Hi all,

Some recently received input on Topic 4 - Future challenges for small farmers.

Q4.1/5 - 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?"

From: Mahesh Chander <[log in to unmask]> (India)
This is in context of Teresa Pinto Correia’s question (Q4.1):  But if a small farm does not have the skills  to collaborate, how does he/she get these skills? if you do not have access to knowledge or do not know how to use it, how can these skill be improved? 

We are mostly addressing production, processing, marketing, credit/financing, and logistics etc., ignoring human angle to the development process. 

In other words, giving more importance to hard skills than soft skills. When we talk of cooperation, collaboration, association, organization, often soft skills matter more than hard skills. 

In India, small scale farmers are being asked to organize into Self Help Groups (SHGs), Milk Cooperatives, or more recently into Farmer Producer Organziations/ Farmer Producer Companies. 

The success of these groups depend much on their ability to understand each other well, which in turn depend on their abilities in soft skills like Communication (oral and written), Creativity, Problem-solving, Collaboration, Adaptability, Positivity, Learning from criticism, Working under pressure, Conflict resolution etc. 

While in Business organizations, there is strong emphasis on soft skills training of employees, in agricultural/farm production this is largely ignored. I believe, time has come when we should start paying attention to soft skills training of farmers to reap maximum benefit from farming especially when farmers are being encouraged to come together and form groups and association to negotiate better deal for themselves by cooperating and collaborating. 

I thank Teresa for bringing this issue to our notice stimulating us to think on these aspects as well while discussing a lot of hard skills aspects of agricultural production. 

She has raised this issue elsewhere too citing example of Southern Europe, where many groups in society, do not have the soft skills needed for cooperation to be established with a larger group, in the long run, while asking the question: "Is this an issue in other countries too?" Certainly, I believe the Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Cooperatives in India could have been far more successful if they had or imparted good soft skills. Hope the stakeholders will take note of this important dimension, while talking of cooperation, collaboration, associations etc.

____________

Q4.2/5 - Question 4.2 "To cope with these future challenges, do small farms require new innovations and adaptation techniques?  And if so, which?”

From Winnona Merritt <[log in to unmask]> (USA)
Winnona highlights a theme that ran through many of these discussions - the need for cooperation. - Which also refers to discussion topic #1
Referring specifically to the input from Prof Paul Iji <[log in to unmask]> and Edwin Chang’a <[log in to unmask]> (Australia) - who said: 
"To address the competition posed by major players and lack of access to the market, SME producers should be encouraged to form cooperatives, in order to develop a critical mass.  This will make them more viable and competitive.  Such cooperative structures will also improve knowledge acquisition, including the development of a value chain, which is currently lacking. “

Winnona asks: "How can farmers address issues of human relationships that impede cooperation? - the need for trust-building and trustworthiness, care for the common good, justice, transparency, open and fair consultation, etc etc ?  
Does lack of addressing these issues stymie the best intentions and progressive initiatives? Are some places finding ways to address this? Is there a success story?"



To unsubscribe from the SMALL-FARMS-L list, click the following link:
https://listserv.fao.org/scripts/wa-fao.exe?SUBED1=SMALL-FARMS-L&A=1