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Moderated e-mail conference on small farms and food security

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Wed, 19 Oct 2016 12:34:19 +0000
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This is Daniel Nkomboni again, with my brief general comments on 3.2.1 ("Compared to other approaches, what are the advantages and disadvantages of applying this food systems approach to study the contribution of small farms to food security and nutrition?").

This approach allows for identification of quantities and food produced within a farming system; it follows pathways of food/product movement to disposal. As it explores the reverse flow of inputs into the system and out to consumers, it can use the value chain analysis tools to highlight flow of goods and inputs; actors involved and their competitiveness. It can be used to develop food requirement models for specific populations/regions and help in better defining who a small farmer is in terms of the productivity of their source of livelihood (as opposed to using just land areas or livestock numbers as determinant factors). This process may also identify value addition options. In southern African small farms, value addition is limited at farm level, and this may limit the amount of food /feed products consumed there as they are expensive when bought externally. Value addition may be important in developing infrastructure like rural service centres and also attracting some urban buyers to come and purchase. In Ghana in the past years, cocoa producers could not access chocolate when cocoa was processed elsewhere!

Food systems can establish quantitative & qualitative methods to assess farmers contribution (3.2.3) using tools like field surveys and on farm research.

This system assesses the environment and the people e.g. the socio-political factors that may be enabling or otherwise, the culture and religion may be a barrier to production of certain food items. 

The only disadvantage about this system is that it is robust and may not be as accurate as e.g. evaluating a less diverse food system as in a commercialised system. Food systems in small farms are dynamic and change with climate and therefore constant evaluations may be necessary. 

Daniel Nkomboni
Livestock & Rangelands Researcher
Matopos Research Institute
P. Bag K5137
Bulawayo
Zimbabwe
E-mail: Dnkomboni (at) gmail.com
Alternative e-mail: Dnkomboni (at) yahoo.com
Phone: +64211244670

[On the issue of value chains: Richard Yeboah (Message 44) described some of the types of farms that can be found, including "the estate type of farm where the farm goes beyond just crop production and animal rearing but includes improvements". When I asked him what he meant by 'includes improvements' he clarified that: "In developing countries the concept of value chain approach is being adopted and one of the proposals is forward or backward integration. Many farmers are now adding value to their produce so that they do not only sell fresh or raw food/produce but processed in a way. In addition they are more business-like hence they practice Integrated Soil Fertility Management (improve the soils of their lands). I will not consider these types of farms as small they may fit more into medium farms"...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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