Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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    • Dear Moderator,

      Having worked with small-scale  farmers in Africa that are often resource and information constrained, one of their major concerns has been the issue of TRUST. Too often farmers say, promises regarding policies that are enacted by agricultural ministries are simply “empty promises”.  In good faith, farmers take on board the new policy suggestions to diversify or to grow more legumes. They allocate land that is slowly diminishing in size for these supposedly better initiatives that will lead to enhanced food and nutrition security. They expend and exert their energy, already in limited supply on these “new policies” . In the end it is like the emperor’s new clothes – empty and naked policies. What we have seen happening:

      • When the harvest is ready, there are no systems in place for purchasing the abundant harvest
      • If there is a collection of the harvest it is made with a promise of later payment. Which small-scale farmer can afford a deferred late payment?
      • The payment is delayed for eons, because the government or those that encouraged the farmers to grow these crops do not have the means to pay them
      • Those that are short changed once again are the small-scale farmers whose margins for dealing with such outcomes are non-existent

      How can we as implementers of these policies, together with those that craft these policies, be more TRUSTWORTHY. That in my opinion is the weakest link. Without being more trustworthy in the delivery and implementation of our policies, not much will work at the local country level.

      Kind regards

      Linley