FARMING FOR FOOD Edith van Walsum Frank van Schoubroeck.

FARMING FOR FOODFARMING FOR FOOD

Edith van WalsumEdith van Walsum

Frank van SchoubroeckFrank van Schoubroeck

Promotes sustainable agriculture, with a focus on small-scale family farmers through LEISA Magazine and other

forms of information exchange through guiding systematisation

processes of stakeholders through building policy-practice

linkages

…

… is part of the global LEISA Network, which publishes magazines on sustainable agriculture in

West Africa (French) East Africa (English) India ( English, Hindi,Tamil, Kannada) Brazil (Portuguese) Latin America (Spanish) Indonesia ( Bahasa Indonesia) China (Chinese)

…

DGIS / LNV Memorandum: 5 tracks

Track 1. Improving agricultural productivity Track 2. Enabling environment for value chains Track 3. Sustainable value chain development for People

(income distribution), Planet (ecological sustainability) and Profit (economic growth)

Track 4. Increased market access Track 5. Food security and transfer mechanisms

Access to food Productive safety nets and cash-for-work programmes Payment for environmental services Low external input and sustainable agriculture Skills development

DGIS/LNV memorandum: Agriculture is embedded in society+landscape

Agriculture

Society

Rural Rural landscapelandscape

Rural population

DGIS/LNV memorandum: track 1: increase cash crop production

Agriculture

Society


Rural population

Production (Track 1)

DGIS/LNV memorandum: Track 3 (value chains) + Track 4 (Market access)

Agriculture

Value chain

(Track 3 / MDG 1-3-7)

Market Market accessaccess

(Track 4)(Track 4)

Society


Rural population


DGIS/LNV memorandum: Track 2: Market institutions

Agriculture

Value chain

(Track 3 / MDG 1-3-7)


(Track 4)(Track 4)

Society


Rural population

Market institutions

(Track 2)


DGIS/LNV memorandum: Track 5: Food security + Transfer mechanisms (PES,

LEISA, food for work, etc.)

Agriculture

Value chain

(Track 3 / MDG 1-3-7)


(Track 4)(Track 4)

Society


Rural population

Market institutions

(Track 2)

Food security (Track 5 / MDG 1)

PES(Track 5 / MDG 7)


DGIS/LNV memorandum: Track 5+: institutional development for sustainability

Agriculture

Value chain

(Track 3 / MDG 1-3-7)


(Track 4)(Track 4)

Society


Rural population

Market institutions

(Track 2)

Food security (Track 5 / MDG 1)

PES(Track 5 / MDG 7)

Environmental institutions(Track 5?)

Social institutions(Track 5?)


Visit to Northern Ghana: What are opportunities for rural

entrepreneurship?


entrepreneurship?

An old acquaintance leads us around

An old acquaintance leads us around

An NGO carries out a soy growing programme, with marketing through “The

Savannah Farmers’ co-operative”

An NGO carries out a soy growing programme, with marketing through “The

Savannah Farmers’ co-operative”

NGO Project objective:

“... Developing the capacity of rural farmers to invest in (...)

Livelihood Enterprise Development and Trade for

Poverty Reduction ...”

NGO Project objective:

“... Developing the capacity of rural farmers to invest in (...)

Livelihood Enterprise Development and Trade for

Poverty Reduction ...”

An extensionist leads us to a village

An extensionist leads us to a village

Farmers: “we stopped calculating investments and

profits: the more we work, the poorer we get ...”

Farmers: “we stopped calculating investments and

profits: the more we work, the poorer we get ...”

