Emerson's pp food security in the americas 1800 14 jan2013

Food Security in the AmericasIssues, Visions and How to Achieve It

“Food Security in the Americas” 1/

“Issues, Visions, and . . . .

How to Achieve It.”

by

Bill Emerson

Slide 1

1/ Often more narrowly defined as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).


VISSION

A prosperous agricultural economy producing nutritious and profitable foods so that the rural economy expands such that food security and malnutrition are no longer a problems and not health issues.

GOALS

1. Prosperous Farmers, using More Advanced, yet Sustainable, Technology (often working together via producer groups for economies of scale),

2. Rural Poverty Reduced Dramatically,

3. Well-Fed Population,

4. Maternal and Childhood Malnutrition is eliminated, or no longer a problem.

Slide 2


Background on Food SecurityHuman Rights: Although the concept of food security is generally agreed

to have originated from, or was derived from, the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights in 1948, made largely in the aftermath of the genocide and

holocaust of World War II. However, many international (int’l) recognized

authorities place the food security concept as formally coming into being in

2001, when the FAO was behind the generally accepted definition stated

below.

FAO Defines Food Security: Often a version of the FAO definition for

“food security” is used, which states “food security exists when all people,

at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe,

and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for

an active and healthy life.”

Slide 3


Necessary and Sufficient Condition for Food Security

Food Security Conditions: Many experts in the field believe that the food

security concept rests upon presence of four (4) interrelated conditions, or

dimensions: 1) the “availability” or existence of sufficient quantities, or amounts, of

food of an appropriate or suitable quality for all inhabitants (in a defined

geographical region, country, or area); 2) “access” to the food resources, or the rights required to acquire foods

that are nutritious and culturally appropriate; 3) the conditions that are necessary, or must exist, to ensure the organic

“use” or consumption of the food to reach a state of nutritional well-

being, where all physiological, or normal biological, needs are met; and 4) physical, political, and economic “stability” exists to a sufficient

degree so to ensure both the availability and access to food at all times.

Slide 4


Producer Groups – Ag. Cooperatives – Vision as Business DevelopmentFood Security via Local Farmer Coops/Producer Associations – “How to Achieve It” Rural Business Approach

Slide 5

• FORMAL BUSINESS ENTITY

• EXPERIENCE

• CAPITAL• ORGANIZATION

Business Plan

Assets: Money, Land,

Knowledge

Legal IDBusiness Experience

BUSINESS

AGREEME

NT

VISION - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTTHIS IS A OFTEN A NECESSARY START FOR AN AGRIC’L COOP BUSINESS

For farmer producer groups and SME agri-business to work well, they should integrate strategic business planning concepts along their targeted business value chains that will maximize revenues, reduce losses and improve profitability. Unfortunately, many of the producer groups and SME agribusiness only have a minimal understanding of business concepts. In order to acquire needed resources and working capital, cooperatives and agribusinesses often need to understand the inter-linkages for taking their vision and delivering it into reality. These linkages include understanding: 1) organization aspects, 2) capital, 3) experience, and a 4) formal legal business Identity. This should be connected by a solid business agreement amongst associates on how to share profits and losses.


How to Achieve Food SecurityBoost & Diversify Local Farm Food Production

Necessary/Favorable Conditions - Enabling Environment for Agric’l Growth

1. Peaceful Rural Conditions – Crime, narcotics funded violence minimized, (warfare & conflicts are often the cause of the world’s worst cases of famine),

2. National Gov’ts Support Int’l Biz. Std.’s – Gov’ts in Americas follow and support World Trade Org. (WTO) & Regional Free Trade Area’s biz. std.’s,

3. “Rule of Law” Guarantees Ag. Investments – Minimize gov’t disruptions of ag. markets, investors dislike market disruptions (unless justified for public safety),

4. Strengthen Ag. Ministry Extension Service – tie into Univ.’s (& FAO/NGOs),5. Improve Ag. Univ. ‘s – Boost Ag. Univ. facilities, include student leaders, 6. Expand use of improved agric’l genetics – Ag. Min. & Univ. support (do not

need to change gov’t’s GMO’s standards),7. Improve Food Storage Facilities & Reduce Post Harvest Losses – May use

Public Private Partnerships (e.g., support building silos, food processing, etc.),8. Promote Producer Groups – Strengthen farmer groups on local & nat’l levels,9. Improve Market Access for Small Farmers – via producer groups, agri-

businesses, gov’t enabling environmental supports, and technical assistance.

