Hi all,
Here is the input received yesterday and today on topic #6: “How can policies affect small farm activities and their resilience?”
— Peter.

Q6.1/8 - Question: "6.1.  What are the policies (international, national or local) in your region that affect the viability and development of small farms, and small farms’ decision making regarding the amount and type of food produced and their ambitions regarding market integration?"

1/ From: Mark Redman <[log in to unmask]> (Romania)

Dominic Duckett asks some interesting questions in the on-going discussion about small farms and nature conservation under Question 6.1. 

 

The discussion to-date appears to have focussed upon the negative impacts of large carnivores upon livestock.  This is a major issue here in Romania, for example, since more large carnivores (wolves, brown bears and Eurasian lynx) live near domestic livestock than in any other European country.  The loss of sheep to wolves especially is a significant economic burden on small farms and an on-going challenge for shepherds managing flocks in the mountains during the summer grazing period.  For a comprehensive overview see here:  

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/carnivores/pdf/4_Ionescu_Management_LC_Romania.pdf

 

There is an EU platform on coexistence between large carnivores and people which meets regularly:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/carnivores/coexistence_platform.htm

 

More generally, Dominic’s question about “How can we more successfully combine increased agricultural production and effective conservation on small farms?” is central to the challenge of maintaining the large areas of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland that exist in Europe – much of which is managed by small-scale farms in marginal areas using traditional management techniques which have created and maintained high levels of farmland biodiversity (e.g. species-rich semi-natural grasslands) for hundreds of years.  

 

A significant proportion of the 3.4 million small farms in Romania are managing HNV farmland.  However, as the number of small farms decline (over 0.5 million small farms were lost between 2005-2013 - equivalent to an average of 180/day!) so is the biodiversity associated with them.  Maintaining profitable small farms that can sustain an acceptable level of household income is therefore critically important for nature conservation – as well as food and nutrition security - in Romania.


2/ From: RICHARD YEBOAH <[log in to unmask]> (Ghana)

The open market economy policy of the government of Ghana since the mid 1990 (Economic recovery programme after the Structural Adjustment Programme) has brought about the collapse of many small farms and small food businesses. People have taken more to import of and trade in almost all food items and processed products that used to be produced in small quantities by many small farms and businesses. The local small businesses could not match the low prices of the imported goods that come from commercials farms that have economies of scale and sometimes subsidy.


Market forces (demand and supply) determine the price of produce. In years when small farms produce more or have better yields they become poorer because the price of their produce drop, sometimes drastically.


In 2017 the government rolled out a new policy they dubbed “Planting for Food and Jobs”. This policy provides 50% subsidy on fertiliser, allow registered farmer to pay 50% of the subsidised cost cash and pay the rest after harvest. Seed of some cereals and legumes are given free. This has helped increased the number of small farms and small businesses as well as improve the yields of farms that hitherto could not apply fertiliser to their poor soils. This a good policy



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Q6.2/7 - Question: "6.2.  Can you give specific examples of how these policies have affected small-farm decision-making?"

From: RICHARD YEBOAH <[log in to unmask]> (Ghana)
Government in Ghana attempted to increase tariffs on imported chicken and chicken parts in order to help the local poultry industry made up of many small farms and a few medium scale farms. As a result poultry farmers increased their production only for the policy to be withdrawn because of international pressure. The farmers lost miserably and many farms collapsed.

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Q6.3/7 - Question: "6.3.  What are the most critical policies that are needed in your region to support small farm development and increase their role in food and nutrition security in the (regional) food system?"

From: RICHARD YEBOAH <[log in to unmask]> (Ghana)
In Ghana and in most parts of Africa, small farms and small food businesses are not just for production but contribute a lot in reducing unemployment hence the need to support them to thrive.

Among the policies critical to make small farms more relevant are:

1.       Uniform weights and measures: Traders buy from the famers using their own measures and the farmers have no say because if they refuse there will be no one to buy. They sell with different measures. There is no measurement for selling animals but by bargain and so it is for vegetables.
2.       Price intervening policy: There should be a minimum price, taking into account the production cost, below which farmers should not sell
3.       Opening up the rural areas (motorable roads) where most of the small farms and food businesses are so that they can transport their produce to the nearest market with ease.
4.       Low interest credit.
5.       Policy to protect the small farms and food businesses from cheap imported goods which they produce.



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