A great short clip from IFPRI via HarvestPlus on the role on women in agriculture, enjoy
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
So many good films, not enough time to watch them all
DCist and others who happen to be here this week, tomorrow is beginning of DC’s Environmental Film Festival. They wil be screening about 150 movies, documentaries and shorts. Of those, 32 are listed un the Food and Agriculture Category. Below are the links to some that look interesting:
FRESH; TERRA MADRE (I already bought tickets for this one) SOIL IN GOOD HEART; HOMEGROWN; SEED HUNTER; POTATO HEADS; HARVEST OF SHAME; GARAPA
And many more. To see the full list follow THIS link
FRESH; TERRA MADRE (I already bought tickets for this one) SOIL IN GOOD HEART; HOMEGROWN; SEED HUNTER; POTATO HEADS; HARVEST OF SHAME; GARAPA
And many more. To see the full list follow THIS link
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Economist on Contract Farming in India
Another good article about recent developments on India's agricultural sector. THIS piece argues that contract farming -where farmers commit to grow a commodity for a particular buyer- is growing rapidly in response to the severe problems faced in the sector. A combination of poor agronomic techniques, such as flooding irrigation and animal traction, combined with government policies that create incentives for over-fertilization (see WSJ article) and use public money to get votes (see other Economist Article), have encouraged farmers to look elsewhere for a better future. That elsewhere is McDonald who, after five years of trying, now buys its potatos directly from Indian farmers.
These are good news for farmers in developing countries. They have traditionally been marginalized by better-off urban consumers who tend to preferred imports over local produce. A similar example is what Wall-Mart is doing in some Central American countries: through NGOs and other partners, Wall-mart equips farmers with the technical information (extension services), credit, and tools and inputs necessary to produce shelf-worthy products that meet the standards of the demanding urban consumer.
These types of relationships can be mutually-beneficial as they: a) make good local politics for the foreign-own corporation; b) can reduce the price of raw materials, especially now that transport cost is skyrocketing; and c) provide farmers with the markets they need to leave subsistence agriculture. However, it may be to early to name contract farming as the panacea for poor farmers. What it's clear, though, is that the McDonald and Wall-Mart examples show that the private sector can play a very positive role in helping farmers break their cycle of poverty. This, unfortunately, is often absent in the donor-driven agenda of agricultural development.
These are good news for farmers in developing countries. They have traditionally been marginalized by better-off urban consumers who tend to preferred imports over local produce. A similar example is what Wall-Mart is doing in some Central American countries: through NGOs and other partners, Wall-mart equips farmers with the technical information (extension services), credit, and tools and inputs necessary to produce shelf-worthy products that meet the standards of the demanding urban consumer.
These types of relationships can be mutually-beneficial as they: a) make good local politics for the foreign-own corporation; b) can reduce the price of raw materials, especially now that transport cost is skyrocketing; and c) provide farmers with the markets they need to leave subsistence agriculture. However, it may be to early to name contract farming as the panacea for poor farmers. What it's clear, though, is that the McDonald and Wall-Mart examples show that the private sector can play a very positive role in helping farmers break their cycle of poverty. This, unfortunately, is often absent in the donor-driven agenda of agricultural development.
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