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Moderated e-mail conference on small farms and food security

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Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:54:16 +0000
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My name is Sandra Sumane. I am a researcher at the Baltic Studies Centre in Riga, Latvia. My thoughts relate to two questions about the role of small farms role in food security and nutrition. 

Regarding Q. 3.3.2 ("As outlined in Section 2.1, there are four dimensions of food security, namely the availability of food; access to food; utilisation of food; and food stability. How exactly do small farms contribute to each of the dimensions of food security? If possible, provide specific examples from your own work, experience or region"):

In terms of food availability, small farms contribute to food and nutritional diversity by producing great variety of crops and other food products, not only local crops and varieties, they adopt also 'foreign' ones. 

With regard to food access: economically most active small farms distribute their products in conventional chains. But small farmers participate also in many alternative, local, short food chains - so, the access in terms of diverse food channels is improved. However, prices can be higher than in conventional chains and as for imported food stuff and this negatively impacts food access. It is characteristic that small farmers distribute food also in informal networks - to their extended families, friends, neighbours. 

As for food utilisation – small farms are capable to react quickly to consumer demand in  diverse, local, fresh products thus contributing to spread of healthy diets. 

In terms of stability - small farms seem economically more vulnerable, their numbers are reducing in Latvia and this negatively impacts food and nutrition security (FNS) aspects they contribute to.

Regarding Q. 3.3.3 ("3 Food security can be studied at different levels/scales, such as the individual, household, local, national and global level...."):

About FNS levels to which small farms contribute: all levels, from individual to global, are linked, of course. It is evident that small farms contribute to FNS at individual/household level, by producing food for self-consumption and also by generating income to buy other food. Small farms employ mostly family members, but they can have also some permanent or seasonal employees - which means income generation which is linked to FNS for other rural families. Most of small farms seem to operate at local/regional level and contributing to FNS at this level, although some of them have access to international markets.

Sandra Ðûmane
Baltic Studies Centre
Kokneses prospekts 26, 
Riga, 
LV 1014, 
Latvia
Internet: www.bscresearch.lv 
E-mail: sandra.sumane (at) gmail.com

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