment of women in the context of food and nutrition security programs. According to our experience, the empowerment of women in these processes not only strengthens their rights but also remarkably improves the results in terms of food and nutrition security.

Regarding young people, we had a very interesting experience working with the Fé and Alegría Perú rural schools network in the Quipicanchis province (Cuzco department). In their area of action in this province, communities located at high altitudes had a very poor diet and the rates of chronic undernutrition in children under 5 years reached 60% in some communities. Work was focused on enriching the diet by including vegetables. To that end, we worked with 30 rural schools belonging to the network in the first stage. School greenhouses were installed, work in these and nutrition education were included in the school curricula, and vegetable production was used for school breakfast and lunch. After three or four years we were ready to work directly with families. Over several years, nearly 400 family greenhouses were installed, population was trained, producer associations were established and family diets and their income-generation capacity were improved. And throughout the process, young people were essential as they acted as catalysts, convincing their parents and sharing with them the knowledge learnt in school. They were the most enthusiastic promoters of the project.

The potential work that can be undertaken with the rural youth is substantial, although certain conditions need to be fulfilled and public policies to support rural communities are required. If these areas lack water supply, electric power, schools and health posts, extension services or farmers support services, culture and leisure attractions ... it will be almost impossible to motivate young people to take over the generational replacement in family farming.

What measures can development organizations and governments take to make rural areas more appealing for future farmers:

Promotion of agroprocessing activity: Amul is a classic example form India where rural women are organised to produce milk and sale at cooperatives. Such things can be possible for other perishables also.

Application of Agricultural technology: Promotion of high vale crop production in rural areas using protected cultivation, shed net, drip irrigation, multiplecroping system whci really become pofitable and less risky. 

Promotoon of agri-tourism: Under this government should support and minimal leaving facility including food and security  to young students at farm level/ are at the farmers home itself 

Organising Farmers fair in the city and establishemnt of model farms at semi urban areas.

The role  schools and universities can play in promoting agricultural careers to youth:

Due to urbanisation and market based food procurement many young bouys and girls are not at all even aware where food is produced. But they feel they get food form supermarkets.

One initiative can be taken by school, college and universities are the give an opportunity to young people boys and girls to get exposed to agricultural activities and experience the joy of involving themselves. It is possible by:

1. Promotiom of agri-tourism: Under this government should support and minimal leaving facility including food and security at farm level/ are at the farmers home itself so that city boy and girls also go and stay for 15-10 days minimum and get themselves infolves in filed operations such as during sowing/ transplanting or during harvesting of produce such as fruits vegetables.

2. Some activity like one which is very popular in Japan is allowing people to visit fruit farmes and harvest produce. In this arrangement the family visits to rural areas / countyside and reach at farm like grape or apple and farmer charges 1000 yen or 2000 yen for harvest full of one small bag. Bag is provided by the farm. Now the boy and girls including full family engage theselves in harvesting and get the joy of testing ripe fruits at farm level.

Similarily in India sugar cane juice based mela (fair) is organised at a farm and people come have diffrent foods and snacks made by using sugar cane juice against a certain amount. To get such a joy people drive for 10-20km to reach the spot whcih is also well advertised in newspapers.

Hence such a programme can be initiated and promoted by involving farming communities.

>>ENGLISH VERSION BELOW<<

Este es el sitio en facebook (https://www.facebook.com/acomuita.mujeres) de un grupo de mujeres indígenas bribrí, en Costa Rica, tienen varios años de luchar por consolidar un proyecto con cacao orgánico y turismo local. Han recibido capacitación y fondos en algún momento, más todavía no cuentan con su sitio web. Que resalto con esto. La falta de optimizar el recurso tecnológico, aunque no se el motivo de la carencia. Pero este puede ser una herramienta que muchas veces ayudaría los esfuerzos productivos y de surgimiento de las mujeres y jóvenes, en cualquier lugar del mundo.

Ustedes tocan en el texto introductorio las diversas situaciones y condicionantes que viven estos sectores. He percibido que no todos los jóvenes y mujeres de zonas rurales pierden la esperanza y el deseo de desarrollarse y permanecer en las actividades agrícolas, si existen opotunidades reales. Una llave que puede abrir posibilidades es el rescate de valores de la vida rural, darle significancia y significado a la vida rural, esa labor la pueden desarollar, escuelas, iglesias, colegios. universidades, utilizar múltiples metodologías y dinámicas.

Los gobiernos locales, " deberían " ser escencialmente promotores del papel protagónico de la mujer en las labores agrícolas, no solo cuando se dedica directamente, sino en el soporte que le da a los hombres en su labor.

Ambos grupos, deben ser tomados en cuenta en los programas de extensión de las instituciones del sector, con programas específicos, igualmente en las fuentes de financiamiento. Crear y auspiciar foros y organizaciones para estos grupos, dándole voz y presencia real en la determinación de sus porblemas y soluciones. Potenciar la vida rural, sin los excesos de la vida urbana, sin contaminación, menos peligros, más cercanía con las personas, etc....son solo algunas de las riquezas de este medio de vida.

La educación a distancia es valioso instrumento, junto con apoyo a proyectos comunales. En realidad, la gente no desertaría del campo si se dan los medios para desarrollarse, es cuestión de descentralizar recursos y procurar una ventana para mostrar la creatividad y capacidades de las campesinas y jóvenes en todo el mundo.

Saludos.