Slide 6


Rural Food Insecurity – How to Break Poverty Based Hunger Cycle

Slide 7

FarmersForm

Producer Groups 1/

Agric’l Univ. & T.A. via

Edu Instit.

Gov’tSupport, esp. Ag.

Extension

Agri-Biz’s Support Farmers

ConsumersWith Jobs & Income to Buy Food

Int’l Donor & NGO Support

Int’l Donor & NGO Support

1/ Producer groups are not always necessary, but often make development TA easier, and can benefit from economies of large scale.


Food Insecurity & Bad Farm Support Networks – Poverty All Around Issue

Slide 8

FarmersWorking

Alone - in Age Old

Ways

Agric’l Univ. &

Edu Instit.

Gov’tSupport, esp. Ag.

Extension

Agri-Biz’s Support Farmers

ConsumersWithout Jobs & Little Money to

Buy Food

No Gov’t Enabling Environ Support

No Ag. Univ. Tech.

Asst.

No Input, Storage or

Sales Support

No Gov’t Support for Ag. Edu. & Vice Versa

No Ag. Edu

Org.’s

No Gov’t Support

to Farmers

Government is often not Pro-Farmer, has little

Int’l Donor support, nor

Food Aid

Little Consumer Demand,

Poor Markets

No Real Agri-

Business


Food AID Donations & Food Security - Issues

Food Aid/Donations: Unfortunately, food donations often lead to donor dependency, where many inhabitants of an area suffering from chronic food shortages come to feel that they are entitled to free food donations. As populations become accustomed to receiving food donations, all sorts of other problems arise, such as donor dependency, donated food sold in local markets, food spoilage, food donations being stolen, et cetera, etc.

Farmers Competing with Donated Food: In some of the worst cases of food aid programs I have seen, food donations arrive late during the local farm harvest season. Although Bellmon Analysis and other legal requirements and policies are in-place for USDA/USAID and WFP to avoid having food donations compete with local harvests, the practical problems of funding, bureaucratic paperwork, and poor logistics often lead to food aid depressing farmer prices.

Slide 9


Food Security/Insecurity Issues

Poverty is a key Factor: Food Insecurity exists when there is not stable access to foods at all times, without the risk of running out of food as a result of (A) man-made (e.g., warfare) and/or (B) natural causes (bad weather); these unexpected political, economic or climatic crises or cyclical events (seasonal food insecurity) are usually brought about both by a lack of food itself or money or resources to have access to food.

Warfare, Conflict & Physical Insecurity: The worse cases of famine, chronic hunger and food insecurity are often in areas suffering from years of warfare, inter-ethnic conflict, and lack of law and order so that armed gangs/paramilitary units steal food from vulnerable women & children who most need good nutrition.

Poverty, Corruption, and Poor Host Gov’t Support: Even in areas with relatively good soils, abundant water, and usually favorable weather, young people often abandon farming, farmers have little good seed, little infrastructure, poor roads, and poor market access.

Slide 10


Farm Production Assistance

Slide 11

Agricultural Assistance Programs: After warfare, economic disruption,

and other rural economic disruptions, int’l donors often rush into assist

farmers to boost food output. However, often these programs are just part of

an overall economic development strategy (e.g., in former Yugoslavia [see

greenhouse photo at right]), rather than designed as a long-term solution to

chronic food shortages.

World Food Program (WFP): After some 25 years of warfare in Sudan (and

Guatemala), the WFP in 2012 announced to the Gov’t of South Sudan that it

was “shifting from ‘food aid’ to ‘food assistance.’” The WFP representatives

cited this as a world-wide WFP policy, but it may vary according to the

agricultural resources. The WFP officials I have recently talked too about it

see it as a major shift in thinking in the WFP so to get away from donor

dependence, boost rural economies, and get fresh nutritious foods to people

on a regular and timely basis.