Local food market along the way: NGO staff buys yam

Local food market along the way: NGO staff buys yam

NGO director: “the soy market has gone down because Brazil

floods our soy market”

NGO director: “the soy market has gone down because Brazil

floods our soy market”

“When I was young, we went to the lu just 20 m into the forest – now we

can see the horizon”

“When I was young, we went to the lu just 20 m into the forest – now we

can see the horizon”

Causes:*no local rights to timber*chainsaw lumbering*burning for grasses

Causes:*no local rights to timber*chainsaw lumbering*burning for grasses

“Climate change made that floods destroy our crops” “Climate change made that floods destroy our crops”

Religious forest shows the tree growing potential

Religious forest shows the tree growing potential

Burning vegetation -> poor productivity

Technically, trees could produce *fruits, vegetables, for food & market*ecosystem-services*and timber as “safety net”

Burning vegetation -> poor productivity

Technically, trees could produce *fruits, vegetables, for food & market*ecosystem-services*and timber as “safety net”

On the way, thousands of hectares are planted with Yatropha – we counted 50

tractors on one spot

On the way, thousands of hectares are planted with Yatropha – we counted 50

tractors on one spot

“Developing farmers’ rights to grow and sell trees is too

complicated”

“Developing farmers’ rights to grow and sell trees is too

complicated”

Policy discussions concentrate on “food sovereignty of northern Ghana” and local food marketing

Policy discussions concentrate on “food sovereignty of northern Ghana” and local food marketing


entrepreneurship?


entrepreneurship?

•Can farmers take a role and develop a productive landscape? Tree layer – timber as safety net, food, etc.Ecosystem services – against floods, biodiversityLocal food – back-up for marketsTenure arrangements seem “in the way” - what support do farmers need?

•Can farmers take a role and develop a productive landscape? Tree layer – timber as safety net, food, etc.Ecosystem services – against floods, biodiversityLocal food – back-up for marketsTenure arrangements seem “in the way” - what support do farmers need?

Some urgent (‘hot’) issues Northern Ghana:Some urgent (‘hot’) issues Northern Ghana: Land rights: short lease contracts for

landless people; government-traditional authority

Land use planning: industry takes over land

Water floods, water storage functions Landscape: productive tree layer

absent Value chain world market fluctuates;

food sovereignty, local markets

Land rights: short lease contracts for landless people; government-traditional authority

Land use planning: industry takes over land

Water floods, water storage functions Landscape: productive tree layer

absent Value chain world market fluctuates;

food sovereignty, local markets

Track 5 is about capitals (human, social, political physical, natural – DFID livelihood model)

in support of rural entrepreneurship

AgricultureAgriculture

SocietySociety

Financial Financial capitalcapitalHuman, social, Human, social,

political capital:political capital:Marginalised Marginalised groups engage ingroups engage inSkill developmentSkill developmentOrganisation for Organisation for safety nets, food safety nets, food sovereigntysovereignty

Rural Rural populationpopulation

Physical and Physical and natural capital:natural capital:

PES: forestry, C-PES: forestry, C-sequestrationsequestrationSoil, water, Soil, water, biodiv- biodiv- managementmanagementLocal foodLocal food


(0) Analyse context, get to know on-

going activity,

select area

(1) Social analysis: who

is track 5 target group?

(2) Landscape analysis: what

(natural, physical)

potential is there?

(3) Find “hot issues”: Combine (1) and (2): Who could realize a

particular potential?

(4) What hierarchy of conditions are

crucial? E.g., policy, regulation, capacity,

support

(5) Start a multi-layered multi-actor

process; initiate action

around hot issues

Possible process:

Proposal:Action learning process in three ‘APF countries’:

Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda or UgandaMeetings in NL (March – May 2009)Inception workshops with partners in countries >

context analysis; inventorise existing/past initiatives to support small & marginal farmers and food security (June – Sep 2009)

Action learning around specific areas and themes in the chosen countries (Sep 2009 - Dec 2010)

Lessons learned workshop in NL (Dec 2010)

Points for discussion and feedback:

Relevance of a learning trajectory on Farming For Food

Complementarity with other ongoing APF initiatives

Specific areas and themes to focus onProcessNext steps

FARMING FOR FOOD Edith van Walsum Frank van Schoubroeck.

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