Transcript Presentation Small is beautifulFinal

Small is Beautiful?
Frederic Ghys
Margherita Gomarasca
Sil Lanckriet
Executive Summary
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Introduction on small farms
The Green Revolution
Agro-ecology
Policy implications
1. Introduction
- Small farms in the world
- Who are small farmers?
- Advantages and disadvantages of small farming
Small Farms in the World
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3 billion rural people in developing world
More than 2/3 reside on small farms
In the world: nearly 500 million small farms
Today 1.2 billion people suffer hunger
50% of them are small farmers
• small farmers: one of the most
disadvantaged and vulnerable
groups in the developing world
Small Farms in the World (2)
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Trend in developing countries: increasing
fragmentation of land & decreasing average
farm size
Who are small farmers?
Lack of a sole definition: limited resources; farm
size; low technology; dependence on family labour;
subsistence oriented
→ Most common approach: less than 2 hectares of
owned or rented land
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Small farms control small share of total
agricultural land (inequitable land distribution)
BUT
 They produce the majority of the food that is
consumed locally
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Source: ETC group, 2009
Advantages of small farming
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Local embeddedness
Efficient landuse
Local knowledge
No need for supervision of hired
labourers
Investements in the local economy
No need to buy expensive food on
the market
BUT: no scale effects, semiproletariat
Advantages of big farming
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Scale advantages
Skilled labour
Market and technologic knowledge
Finance and capital
Links with supermarkets
Lower risk if commodity prices fall
BUT: no optimal allocation of labour
2. The Green Revolution
- What?
- Green Revolution in Asia
- Green Revolution in Africa?
Green Revolution
Public subsidies of:
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Irrigation
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Mechanisation
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Pesticides and herbicides
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Hybrid seeds + GMO’s
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Fertilizers
Advantages of GR in Asia
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Increased production (good for rural
poor)
Falling prices (good for urban poor)
Nature Reviews Genetics 2, 815-822 (October 2001)
Disadvantages of GR in Asia
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Dependence to input (eg. seed producers)
Dependence to market (eg. world prices)
Losing land if not able to pay loan (India)
Destruction of traditional society
Inequality (eg. when uneven land
distribution)
Health problems (eg. Roundup Paraguay)
Access to water
Ecological problems (water table, erosion)
GR in Africa: AGRA
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Seeds Program (hybrids)
Soil Health Program (water, nutrients
and fertilizers)
Market Access (storage, warehouses)
Policy and Partnerships Program
Innovative Finance (low intrest loans)
To benifit smallholder farms and women
SWOT of GR in Africa
Strenghts
Climate (warm and humid)
Diverse & rich ecosystems
60% ag. ground not in use
Small farms
Weaknesses
Thin soils
Infrastructure
Distance to markets & ports
Education
Opportunities
Small scale farming
Organic farming
South-South cooperation
Protectionism
Threats
Climate change
Corruption
WTO rules
EPA’s
3. Agro-ecology
- Why and what?
- Five Advantages of agro-ecology
- Example: Malawi
- Three positive consequences
Agro-ecology
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Agriculture must not compromise its
ability to satisfy future needs.
• The loss of biodiversity,
• unsustainable use of water, and
• pollution of soils and water
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Climate change:
• more frequent and extreme weather
events: droughts, floods, less predictable
rainfall
• severe impact ability of certain regions
and communities to feed themselves
Transition to Agroecology
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Agroecology:
• low-carbon, resource-preserving
• benefits the poorest farmers
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The core principles of agroecology include
• recycling nutrients and energy
inputs;
external
• integrating crops and livestock;
• diversification: species and genetic resources;
• ecosystem focus: interactions
individual species.
