Cagayan de Oro City, June 29 - Representatives from networks of rural NGOs and people’s organizations from nine countries in Southeast and East Asia gathered in Cagayan de Oro City from June 28 to July 2 to discuss how the small farmers and farmerholders can hurdle the extremely difficult challenges of entering and participating competitively in the market. They are united in the belief that small farmers and farmholders can survive and compete in the market if they are organized as community-based associations of small producers.
The event, organized by AsiaDHRRA, is the third of a series of ASEAN-level workshops implemented under an ASEAN Foundation project entitled “Linking Small Farmers to Market” which aims to establish the mechanisms that will help commodity-based associations of small producers achieve economies of scale and a stronger bargaining strength in the market. PhilDHRRA, the in -country anchor for LSFM in the Philippines, hosted the event and provided a festive welcome dinner featuring a traditional Manobo dance number and the participants’ diverse backgrounds and cultures.
FarmFriday brings this very interesting article from Green Inc., about the new challenges facing farmers as they struggle to feed an ever-growing global population amidst the specter of climate change. Its interesting to note also that Deutsche Bank has a “climate change advice division” – kinda neat don’t you think so? read on…
How will the world meet the growing energy and food demands of a population projected to approach nine billion in 2050? And how can it do so in a sustainable manner, despite the prospect of climate change?
Two frequently cited solutions — raising productivity through large investment in fertilizers, irrigation and mechanization, and extending farming to degraded, abandoned or pasture lands — would still leave food and energy supplies falling short of demand, according to a study released on Thursday by the climate change advice division of Deutsche Bank.
Such measures are also likely to exacerbate water constraints and increase carbon emissions. Irrigation, for example, uses water; the production of fertilizer creates greenhouse gases; and mechanized equipment currently uses fossil fuels.
To overcome these constraints, the bankers say that it will be necessary to explore alternative approaches to present-day agribusiness practices. Such alternatives would include radical shifts in land use, genetically modified crops and organic farming.
For TechTusday, here’s a rather serious and insightful reading especially if your work focuses on market intermediation. Lots of ideas to bounce around.
Abstract
This paper emphasizes the role of knowledge management and communication in value chains from the perspective of resource-poor producers in Latin America. Based on value chain literature, social network theories and concepts of knowledge management and communication, it develops some basic principles of a concept of knowledge management and communication in value chain. Then it presents three value chains (coffee, silk and jaggery) and their information and knowledge problems as barriers for sustaining market relations and/or improving competitiveness. Their effects are conflicting relationships between stakeholders of the value chain, low innovation rates and incompliance with contracts, which put the whole chain at risk.
The use of media, including ICT-based media, and the strategy of network-building to increase social capital are presented and discussed as instruments to overcome these problems. While media, especially ICT-based media, can overcome information access problems for ICT literate stakeholders, strengthening horizontal ties is key in order to translate, diffuse and appropriate information and knowledge. Local leaders can act as bridges, linking consumers’ demand and producers’ supply, facilitating the development of co-innovations. Finally, acknowledging the human dimension of economic relationships means putting the person and their social relationships into the heart of research and development.
Rural women produce half of the world’s food and, in developing countries, between 60 percent and 80 percent of food crops. Women also are more likely than men to spend their income on the well-being of their families, including more nutritious foods, school fees for children and health care.
Yet agricultural investments do not reflect these facts. Women in forestry, fishing and agriculture received just 7 percent of total aid for all sectors.
A key failing of past efforts to reduce hunger and increase rural incomes has been the lack of attention paid to women as farmers, producers and farm workers – both wage and non-wage. It’s not too late to integrate the lessons we’ve learned and avoid the pitfalls of the past. To move forward, however, the world community must make a significant shift in its thinking about women, food security, agriculture and the global marketplace to see women as key economic agents of change in rural communities who in their own right contribute to local, national and global food security and economic growth.
This paper reviews current thinking and practice on increasing agricultural productivity, both subsistence and commercial agriculture, and examines what is known about women’s roles in both sectors.
Nothings more asian than rice. And when some people mess with it we take serious offence right? FrankenThursday’s out to frighten you with this evil FrankenRice that is sure to make way down your gut unless you heed Greenpeace call to reject it. NOW! Please sign the petition here!!!
The GE rice has been developed by Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary company of the German chemical giant Bayer AG. The rice – technical name LL62 – has been genetically-engineered to withstand high doses of glufosinate, sprayed on rice fields by farmers to control a wide range of weeds. The weeds will die, the GE rice will survive.
Any use of the Bayer GE rice will lead to an increased use of the toxic herbicide – undoubtedly boosting sales of Bayer’s glufosinate as a consequence. It will also lead to higher risks for farmers, consumers and the environment. Glufosinate is considered to be so dangerous to humans and the environment that it will soon be banned in Europe in accordance with recently-adopted EU legislation. Currently, Bayer is pushing for legal approval of its GE rice in Brazil, South Africa, the EU, India and the Philippines. In the USA, the Bayer GE rice has already been approved for commercial planting, although farmers in the US are reluctant to plant it. They fear the loss of important markets due to the risks of accidental contamination, and not without reason. Bayer already has a history of causing damages that have been estimated at more than USD 1.2 billion to the global rice industry, when one of its experimental GE rice varieties accidentally entered global rice supplies in 2006. (Greeanpeace)
HungerWednesday brings another good read from IDRC though a bit on the heavy side. Perfect for late night or airport departure lounge reading. A must read for food rights advocates and CSO workers.
This book is the first wide-ranging guide to the key issues of intellectual property and ownership, genetics, biodiversity, and food security. Proceeding from an introduction and overview of the issues, comprehensive chapters cover negotiations and instruments in the World Trade Organization, Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, and various other international bodies.