Slide 12

Agricultural Resources: Fertile Land, Water, Favorable Climate, & Rural Infrastructure(“How to Achieve It”)

1. Security: Without physical security, one cannot do much in way of any development or trade activities. Often, even food donations often are impossible in some countries where lawlessness prevails.

2. Other Necessary But Not Sufficient Conditions: (a) fertile land, (b) timely water supplies [i.e., not too much, and not too little], (c) favorable weather with ample sunshine and favorable temperatures, and (d) rural roads and other infra-structure.

3. Enabling Environment: Gov’ts should favor their farmers, but often put rural farm problems on a lower priority.

4. Favorable Market Prices: Food prices compared with the cost of production and transport, are usually the key to any favorable farm economy.


Good Old Farm PracticesOne Low Cost Solution

With breakdown of traditional family structures, as men go off searching for better jobs, many single mother’s are unable to feed children, lacking family assistance. Forming producer groups, as Juan Po’s Mayan Farmer Groups that have raised crop yields, diversified crops, improved soil conservation, use organic fertilizer leaching via clay pots, & use plants that are insect repellents. His farmers often sell foods at higher prices labeled as organic or natural foods.

Slide 13


Traditional “Milpa” cropping culture lost in much of So. Mexico & Ctr. Am.Possible Option – Low Cost – Achieve Food Security via Producer Groups

Slide 14

After some 25 years of highland Guatemala warfare/conflict, the local farmers have lost much of the traditional soil conservation practices used by their elders.Not thinning corn seedlings hills, Often corn is planted year-after-year in a monoculture, without improved seed, and having few corn husks, and declining crop yields.

Untrained farmers often over-planting, not thinning corn seedlings, not planting in rows, nor rotating crops. They often burn crop stubble, and loose soil fertility.


Agricultural Universities and Extension Work – A Good Example(“How to Achieve It”)

Slide 15

Here a Catholic University Campus professor has assisted her student to grow Brussels Sprouts for the first time, working backwards from an export contract. Everyone else in the highlands of San Martin Department of Guatemala seemed to be growing corn. This is a risky first time vegetable crop.


Slide 16

Irrigation Water, Favorable Temperatures, Greenhouse-like Virus Bug Vector Controls

Almost all farmers will state that water, either too much, or too little, is by far their biggest problem. Since irrigation equipment is usually expensive to purchase and maintain, some farmers have adopted the recent advances in Tyvek plastic-like woven hoses that slowly and uniformly “sweat” water to irrigate crops; this is replacing many of the older drip irrigation systems. Even though these Tyvek irrigation hoses do not require much in way of pressure (2 meters in height) to cover 50 meters of hose, it still is an investment for poor farm families. SME/Micro-financing may be the answer, but already Tyvek sweating hoses are replacing Israeli like drip irrigation system in Brazilian coffee plantations, Kenyan flower farms, and other higher value fruit and vegetable farms.


Watering Key to Uniform Sized Fruits and Vegetables for Key Markets(Food Security: “How to achieve it?”)

Slide 17


Unfortunately, Large Donor Projects Often Appear Not Useful For Small Farmers

Slide 18

OK to Test Plant Varieties & Teach Students at Valle U., But too Costly for Most Farmers


1. Unfortunately, often donor projects often lead to donor dependence.

2. Most farm problems are because of economies of large scale make small scale

farming uneconomical. Hence, getting together in producer groups often works best,

especially with good leadership. Groups get crop yields up and improve market sales.

3. Progressive farm groups can introduce technology for neighboring farmers, who

are usually risk adverse. Often village based farm cooperatives, or informal producer

groups, take the lead in introducing new agricultural technology.

4. Food security is often a result of warfare, physical security problems, and political

and economic shocks making investment into farming too risky even for farmers

already working the soil.

5. Nutrition often can best be derived from fresh fruits, vegetables and other locally

grown wholesome crops, particularly since food donations and imports shipments are

often undependable.

Slide 19

Summary

Emerson's pp food security in the americas 1800 14 jan2013

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Transcript of Emerson's pp food security in the americas 1800 14 jan2013