Family farming - women and youth:
To manage the effects of climate change, agriculture has to be climate smart, adapting to the agro ecology of each area, if agriculture is to be sustainable in the long term. Accordingly, the Governments and donors need to invest in climate friendly, low cost, economies of scope producer oriented development - agro ecological technologies and innovations. These are adapted by successful farmers to changing climates; not the high cost conventional economies of scale green revolution technologies based industrial production, the cause of the present crissis in agriculture and climate change. The agriculture research for development (AR4D) being done by them, season after season, ensure their prosperity and sustainability in the long term. Their models need to be documented, they are contracted to train on farm and widely replicate their models among producers in the vicinity.
Governments, NARES, Global Institutions will need to first change the mandates and TORs currently focusing on the high cost economies of scale, market oriented conventional green revolution agriculture technologies. UN reports and the other evidence now available highlight the fact that they are no longer viable nor environmentally sustainable, especially for the rural poor illiterate smallholder producer communities, mostly dry and rain fed farms; which in the long term is also becoming a serious problem for the large farmers as well, Amar's published paper attached.
Given the newer understanding that the efficiency of agriculture is economies of scope, the future of agriculture is in the hands of women and youth family farmers; but inequalities (land in the name of men) prevent them, especially women farmers, from equal rights to access land, inputs and required resources. Further, unless, we create an enabling environment for them to have enough for themselves, how can they produce required nutritious food to feed the growing population.
Governments and NARES need to design and implement programmes to fund, support and facilitate the rural producer communities to set up their optimally designed producer company (PCs), but managed by professionals (general practitioners [GPs]/ MBAs in agriculture) to take over all risks and responsibilities, leaving members to on farm activities, ensure delivery of and access to successful agro ecological systems in the vicinity, know how for producing inputs, energy, finance, communications, services, infrastructure for training, storage, adding value to increase shelf life of produce to minimize post harvest losses, marketing - logistics, etc., and in the long term creating capacity in potential entrepreneurs to start up their own business, successful case study at:
The PC will ensure communities access to their own requirements of nutritious food/ cash needs, at little or no cost, thus reducing hunger, malnutrition, poverty, effects of climate change, suicides whilst improving livelihood, increasing net incomes/ purchasing power, economic development, growth and sustainability in the long term. This change will give back their dignity and self esteem and create opportunities for the educated in rural areas as PC staff, entrepreneurs, scientists, service providers, business, etc.
Population of rural youth in developing countries is over 30% and their unemployment levels are high as their schools and/ or colleges do not teach subjects of their interest like, managing/ knowledge/ research for development of their agro eco systems, etc. This calls for introducing subjects in rural school/ colleges, curricula and teachers that creates interest in managing their agro ecology, economic development and growth.
Governments need to fund, support and provide the environment for entrepreneurship to succeed for the educated to look at rural life as full of opportunities, reversing migration from urban slums and back to their serene rural surroundings. Indeed, many well educated and well paid professionals are already following organic principles, as it is not only profitable but ensures safe - healthy living and sustainable in the long term.
Optimally designed, PC could facilitate/ mentor in improving the quality and access to rural education, health facilities, infrastructure, roads, mobile phone, public transport, internet, etc., ensuring the communities’ sustainability in the long term, bring back self pride/ esteem, essential for their social binding. Focus on addressing women’s rights to access land, natural and economic resources, low cost technologies in partnership with the successful farmers following agro eco systems, training, etc., could double their farm production to feed themselves and the country’s growing population.
PCs, optimally designed, owned by the people but managed by professionals, is the need of the hour, as it creates an optimal architecture of a network of such community enterprises across the Nation, States, district/constituencies , enough to provide the small producers an effective platform to manage their ‘cash to cash cycle’.
Governments need to urgently analyze their policies of inequality and discrimination of women farmers and legislate/ make changes to policy/ programme - rules that are holding back women from playing the key role as entrepreneurs or equal partners, in an effort to harness their full potential and contribute fully to the family farm management, research for development (AR4D) on farm, long term sustainability, economic development and growth.
M. Subhash Mehta