Discussion: training manuals on food security

Contribution by Mulia Nurhasan from FAO, Indonesia

Dear all,

Indeed it is an interesting topic. From what I have known, there are two beliefs on this issue;
One: the people who believe that GMF is the solution to feed the world. To them, we can no longer rely on the conventional way and the rural are not the only people to be fed. The population is increasing rapidly and most of them live in town and cities. Although not farming, these people need to be fed as well and they, in fact have significantly contribute at the world's economy.
Two: the people who believe that we can't rely on the GMF for some reasons; one interesting reason is because GMF only promote main nutrition in the products whilst the plants cultivated conventionally naturally contain more complete nutrients. Barbara Burlingame from FAO presented at COHAB (Cooperation on Health and Biosiversity) Conference in Galway in 2008 that although dietary energy supply can be satisfied without diversity, the micronutrient supply can not. And that many non poor people are unaware of their hidden mal nutrition status (See http://www.cohabnet.org/cohab2008/documents/Day1BarbaraBurlingameUNFAO_001.pdf ). The conference also interestingly agreed that biodiversity needs to be taken care in order to maintain the world's health, nutritional needs and climate change.
FAO actually has been working on biodiversity issues quiet a lot. One of it is my own research that was done in Laos PDR on nutrition and biodiversity. The research concludes that the neglected aquatic biodiversity in Laotian rice field provide profound nutrition for the rural Laotian significantly (See http://www.ub.uit.no/munin/handle/10037/1434 ).
And the more extensive work on this has been integrated into Article 31 of RAMSAR Convention in South Korea last year. More interesting works on proving that organics can feed the world are myriads (Especially on rice), yet like we all know, the road from research to lifestyle could take at least 10-20 years. So till then, it is worth to keep on campaigning the significance of biodiversity in feeding the world more equally.
Warm regards,

Mulia Nurhasan

FAO, Indonesia

Contribution by Balakrishnaraj Neerchal from Span Consultants, India

Dear Friends,

'How to feed the World in 2050?' is a very pertinent question and goes beyond the MDGs.
The World has moved from the thinking of 'Population as Problem' to 'Population as Solution' 'Population as Resource' 'Population as Power' 'Population as Strength'.
Nonetheless, we need to check on the population growth so to limit the negative impacts put in place. On the other hand, we have to develop our natural resources. There are ample opportunities as the vast majority of lands in India, Australia, Canada and in many other countries are available for agriculture development through appropriate technologies. There is a limit to irrigation potentials but watershed technologies have proven to be time tested technologies (though more R&D needs to be done on the sector) to develop the rain fed areas. However, if I take the example of Karnataka, India, the coverage of land under watershed is very small. Government is yet juggling an already closed project (World Bank assisted Sujala Watershed Project). There are no new projects by the government. This shows, that a clear vision, mission and leadership matters, apart from funds and other requirements like project planning and implementation. The Watershed Development Department which developed a sizable manpower for implementation of Sujala Watershed Project lost all of its structures due to the lack of proper long-term plan.
The former Commissioner wanted to replicate the Sujala vision, mission and approaches in the Prime Ministers Special Watershed Package for those six districts where the highest number of farmer’s suicide cases were reported. However, his intension was only put up in paper. Departmental legacies, like lack of coordination, lack of direction, red-tapism, etc. have emerged and project implementation was halted, as usual.
Therefore, the issue is not just funds, R&D but also the need to incorporate the social and managerial issues pertaining to project management while designing long-term strategic plans that intend to feed the population of 2050.
With regards,
Balakrishnaraj Neerchal

SCD & RR Expert

Span Consultants, Bengaluru

Contribution by Rahul Banerjee from India

Serious thought needs to be given to the way in which overall yields from agriculture are to be increased.

The way so far has been to concentrate on increasing external inputs such as fertilisers, water and pesticides on the more fertile and plain lands. However, a limit has been reached to this kind of agriculture and if subsidies being given for the use of these external inputs were to be removed then this agriculture would collapse altogether.
The way forward should be towards increasing the use of organic inputs prepared on the farm itself to promote the natural capacities of the soil. As most farm land in India is in the upper watersheds with low soil depth, appropriate watershed development, afforestation and dry land farming techniques have to be developed to sustainably increase yields there.
The external input agriculture is also highly carbon negative whereas organic agriculture encompassing soil, water and forest conservation and mulching can be highly carbon positive if properly done.

Finally organic agriculture involves high levels of community participation and equitable distribution of resources and produce and so is socially sustainable in the long run. In fact all equity concerns whether caste, class, ethnic or gender must be foregrounded in the new agricultural development policy that is to be adopted.

Thus before we make huge investments in the form of subsidies and grants in increasing yields in agriculture we must be clear about the kind of agriculture and the social arrangements for its practice that we are to adopt. This is at the moment decided not by democratically elected governments but by the Multinational Corporations that control the trade in agricultural inputs and outputs and also the policies in agriculture. Unless the power of these MNCs is circumscribed, there is little chance of sustainable agricultural policies being adopted.
Rahul Banerjee

Indore

webpage: http://www.rahulbanerjee.notlong.com

blog: http://www.anar-kali.blogspot.com