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Status of Agriculture: Characterized by Disconnects, both in the developed and developing world

Farmers, Herders and Fisherfolk : Securing Food Futures 2010 Environment Day Conference at Redcliffe College, Gloucester 6 March 2010 Patrick Mulvany. "Modern man talks of the battle with nature, forgetting if he ever won the battle he would find himself on the losing side" Fritz Schumacher

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Status of Agriculture: Characterized by Disconnects, both in the developed and developing world

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  1. Farmers, Herders and Fisherfolk: Securing Food Futures2010 Environment Day Conferenceat Redcliffe College, Gloucester 6 March 2010Patrick Mulvany

  2. "Modern man talks of the battle with nature, forgetting if he ever won the battle he would find himself on the losing side" Fritz Schumacher Founder ITDG (now rebranded Practical Action)

  3. Status of Agriculture: • Characterized by Disconnects, both in the developed and developing world • Disconnects between agriculture and • the environment; • Disconnects between consumers and • farmers or land and cities; • Disconnects between policies and • expectations.

  4. Who feeds us?

  5. Context • Agricultural Biodiversity • Soils • Water • Climate change / Greenhouse gases • Agricultural development Aid • Human population

  6. Productivity of Biodiverse Agroecology • Yield increases of more than 30% - 100% frequently result due to the combination of: • Organic matter accumulation and nutrient cycling • Increased soil biological activity • Natural control mechanisms (disease suppression, biocontrol of insects, weed interference) • Resource conservation and regeneration (including soil, water and germplasm) • Enhanced agricultural biodiversity and synergies between components.

  7. ‘Problem’: Pests and Weeds in East African Maize Crops • Maize - a staple crop for many smallholder farmers – is regularly attacked by: • Stemborer Moths, which lay eggs in the Maize stem and the larvae then devour it, and • the weed Striga, whichweakensMaize roots and kills the plant (also affects sorghum and millet)

  8. ‘Solution’: Push-Pull technology • Napier MaizeDesmodiumMaize Napier • Stemborer moths pushed away by intercropped Desmodium and pulled towards bordering Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) which kills larvae. Maize root attacking Striga seeds controlled by Desmodium root interaction. Stemborer moths Stemborer moths Striga

  9. The ‘Problem’: Drought-Induced Crop Failure in the Caribbean Climate Change + Intensive Agriculture + Lack of Finances/Fuel = Successive Harvest Failures Temp rise 0.5 0 Drought 2002-06 Reduced irrigation systems • In one Province in 1 year: • 3,000 wells dried up • 2,000 livestock deaths • 400,000 litres milk lost • Staple Maize not sown 60% soils eroded 40% low water retention 45% low fertility

  10. The ‘Solution’: Participatory Development of Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation Strategies • Actions: • Increase farmer knowledge on water cycles, salinisation and water management • Experiments with drought-tolerant varieties, rainwater capture, soil improvement and cover crops

  11. End of Year 1: Results in 4 communities, £15,000 RAPID RESULTS LOW COST • Increased farmer capacity to experiment and work together • Increased crop diversity, yields, and production • Livestock corralled for manure collection • Uptake of biofertiliser inputs • Improved soil-water retention capacity • New local vegetable market • New local seed market • Increased family income and nutritional availability COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT YIELD INCREASES CARBON MANAGEMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MARKET DEVELOPMENT FOOD & NUTRITION SECURITY POVERTY ALLEVIATION

  12. ‘Problem’: increased disease‘Solution’: improve yield stability through a variety mixture

  13. Low Carbon, Biodiverse, ResilientEcological Food Provision Develops culturally appropriate technology Improves food security and food sovereignty Improvess livelihood security and local markets Improves gender equity SOCIAL ECONOMIC ENVIRON- MENTAL Sustain Agroecosystem Functions and Agricultural Biodiversity Strengthens institutional capacity Diversifies production systems – resilience to Climate Change Conservess and regenerate natural resources

