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Wed, 19 Oct 2016 07:19:34 +0000
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"Moderated conference on small farms and food security (October
2016)" < [log in to unmask]>
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I am E.M. Muralidharan, working with a forestry research organization in Kerala, India. I am not professionally involved with any aspect of farming but live in a region where small farms are the norm due to the high density of population and the topography.
Mahesh Chander (Message 16) mentions about diversity of food products contributed by small farms. I wish to bring attention to the particular kind of small farm represented by the multi-tiered home garden systems that are typical of monsoonal climates like in the western coast of India and other parts of the tropics. These often combine a high diversity of crops with a high level of productivity. As the topography changes from the coastal plains to the hills, the mix of crops may change. Often plants, livestock and fish are also found, contributing to a much more balanced nutritional status for the farmer and the community when compared to other small farms typically described in this e-mail conference.
How will such a complex and flexible farming system be classified or compared to the much less diverse systems elsewhere which probably form the majority of small farms?
Dr. E.M. Muralidharan
Principal Scientist
Forest Genetics and Biotechnology Division
Kerala Forest Research Institute
Peechi, Thrissur,
Kerala 680653
India
E-mail: emmurali (at) kfri.org
[Mahesh Chander (Message 16) wrote: "I wish to emphasize also the diversity of food products contributed by small farms unlike large farms which often are specialized and more focused on monocultures than being diversified"...Moderator].
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to [log in to unmask] For further information, see http://www.fao.org/nr/research-extension-systems/res-home/news/detail/en/c/434322/ ].
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