SCALING UP AGROECOLOGY FOR FOOD PRODUCTION: FARMER TO FARMER

EXPERIENCES

PRESENTED AT RIO+20 Wilfred Miga PELUM ASSOCIATION REGIONAL SECRETARIAT 17th June 2012

PRESENTATION OUTLINE• Brief information on PELUM• PELUM’s take on agroecology • Agroecology Opportunities• Approaches to scale up agroecology • Farmer to farmer experiences• Challenges• Conclusion

Brief information on PELUM• PELUM Association is a civil society member driven

regional network of over 207 civil society organisations, operating since 1995.

• We are in 10 countries of Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

• Very soon we will also be in Burundi, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Swaziland

• VISION: Smallholder farming communities are self-organized and able to make choices towards an improved quality of life that is socially, economically and ecologically sustainable.

Brief information on PELUM cont.• MISSION: To improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers

and the sustainability of farming communities by fostering ecological land use management.

• OUR VALUES: People centred-development; Empowerement of land users; Environmental friendly; Respect for indigenous knowledge; Self-criticism; Creativity and innovation; Creation of impact; Gender sensitivity; Transparence & Accountability ; Sustainability and Integrated and holistic approach to development

• Operational strategies: Information and communication; Campaign, Advocacy and Lobby; Agriculture Extension Services, Research and Development; Learning and Networking; Gender and HIV/AIDS mainstreaming

PELUM’s take on agroecology • As PELUM Association we see agro ecology as a form

of agriculture that integrate natural, regenerative processes; minimize non renewable inputs; relay on indigenous knowledge of farmers; involves locally adapted practices and encourages biodiversity.

• Our ELUM is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people.

• It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.

• ELUM combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and good quality of life for all involved in the ecosystem.

Agroecology Opportunities• Low cost-High benefit and therefore affordable

for our small scale farmers especially women• Uses natural agricultural inputs that are

accessible• Regenerative in nature (OPV seeds)• Encourages biodiversity safety and therefore

sustainable• Is traditionally and culturally rooted, hence easy

to disseminate

Approaches to scale up agroecology

• Farmer field schools through lead farmers

The community farmer field school is a result of ToT that has a capacity building multiplier approach, where each lead farmer targets 10-30 farmers.

Approaches to scale up agroecology cont.• Training, Mobilisation and awareness raising

This approach takes on a bigger number of farmers at a time and most theories are captured in these sessions

MOBILISATION AND TRAINING

Mobilsation and training of the farmers on cassava production

Approaches to scale up agroecology cont.

• Holding traing with exhibitions

Approaches to scale up agroecology cont.• Community seed production for seed

sovereignty hence food security through use of regenerative OPV seeds

• Value addition and Market access; Once value is added market linkages are created by bringing together different players in the value chain.

• Networking of like minded organisations for best practices sharing and strengthening common voice for advocacy.

• Communication and information sharing through publications, resource centers and e-sharing

Farmer to farmer experiences• On-farm soil management, water conservation & harvesting

Farmers plant fodder on the boundary of the contour to make the soil firm while at the same time providing feed for the animals, adding nitrogen to the soil and also providing mulching material

• Through agro ecology we have managed to:• Have farmers producing 8 tones per hectare. • Have seed secure farmers who are producing OPV seed at community level in Tanzania

Zambia and Zimbabwe, • Have over 4 million farmers across the region practicing agro ecology farming

Farmer to farmer experiences cont.

• As a result of adopting mulching, farmers have Testified to increased yield and ability to maintainProductivity amidst harsh climate conditions.

Farmers dig a ditch (left & below left), fit in a tapoline and then introduce water weed to purify as well as minimise water loss through evaporation. A farmer from Masaka district (below right) demonstrates the use of a simple water pump to draw water from the well to the animals and for irrigation

Farmer to farmer experiences

Challenges of scaling up agro ecology • Lack of support from Governments: Most African

governments have deliberately promoted conventional agriculture at the expense of agroecology.

• Interference and pressure from multinationals; whose focus is maximizing profits through creation of monopoly supply of high cost external agriculture inputs.

• Research agenda geared towards conventional agriculture: There has been deliberate negligence of undertaking farmer participatory research to avoid shading scientific proof that support agroecology.

Challenges of scaling up agro ecology cont.• Organic products competitiveness: They are

integrated with inorganic products at the sales shelves and in most cases not labeled to avoid their competitive demand.

• Certification of organic products: It is very costly and cumbersome and therefore unaffordable for small scale farmers who accept less prices for products that could earn better.

• Disorganized farmers in the communities as most cooperatives are established as means of getting inputs from the government.

• Un supportive policy environment for both production and marketing.

Conclusion• There is enough practical evidence that agroecology

is the way to go not only to sustainably feed the world population, but also to raise the rural poor household incomes.

• African governments and donor community have for long supported conventional agriculture that has only benefited the small number of commercial farmers and multinationals dealing in agriculture inputs.

• It is now time that all stakeholders focus on agroecology to eliminate perpetual hunger and hiking food prices.

Agroecology can feed the world

THANKS FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION