status of agriculture: characterized by disconnects, both in the developed and developing world
DESCRIPTION
Farmers, Herders and Fisherfolk : Securing Food Futures 2010 Environment Day Conference at Redcliffe College, Gloucester 6 March 2010 Patrick Mulvany. "Modern man talks of the battle with nature, forgetting if he ever won the battle he would find himself on the losing side" Fritz Schumacher - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 1
Farmers, Herders and Fisherfolk:
Securing Food Futures2010 Environment Day Conference
at Redcliffe College, Gloucester 6 March 2010
Patrick Mulvany
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 2
"Modern man talks of the battle with nature, forgetting if he ever won the battle he would find himself on the losing side"
Fritz Schumacher
Founder ITDG(now rebranded Practical Action)
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 3
Status of Agriculture:
Characterized by Disconnects, both in the developed and developing world
•Disconnects between agriculture and the environment;
•Disconnects between consumers and farmers or land and cities;
•Disconnects between policies and expectations.
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 4
Who feeds us?
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 5
Context
• Agricultural Biodiversity• Soils• Water• Climate change / Greenhouse gases• Agricultural development Aid• Human population
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 6
Productivity of Biodiverse Agroecology
Yield increases of more than 30% - 100% frequently result due to the combination of:
• Organic matter accumulation and nutrient cycling• Increased soil biological activity• Natural control mechanisms (disease suppression,
biocontrol of insects, weed interference)• Resource conservation and regeneration
(including soil, water and germplasm)• Enhanced agricultural biodiversity and synergies
between components.
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 7
‘Problem’: Pests and Weeds in East African Maize Crops
Maize - a staple crop for many smallholder farmers – is regularly attacked by:
• Stemborer Moths, which lay eggs in the Maize stem and the larvae then devour it, and
• the weed Striga, which weakens Maize roots and kills the plant (also affects sorghum and millet)
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 8
‘Solution’: Push-Pull technology
Napier Maize Desmodium Maize Napier
Stemborer moths pushed away by intercropped Desmodium and pulled towards bordering Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) which kills larvae. Maize root attacking Striga seeds controlled by Desmodium root interaction.
Stemborer moths
Stemborer moths
Striga
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 9
The ‘Problem’: Drought-Induced Crop Failure in the Caribbean
= Successive Harvest Failures
Climate Change
+ Intensive Agriculture
Temp rise 0.5 0
Drought 2002-06
+ Lack of Finances/Fuel
60% soils eroded
40% low water retention
45% low fertility
Reduced irrigation systems
In one Province in 1 year:
•3,000 wells dried up
•2,000 livestock deaths
•400,000 litres milk lost
•Staple Maize not sown
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 10
The ‘Solution’: Participatory Development of Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation StrategiesActions:
• Increase farmer knowledge on water cycles, salinisation and water management
• Experiments with drought-tolerant varieties, rainwater capture, soil improvement and cover crops
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 11
End of Year 1: Results in 4 communities, £15,000
• Increased farmer capacity to experiment and work together
• Increased crop diversity, yields, and production
• Livestock corralled for manure collection
• Uptake of biofertiliser inputs
• Improved soil-water retention capacity
• New local vegetable market
• New local seed market
• Increased family income and nutritional availability
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
YIELD INCREASES
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
MARKET DEVELOPMENT
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
FOOD & NUTRITION SECURITY
CARBON MANAGEMENT
RAPID RESULTSLOW
COST
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 12
‘Problem’: increased disease
‘Solution’: improve yield stability through a variety mixture
Wakelyns Agroforestry
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
Hereward M alacca Shamrock He/M a/Sh
Re
lati
ve
yie
ld (
%)
2000 2001 2002
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 13
Patrick Mulvany | Agriculture at a Crossroads | 23 January 2009 | 13
Conservess and regenerate natural resources
Diversifies production systems –
resilience to Climate Change
Sustain Agroecosystem Functions and Agricultural Biodiversity
Improves food security and food sovereignty
Improvess livelihood security and local markets
Develops culturally appropriate technology
Improves gender equity
Strengthens institutional capacity
SOCIAL ECONOMIC
ENVIRON-MENTAL
Low Carbon, Biodiverse, ResilientEcological Food Provision
Raising Productivity through Ecological Food Provision Methods
A
B
CFood Provision per unit Land / Water
B = current productivity levels
A = industrial, simplified,
high external input
production
(Agro)ecological, diverse, low external input production
C =
XLow-----------------------DIVERSITY / RESILIENCE ---------------------- HighHigh-----------------------------------CARBON COST-----------------------------LowHigh------------------------CORPORATE CONTROL---------------------LowLow--------------------------FOOD SOVEREIGNTY--------------------HighLow--------------------PEOPLE/LOCAL KNOWLEDGE----------------HighIAASTD finds need to increase and strengthen AKST towards agroecological sciences to
address environmental and productivity issues (IAATSD) Finding # 7. See www.iaastd.net
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 15
CORPORATE CONTROLFOOD CHAIN
Top 10 Corporations control 67% proprietary seed market
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 16
Adopting Soberanía Alimentaria the Food Sovereignty Framework
1996
2002
2007
2009
‘Tlaxcala Declaration of La Via Campesina, Tlaxcala, Mexico World Food Summit
‘Food Sovereignty: A Right for All’. Forum for Food Sovereignty’ Rome, Italy
Nyéléni 2007: Forum for Food Sovereignty, Sélingué, Mali
Forum for People’s Food Sovereignty Now!, Rome, Italy
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 17
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
‘Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.’ (Declaration of Nyéléni, 2007)
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 18
SIX PRINCIPLES Food Sovereignty
1. Focuses on Food for People and Right to Food, rather than export commodities
2. Values Food Providers and respects their Rights, rather than squeezing them off the land
3. Localises Food Systems, rather than promoting unfair global trade
4. Puts Control Locally, rather than remote TNCs5. Builds Knowledge and Skills, rather than depending on
alien technologies such as GM 6. Works with Nature, rather than using methods that harm
beneficial ecosystem functions, such as energy intensive monocultures and livestock factories.
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 19
• Food Sovereignty, including the Human Right to adequate Food, devolves power to the people
vs
• Food Security, which keeps control in the hands of existing powerholdersIt is silent on – Provenance– Quality – Control– Decision
FOOD SECURITY a co-opted concept?
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 20
A new Common Food and Agriculture Policy
European Food Declaration
12 Values based on Food Sovereignty
To be launched in Brussels
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 21
• Focus on food; • Equity, social justice, ecological sustainability; • Healthy eating – more plants less meat; More
local, seasonal, quality products;• Fair prices; • Access to land; Protect soil, water, agricultural
biodiversity free from GMOs; No agrofuels; • Shorten distances between and ‘reconnect’
producer and consumer; Transparency in food chain;
• Reduce concentration of power; • Develop skills and knowledge by children.
The new Common Food and Agriculture Policy
12 Values based on Food Sovereignty
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 22
Urgency
• Change in all regions is urgent and necessary for People and Planet
• Learning from Farmers, Herders and Fisherfolk
• Rewrite the rules – economic, political, social
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 23
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for
Development (IAASTD)IAASTD finds need to increase and strengthen Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology towards agroecological sciences to address environmental and productivity issues
(IAATSD Finding # 7. See www.iaastd.net )
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 24
“If DFID continues to fail to meet the challenge of incorporating the environment and sustainability into its work on a planet where fish stocks are plummeting, water tables are falling and the pace of climate change is accelerating at an alarming rate, the £5.3 billion a year the UK will be spending by 2008 on development will at best result in only temporary successes.” (EAC Press Release, 16 August 2006)
DFID remains environmentally blind today, - e.g. neglecting agroecology and ecoliteracy in food and farming. IIED
Donor policy“No Development without Environment: DFID
fails the Challenge” – House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 25
Why No Thought for Food?UK Parliament report Jan 2010
Recommends that DFID implement Findings of IAASTD
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 26
Agriculture is NOT a business like any other –
it beats to the drum of biology
Colin Tudge, “So shall we reap”
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 27
“Securing Future Food: towards ecological food provision"
UK Food Group BriefingJanuary 2010
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 28
Commitments of small-scale food providers
• to strengthen and promote our ecological model of food provision in the framework of food sovereignty.
• to call for a reframing of research, using participatory methods, that will support our ecological model offood provision.
• to strengthen our interconnecting rural - urban food webs, building alliances within a Complex Alimentariusthat will link small-scale food providers, processors, scientists, institutions and consumers.
Patrick Mulvany | 2010 Environment Day Conference | 6 March 2010 | 29
Thank YouFurther info:
more:
www.ukfg.org.uk
foodsovereignty.org
etcgroup.org
ukabc.org
practicalaction.org
Patrick Mulvany