This is the Facebook website https://www.facebook.com/acomuita.mujeres

of a group of Bribri indigenous women in Costa Rica. They have been struggling for several years to consolidate a project involving organic cocoa and local tourism. They have been trained and have obtained funding, but still do not have their own website. What would I like to highlight? Despite not being the reason behind their shortcomings, the need to optimize technology resources. Technology can be a helpful tool to strengthen the fruitful efforts of women and youth anywhere in the world.    

The introductory text mentions different situations and living conditions of these sectors. I have noticed that, if real opportunities exist, not all girls and women in rural areas lose their hope and desire to progress and keep working in agricultural activities. New opportunities can be created by providing a meaning and significance to rural life and by rescuing its values. This work can be undertaken by schools, churches and universities using multiple methodologies and dynamics. 

Local governments "should" essentially be promoters of the leading role of women in farming, not only when they are directly involved but also when they support men in their work. 

Both groups should be considered in the extension programs of the sector institutions with specific interventions but also in funding schemes. Forums and organizations for these groups should be established and promoted, giving them voice and real presence in the identification of their problems and solutions. Rural life must be empowered. It does not have the urban life excesses and pollution, it has enhanced security, friendly nature, etc.... these are just some of the merits of its way of life. 

Distance education is a valuable tool, along with support to community projects. Actually, people would not abandon the rural areas if means for development were available. It is a matter of decentralizing resources and offering an opportunity to showcase the creativity and skills of farmers and youth worldwide. 

Regards.

Women and young farmers will need access to seeds, root stock, animal stock, fertilizer, animal feed, pest and disease control chemicals, veterinary supplies, farm insurance, irrigation equipment, fencing, feed stock, packaging, and transport to have a successful farm.  If some of these supplies are not available when needed the farm will most likely fail.  The Gates Foundation AGRA, PASS, and SEED programs are helping to supply some of this material in Africa.  Food Tank needs to verify that "all" the materials needed by women and young farmers are available in areas where they work in Africa by reviewing what is available at agro-dealer shops and suggesting what else needs to be supplied to the FAO and NGOs.  In addition Food Bank should review the poultry training that the FAO supplied in Afghanistan.  Perhaps Food Bank can suggest improvements to FAO poultry training and suggest other countries where this training would be beneficial. Food Bank should also review why the Caja Agraria in Colombia was not successful.  See my papers at https://sites.google.com/site/paulrigterink/ for additional information.

I welcome this discussion. Although youth and women are central to family farming I think one should not exclude the focus also on male smallholder farmers. Another aspect I wish to underline is that the future of family or smallholder farming is also connected to overall situation in agricultural production, in particular the rapid spread of large scale agriculture, particularly in Latin America and increasingly also in Africa.  Such expansion, which so far has not been proven sustainable is targeting the very land where smallholders or family farmers are cultivating thus creating conflicts around land and water access. I wish that the discussion could also reflect on this problematic aspect in addition to the important issues that have already emerged in the invitation to this discussion and the various comments.

In order to more fully present my reflections on this issue I will attach the study I conducted for the Swedish FAO Committee, "Responsible agricultural investments - how to make principles and guidelines effective, " which argues why a shift from large scale to family farming is necessary both in terms of economic, social and ecological concerns.

Sincerely

Kjell Havnevik

One major change which I think could help in the future is the way in which agricultural commodity prices have become linked to cost of oil. The long-term trend in commodity prices until recently was always in decline. As a result - in general - urban dwellers got their food at relatively cheap prices and commercial food production was a mug's game defended as being "a way of life". Now (at last) there is therefore a change in the economic balance between urban and rural in the latter's favour. This should provide better prospects for rural youth to stay in agriculture and to sustain family farming.

>>ENGLISH VERSION BELOW<<

En Brasil, nosostros tenemos un Plano Especial que se destina a los pequeños agricultores: El Pronaf, credito con tajas abajo del mercado, en la safra 2013/2014 se estimó en cerca de R$ 20 biliones (US$ 10 mil miliones). La más recente inovación es el apoyo a la comercialización. El PAA criado busca garantizar la aquisición de la producción dos alimentos desses agricultores. Esses alimentos son doados a las personas aingidas por la hambre en el sector urbano y rural, los alimentos son distribuídos a los hospitales, escuelas, orfanatos. Los pequeños agricultores receben el dinero e las personas e instituciones ficán con los alimentos. 30% de los recursos del programa son destinados a las mujeres e sus organizaciones.

Hay un ministério responsable por el Pronaf (www.mda.gov.br) e el apoyo a la producción y otro por el PAA (www.mds.gov.br), por las donaciones.

In Brazil, we have a Special Plan for smallholder farmers. During the 2013/2014 harvest, the National Program to Strengthen Family Farming (known in Spanish as PRONAF) granted loans, with low interest rates below market standards, estimated at BRL 20 billion (approximately USD 10 billion). The latest innovation is supporting marketing. The Plan to Support Agriculture (known in Spanish as PAA) aims to ensure the acquisition of food produced by farmers. Owing to this plan, food has been delivered to hungry people in urban and rural areas. Food is distributed in hospitals, schools, orphanages. Smallholders receive money and people and institutions take the food. 30% of the program resources are allocated to women and their organizations.

The Ministry of Agrarian Development (www.mda.gov.br) is in charge of the PRONAF and production support, whilst the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger (www.mds.gov.br) of the PAA and the donations.