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Moderated e-mail conference on small farms and food security

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Hi everyone,

Here is the most recent received input on Topic#4 future challenges for small farms..
Included are also a questions from Mayank Jain, to you all (which i highlighted in yellow, at the bottom).
— Peter

Q4.1/3: Question “4.1 Within your region, what are the three main challenges that small farms face in the future? Why? Are these different from past challenges? If so, why?”

1/ From: Arbab Qadir <[log in to unmask]> (Pakistan)

I have already shared 3 main challenges but also want to share 3 more and different challenges that small farms may face in near future

1. Irrigation water shortage
Large farm owners are mostly influential and discriminate water rights of small farms. They cultivate more land and resultantly little water is available to small farms. Even in Tail areas farming activities has stopped due to unavailability of water.
This e-conference fellows perhaps may not agree that i have seen owners of more than 50 hectares doing daily wage work as their land have become barren due to unavailability of water.
This is most serious future challenge for small farms

2. Climate change
Climate change has also disturbed cropping activities and small farm owners either not aware or not capable to address those challenges. The situation may worsen in future if not taken care for small farms

3. Corporate farming
Corporate farming is also big threat for small farms. However corporate farming has not started destroying small farms as it did in developed countries like USA but in some areas of our province corporate farming have started. They have managed their own irrigation water canal leaving no water for other small growers in the area.
If corporate farming trend grew more in future then i am sure small farms will become part of history.

2/ From: Castello Zodo <[log in to unmask]> (Benin)

I am Castello Zodo, responsible for the monitoring & evaluation of the sections "environment and climate change" of the NGO JEVEV.

The external environment of agricultural enterprises has always been in motion. The
recent years have witnessed accelerating changes and the pace does not seem to slow down.
For the coming years, among the elements of the environment to consider, there is:

1. The globalization of the economy
2. Emerging countries on the supply and agri-food side
3. The protection of the environment (ecology)
4. Energy resources
5. Biotechnologies
6. Consumption trends …

The rules of trade will make life easier for productions and exporting countries, but
will complicate for productions and countries that work with
protectionist  measures.

Fuel prices are expected to remain high, but biofuels  could benefit.

Consumer trends will benefit of some productions and will disadvantage others.

The protection of the environment might be beneficial in the long run, and our measures put us ahead of the others, who will have to get there sooner or later.

Biotechnology could bring lower prices and potentially risks in the long run.

Are these threats or opportunities? It depends on the point of view and the attitude. Of course, there are
challenges to overcome.

This text presents eight of those, which are strategic, in the long term, or
tactics, they relate more to daily operations.

The strategic challenges are:
- Choose your market (convenience or added value)
- Develop a transferable business
- Work together
- Cultivate knowledge.

The tactical challenges are:
- Have a positive attitude;
- Operate an efficient business;
- Control the debt;
- Manage resources and human relations.


_________________________________________________________________________________

Q4.2/3: Question “Q4.2 To cope with these future challenges, do small farms require new innovations and adaptation techniques?  And if so, which?"

1/ From: Roger Leakey <[log in to unmask]> (UK)

To address on-going issues of hunger, malnutrition, poverty and land degradation in Africa, smallholder farmers are
developing Socially Modified Crops as part of a 3-step approach to a multifunctional farming system that impact positively
on the social, economic and environmental constraints to farm productivity responsible for the gap between potential and
actual yield. Furthermore, these new crops also rehabilitate, diversify and intensify the agroecosystem, diversify local diets
and generate income from trade and new value-adding business opportunities. (From the paper: "Socially Modified Organisms in Multifunctional Agriculture - Addressing the Needs of Smallholder Farmers in Africa” - Published in “Archives of Crop Science”)

2/ From: Dave Hunter  <[log in to unmask]> (USA)

Time to talk about a new technology: using native bees in crops as a means of gaining more food. Specifically hole-nesting species that can be moved from one location to another.  Research across the globe shows that poor farmers can gain 24% more food when native bees are found on their crops.

Honey bees are not a great pollinator, but do create honey. Native hole-nesting bees carry their pollen dry on hairy abdomens with the pollen falling off everywhere. As a result, more pollen exchange occurs. The cost of the bee is negligible… Put out a variety of hole sizes and see what bees nest in them. Over a few years, if there is available pollen and holes, the colony builds up.

More food is produced, and potentially a new commodity is created “bees that nest in holes” that can be sold to farmers.

Few small farmers in the world understand the value of bees to yield: Missing education. Few researchers, governments, and organizations in the world, including the USA, understand the value of native bees.

3/ From Mayank Jain <[log in to unmask]> (India)

As climate change and weather eccentricities cause much distraught to the farmers and also one of the participants touched about "weather warning system" I was curious to know how weather advisories being managed across the globe because I think this is one of the critical factor in driving towards climate-resilient agriculture - need of the present as well as future.

Also, how it is ensured that weather information obtained is processed and presented as an advisory to the farmers which has considerably helped them. Any success story to share and learn? Anyone?

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