The final part discusses civil society responses to relevant changes and developments in these issues, how they affect the direction of research and development, the nature of global negotiation processes and various alternative futures.
This brief focuses on key agricultural resources needed by poor female farmers to generate incomes and ensure their families’ food security. It is organized around key resources and promising approaches to increase poor women’s control of those resources.
To boost awareness of ASEAN and of the cultures of ASEAN among women and children in the region, the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) Women’s Wing was officially launched today with a simple ceremony at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta.
The ASEC Women’s Wing, a non-profit entity which comprises the female staff and wives of staff members of the ASEAN Secretariat, would reinforce the work of the ASEAN Secretariat, particularly in the area of public outreach.
“The ASEAN Secretariat, as the nerve centre of a people-oriented ASEAN, must reach out to the people of the region. Now, with this Women’s Wing, we can find a niche to make a difference, no matter how small,” said the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan at the launch.
Activities of the Women’s Wing would include student competitions on ASEAN subjects at school and university levels, an ASEAN student club and charity fashion shows, among others. The Wing also has plans to issue a monthly e-Newsletter, which will not only reach its members, but also a greater audience, such as the civil society organisations and the media.
The Patron of the Women’s Wing is Mrs Alisa Pitsuwan, while the President is Mrs Vennila Pushpanathan.
“We hope that the Women’s Wing can collaborate with local educational institutions and NGOs to promote ASEAN awareness as well as community building,” said Mrs Pushpanathan at the launch.
FrankenThursday brings this anger-inducing news that Monsanto is suing yet another North American farmer for having his own field contaminated with FrankenCanola from another field through no fault of his own. That is just so wow! right? Let this serve as a reminder to Asian farmers to never ever plant any FrankenSeeds nor be near a FrankenFarm.
Percy Schmeiser is a farmer from Saskatchewan Canada, whose Canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto’s genetically engineered Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby farm. Monsanto says it doesn’t matter how the contamination took place, and is therefore demanding Schmeiser pay their Technology Fee (the fee farmers must pay to grow Monsanto’s genetically engineered products). According to Schmeiser, “I never had anything to do with Monsanto, outside of buying chemicals. I never signed a contract.
If I would go to St. Louis (Monsanto Headquarters) and contaminate their plots – destroy what they have worked on for 40 years – I think I would be put in jail and the key thrown away.”
Geneva, 8 May (Kanaga Raja) — The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) should reaffirm the need, not only to increase food production, but to re-orient agro-food systems and the regulations that influence them at national and international levels, towards sustainability and the progressive realization of the right to food.
This was one of the key recommendations highlighted by Mr Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, in his submission to the current seventeenth session of the Commission taking place in New York from 4-15 May.
The rights expert also underscored the importance of reforming the global governance of the global food system. In this regard, De Schutter pointed to the multilateral trading system as being “heavily skewed in favour of a small group of countries, and in urgent need of reform.”
Land acquisitions are on the increase in Africa and other continents, raising the risk that poor people will be evicted or lose access to land, water, and other resources, according to the first detailed study of the trend. The UN Funded – IFAD study warns that such deals can bring many opportunities (guaranteed outlets, employment, investment in infrastructures, increases in agricultural productivity) but can also cause great harm if local people are excluded from decisions about allocating land and if their land rights are not protected.
HungerWednesday brings this interesting tidbit- Philippines actually have “Rice Sufficiency Officers”. Pretty interesting right? and they’re undergoing a retooling workshop. They must need this as they have a kinda daunting task ahead of them — ensuring a rice-sufficient Philippines by 2013.
Close to 100 rice sufficiency officers (RSOs) and PhilRice officials nationwide gathered for the re-tooling workshop as part of DA- PhilRice’ Strategic Support Services for Rice Self-Sufficiency (S5), May 13-16.
S5 is DA-PhilRice’ program in support of the government’s Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan (RSSP).
The Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan envisions a 100% self-sufficiency in rice by 2013. It aims to increase palay production from 16.2 million metric tons (MMT) in 2007 to 21.6 MMT in 2013 to ensure the availability of rice for 100 million Filipinos. Moreover, it aims to raise income from rice farming and reduce the Philippines’ rice importation.
TechTuesday showcases an interesting Indian website – DigitalGreen- that seeks to disseminate targeted agricultural information to small and marginal farmers in India through digital video. The Digital Green system sustains relevancy in a community by developing a framework for participatory learning. The system includes a digital video database, which is produced by farmers and experts.
ToolkitSundays shares this useful Advocacy Toolkit from Why. The toolkit draws from the american experience but us Asians might pick up a nugget or two of new insights and approaches in fighting hunger and poverty upon reading the booklet.Why has a lot of downloadable publications related to poverty advocacy and hunger that you might find also interesting and useful.
Founded in 1975, WHY is a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.
WHY is convinced that solutions to hunger and poverty can be found at the grassroots level. WHY advances long-term solutions to hunger and poverty by supporting community-based organizations that empower individuals and build self-reliance, i.e., offering job training, education and after school programs; increasing access to housing and healthcare; providing microcredit and entrepreneurial opportunities; teaching people to grow their own food; and assisting small farmers. WHY connects these organizations to funders, media and legislators.
At WHY, we envision a world without hunger and poverty. If we can shift the prevailing viewpoint on why hunger and poverty exist, then we can influence the policymakers and put an end to this human tragedy.
Cagayan de Oro City, June 29 - Representatives from networks of rural NGOs and people’s organizations from nine countries in Southeast and East Asia gathered in Cagayan de Oro City from June 28 to July 2 to discuss how the small farmers and farmerholders can hurdle the extremely difficult challenges of entering and participating competitively in the market. They are united in the belief that small farmers and farmholders can survive and compete in the market if they are organized as community-based associations of small producers.
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