  14. Raising Productivity through Ecological Food Provision Methods Food Provision per unit Land / Water C C = (Agro)ecological, diverse, low external input production A = industrial, simplified, high external input production A B B = current productivity levels X Low-----------------------DIVERSITY / RESILIENCE ---------------------- High High-----------------------------------CARBON COST-----------------------------Low High------------------------CORPORATE CONTROL---------------------Low Low--------------------------FOOD SOVEREIGNTY--------------------High Low--------------------PEOPLE/LOCAL KNOWLEDGE----------------High IAASTD finds need to increase and strengthen AKST towards agroecological sciences to address environmental and productivity issues(IAATSD) Finding # 7. See www.iaastd.net

  15. CORPORATE CONTROLFOOD CHAIN Top 10 Corporations control 67% proprietary seed market

  16. 1996 2002 2007 2009 ‘Tlaxcala Declaration of La Via Campesina, Tlaxcala, Mexico  World Food Summit ‘Food Sovereignty: A Right for All’. Forum for Food Sovereignty’ Rome, Italy Nyéléni 2007: Forum for Food Sovereignty, Sélingué, Mali Forum for People’s Food Sovereignty Now!, Rome, Italy Adopting Soberanía Alimentariathe Food Sovereignty Framework

  17. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY • ‘Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.’ (Declaration of Nyéléni, 2007)

  18. SIX PRINCIPLES Food Sovereignty • 1. Focuses on Food for People and Right to Food, rather than export commodities • 2. Values Food Providers and respects their Rights, rather than squeezing them off the land • 3. Localises Food Systems,rather than promoting unfair global trade • 4. Puts Control Locally,rather than remote TNCs • 5. Builds Knowledge and Skills, rather than depending on alien technologies such as GM • 6. Works with Nature, rather than using methods that harm beneficial ecosystem functions, such as energy intensive monocultures and livestock factories.

  19. Food Sovereignty, including the Human Right to adequate Food, devolves power to the people vs Food Security, which keeps control in the hands of existing powerholders It is silent on Provenance Quality Control Decision FOOD SECURITY a co-opted concept?

  20. A new Common Food and Agriculture PolicyEuropean Food Declaration12 Values based on Food SovereigntyTo be launched in Brussels

  21. Focus on food; Equity, social justice, ecological sustainability; Healthy eating – more plants less meat; More local, seasonal, quality products; Fair prices; Access to land; Protect soil, water, agricultural biodiversity free from GMOs; No agrofuels; Shorten distances between and ‘reconnect’ producer and consumer; Transparency in food chain; Reduce concentration of power; Develop skills and knowledge by children. The new Common Food and Agriculture Policy12 Values based on Food Sovereignty

  22. Urgency • Change in all regions is urgent and necessary for People and Planet • Learning from Farmers, Herders and Fisherfolk • Rewrite the rules – economic, political, social

  23. International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) IAASTD finds need to increase and strengthen Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology towards agroecological sciences to address environmental and productivity issues(IAATSD Finding # 7. See www.iaastd.net )

  24. Donor policy“No Development without Environment: DFID fails the Challenge” – House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee “If DFID continues to fail to meet the challenge of incorporating the environment and sustainability into its work on a planet where fish stocks are plummeting, water tables are falling and the pace of climate change is accelerating at an alarming rate, the £5.3 billion a year the UK will be spending by 2008 on development will at best result in only temporary successes.” (EAC Press Release, 16 August 2006) DFID remains environmentally blind today, - e.g. neglecting agroecology and ecoliteracy in food and farming. IIED

  25. Why No Thought for Food?UK Parliament report Jan 2010 Recommends that DFID implement Findings of IAASTD

  26. Agriculture is NOT a business like any other – it beats to the drum of biologyColin Tudge, “So shall we reap”

  27. “Securing Future Food: towards ecological food provision" UK Food Group BriefingJanuary 2010

  28. Commitments of small-scale food providers• to strengthen and promote our ecological model of food provision in the framework of food sovereignty.• to call for a reframing of research, using participatory methods, that will support our ecological model offood provision.• to strengthen our interconnecting rural - urban food webs, building alliances within a Complex Alimentariusthat will link small-scale food providers, processors, scientists, institutions and consumers.

  29. Thank YouFurther info:more:www.ukfg.org.ukfoodsovereignty.orgetcgroup.orgukabc.orgpracticalaction.orgPatrick Mulvanypatrickmulvany@clara.co.uk

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