Agro-ecology and the right to
food
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Annual report submitted the Special
Rapporteur on the right to food,
Olivier De Schutter to the Human Rights
Council United Nations 20 December 2010
Advantages of Agro-ecology
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A. Availability: increase productivity at
field level
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B. Accessibility: reduction rural poverty
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C. Adequacy: contribution to improving
nutrition
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D. Sustainability: contribution to adapting
to climate change
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E. Farmer participation: dissemination of
best practices
Agro-ecology raises productivity at field
level:
Jules Pretty et al., 2006
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286 recent sustainable agriculture projects
3 % of the cultivated area in developing
countries
 Increased productivity on 12.6 millions
farms,
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global average of 79 per cent
116 % increase for all African projects and
128 % for projects in East Africa
B. Accessibility: agroecology reduces
rural poverty
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Reduction farmers’ reliance on external inputs
and state subsidies and improve independence
local retailers, moneylenders
create employment on farms: optimal allocation
of labour
stimulate rural non farm economy (demand
driven growth linkages): small farmers more
likely to spend income locally
push down prices of staple foods: advantage for
net food buyers
On-farm fertility generation:
• Livestock manure, green manures, fertilizer
factory in the fields:
B. Accessibility: agroecology reduces rural poverty
B. Accessibility: agroecology reduces
rural poverty
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Reduction farmers’ reliance on external inputs
and state subsidies and improve independence
local retailers, moneylenders
create employment on farms: optimal
allocation of labour
stimulate rural non farm economy (demand
driven growth linkages): small farmers more
likely to spend income locally
push down prices of staple foods: advantage for
net food buyers
On-farm fertility generation:
• Livestock manure, green manures, fertilizer
factory in the fields:
C. Adequacy: agroecology contributes
to improving nutrition
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In the past, Green Revolution  diversified
cropping systems to simplified cereal-based
systems
 micronutrient malnutrition in many developing
countries.
• Case: Boost cereal crops: Wheat and maize are
mainly sources of carbohydrates: they contain
relatively little protein,
need for more diverse agroecosystems  a more
diversified nutrient output of the farming systems.
agroecological principles: indigenous fruits
contribute on average about 42 per cent of the
natural food-basket S-Africa
• source of vitamins and other micronutrients,
• sustenance during lean seasons.
D. Sustainability: agroecology
contributes to adapting to climate
change
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Climate Change: more severe droughts and
floods can be expected in the future
• physical properties of soils on organic farms
improved the drought resistance of crops
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E.g. improved soil filtration (agroforestry)
Global warming: invasion of new pests,
weeds and diseases:
• cultivar mixtures -> genetic diversity in the
fields in order to improve crop resistance to
diseases
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Rice: Yunnan Province in China: planted mixtures
with resistant varieties,
• yields improved by 89 %
• blast disease was 94 % less severe
•  Exit monoculture, exit fungicidal sprays
D. Sustainability: agroecology contributes to
adapting to climate change
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Climate change: Erosion:
Study on 180 communities of smallholders
Nicaragua, simple agroecological methods
Agroecological plots vs. convential
farms
• lost 18 % less arable land to landslides
• 69 per cent less gully erosion
• average 40 per cent more topsoil
• higher field moisture
D. Sustainability: agroecology contributes to
adapting to climate change
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Mitigating climate change:
• Increasing carbon sinks in soil organic
matter, and above)ground biomass
• Reducing direct and indirect energy use
delinking from the reliance on fossil energy
(oil and gas)
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Large-scale studies from Indonesia,
Vietnam and Bangladesh recorded:
• 35 to 92 per cent reduction in insecticide
use in rice,
• 34 to 66 per cent reduction in pesticide use
• combined with 4 to 14 per cent better
yields recorded in cotton production
E. Farmer participation: an asset for the
dissemination of best practices
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Farmer field schools: empowering
• helping farmers to organize themselves
better
• stimulating continued learning.
The demonstration of fields managed by
model farmers, which attracts visits by
other farmers during field days
Partnerships with national research
systems
technical advisers and coordinators:
workshops
Malawi: Subsidy to sustainability
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food crisis due to drought in 2004-2005
fertilizer subsidy programme for maize
production in 2005-2006  Succes
2008: Malawi exports more than one
million metric tonnes of maize
medium-term situation: fertilizer
subsidies may have to be scaled back or
withdrawn.
Malawi: Subsidy to sustainability
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Solution: agroforestry systems: nitrogen-fixing
trees
Faidherbia albida, a nitrogen-fixing acacia
species:
unfertilized maize yields in the vicinity of
Faidherbia trees averaged 4.1 t/ha, compared to
1.3 t/ha nearby,
Now: extension of the programme to 40 per cent
of Malawi’s districts, benefiting 1.3 million of the
poorest people.
Increased yields from 1 t/ha to 2–3 t/ha,
But: with a quarter-dose of mineral fertilizer,
maize yields may surpass 4 t/ha.
Why it’s necessary to support
smallholders?
Whith an agroecology perspective,
small farmers can ensure:
a. FOOD SECURITY
b. ENVIRONMENT PRESERVATION
c. POVERTY REDUCTION
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a. FOOD SECURITY
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International agribusiness enterprises
(dominant players in agricultural sector): profitoriented and export vocation
Small farmers: food production vocation
THREATS FOR FOOD SECURITY:
- Rising food prices
- Arable land subtracted to
agriculture (agrofuels; cereals
for animal feed)
- Export crops
- Farmers reliance on external
inputs
SMALL FARMERS
CONTRIBUTIONS:
- Higher yields
- Integrated farming
systems: high variety of
food (macro & micro
nutrients)
b. ENVIRONMENT
PRESERVATION
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THREATS:
Soil erosion and
contamination
Water pollution
Loss of biodiversity
Deforestation
Climate change
SMALL FARMERS
CONTRIBUTIONS:
- Sustainable agriculture,
integrated crops, ...
- Concervative practices
(soil, water)
- Low-carbon agriculture
- Resource-preserving
c. POVERTY
REDUCTION
Strong association between smallholder
development and poverty reduction (in
Africa strongly than elsewhere):
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- raise farm incomes
- create employment on farms: optimal
allocation of labour
- stimulate rural non farm economy
(demand driven growth linkages):
small farmers more likely to spend income
locally
- push down prices of staple foods:
advantage for net food buyers
4. Policy implications
-Market failures
- Policy interventions
- Obstacles
- Opportunities
INSTITUTIONAL and MARKET
FAILURES
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- Lack of assets (also as collateral)
- Information asymetries
- Coordination challenges (economies of scale)
- Vulnerability to climate and market risk
- ....
Consequences: discriminatory and inefficient outcomes
Need for policy intervention to correct mkt failures:
• Win-win solution for efficiency and equity
• Adjusted to local context and stage of development
Policy interventions
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Supporting access to land, water
and seeds
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Prioritising public goods (instead of
private goods):
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rural infrastructures: roads,
electricity, information and
communication technologies
extension services
storage facilities
access to credit and insurance against
risks
Policy interventions (2)
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Investing in knowledge:
- education
- reoriented agricultural extension and
research
- horizontal dissemination of knowledge
Strengthening social organisations:
- support to farmer's organizations and
cooperatives
• Achieving gender empowerment:
- targeted policies
- access to assets, inputs, credit
Policy interventions (3)
• Organizing markets:
- improved access to local markets
- adding value to raw products: packaging,
processing, marketing (ex. cooperatives)
- implement food soveraignity (protect farmers
from volatile prices and the dumping)
- public procurement systems
- support farm-to city direct marketing and
farmers’ markets
Some obstacles to policy
implementation:
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Smallholders’ collective action
problems:
- Poverty: short time horizons, risk averse
- Limited access to communication
- Spatial dispersion and large numbers of
farmers
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Greatest lobbying power of urban
population and rural élites
Political will of governments
Opportunities to policy
implementation:
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Strenghtening of farmers’ associations
Participatory methods in policy making
Decentralisation (but problematic funding)
Partnership public-private-NGOs
Thank you
References
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ALTIERI, M. (2009) Agroecology, Small Farms, and Food
Sovereignty. Monthly Review, July-August 2009.
BIRNER, R.; RESNICK, D. (2010) The Political Economy of Policies
for Smallholder Agriculture. World Development, Vol. 38, No. 10
(1442–1452)
DE SCHUTTER, O. (2009) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the
right to food: Agribusiness and the right to food (A/HRC/13/33)
DE SCHUTTER, O. (2009) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the
right to food. Seed policies and the right to food: enhancing
agrobiodiversity and encouraging innovation (A/64/170)
DE SCHUTTER, O. (2010) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the
right to food: Access to land (A/65/281)
DE SCHUTTER, O. (2010) Report submitted by the Special
Rapporteur on the right to food: Agroecology (A/HRC/16/49)
ETC GROUP (2009) Who will feed us? Questions for the food and
climate crises. (http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/4921)
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