Role of Family Farming in 21st Century

Role of Family Farming in the 21st Century

Prof M S SwaminathanFounder Chairman, MSSRF, Chennai

Chennai, 7 August 2014

A New Deal for Family Farmers

International Year of Family Farming

The United Nations declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) to recognise the importance of family farming in reducing poverty and improving global food security. According to the UN, the IYFF aims to promote new development policies particularly at the national but also regional levels that will help small holder and family farmers eradicate hunger, through small scale sustainable agricultural production. Family farming involves about 500 million families consisting of over two billion people.

UN International Years

Such Years generate awareness – analysis - action

• 2013 was commemorated as the Year of

Quinoa

• 2014 is being observed as the International

Year of Family Farming

• 2015 is the International Year of Soils

• 2016 is the International Year of Pulses

United Nations Secretary-General’s

Vision (2012)

Source: www.un.org

2025 : Target Year for Achieving Zero Hunger Challenge

Prevention of Food Losses

and Waste – an important

component of the Zero Hunger

Challenge

South Asian Enigma

o Extraordinary economic growth in South Asia

o Population largely dependent on agriculture

o Yet, 2 out of 5 children stunted

39% of children are stunted in South Asia

UNICEF 2013

61.711 9.6 8 7.5 6

Top 6 countries with highest number of stunted children

(millions)

UNICEF 2013

o Region with the largest number of children with stunted growth

o First 1000 days critical. Low Birth Weight Babies 1 in 4

o Under-nutrition reduces a nation’s economic advancement by 8% (Lancet 2013)

South Asian Enigma

CALORIE DEPRIVATION

PROTEIN HUNGER

HIDDEN HUNGER(Micronutrient deficiency)

Picture Source: Google images

Three major dimensions of hunger

Comparison of woo-gen (right) and dee-geo-woo-gen strains, the latter containing

the sd1 mutation

 The effects of different Rht alleles on plant height in wheat (cv. April Bearded). The wild-type contains Rht-B1a and Rht-D1a, which are

homoeologous (corresponding) genes on the B and D genomes. Rht-B1c is a more severe allele at the Rht-B1 locus

Source: http://5e.plantphys.net/

Overcoming Under-nutrition: The Green Revolution in Wheat and

Rice

Green Revolution Symphony (1968)

o Technology

o Services

o Public Policies

o Farmers’ enthusiasm

Indian farmers achieved as much progress in wheat production in four years (1964–68), as during the preceding 4000 years.

Major Components

Synergy among Scientific skill, Political will and Farmers’ toil

“Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will

end by destroying the earth”

- Albert Schweitzer

Rachel Carson 1962 : Silent Spring

Origin of Integrated Pest Management Methodologies

Evergreen Revolution is the Pathway

o World requires 50% more

rice in 2030 than in 2004

with approximately 30% less

arable land of todayo Mainstreaming ecology in

technology development and

dissemination is the road to

sustainable agriculture

Green Revolution : Commodity-centred increase in productivity

Change In plant architecture, and harvest indexChange in the physiological rhythm-insensitive tophotoperiodismLodging resistance

Evergreen Revolution : increasing productivity in perpetuity without associated ecological harm

Organic agriculture : cultivation without any use of chemical inputs like mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides

Green Agriculture : conservation farming with the help of integrated pest management, integrated nutrient supply and integrated natural resource management

From Green to an Ever-green RevolutionPathways\

Goal : To provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices

Special Features :

Life Cycle approach with emphasis on the 1000 days of a child’s life

The senior most woman in the household will be designated the Head of the Household from the point of view of food entitlements

Enlargement of the Food Basket by including nutri-millets and other orphan crops in the Public Distribution System

Entitlement : Every person belonging to priority households shall be entitled to receive five kilogram of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices.

Fighting Poverty induced Chronic HungerNational Food Security Bill of India, 2013

From “Ship to Mouth” to “Right to Food”

Pulses Panchayat committed to the promotion of Pulse Production

Overcoming Protein Hunger : Pulses Revolution

Biofortification and Hidden Hunger Challenge :3 Major approaches

1. Naturally occurring biofortified plants like moringa,

sweet potato, nutri-millets and fruits and vegetables.

2. Biofortified varieties selected by breeding and

selection, eg, iron rich pearl millet and zinc rich rice

3. Genetically biofortified crops like Golden Rice and

iron rich rice (after appropriate regulatory clearance)

Cultivate and Consume

25 x iron in spinach17 x calcium in milk15 x potassium in bananas10 x vitamin A in carrots9 x protein in yogurt

National Geographic, November 2012

Role of Agro-forestry in BiofortificationMoringa Oleifera

Biofortification through breeding:High-iron Pearl Millet

ICTP 8203ICRISAT-bred OPV

(70-74 ppm Fe)With 10% Higher Yield

86M86Pioneer hybrid (54-64 ppm Fe)

Marketed by NIRMAL SEEDS

Back cross derived lines in Swarna background using Kaybonet-GR2-R event as donor

Swarna Golden Swarna

Source : IARI, New Delhi

Genetic Modification : Golden Rice

Golden Rice : Trial Site Vandalized in Bicol, Philippines

Source: Rice Today, IRRI, Oct-Dec 2013, Vol.12, No.4

Establish Regulatory system which inspires public, professional, political and media confidence

Rich in Nutrition; Climate SmartCulinary Diversity

Gene Bank Seed Bank Water BankGrain Bank

Conservation - Cultivation – Consumption - Commerce

Pathway to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal of Eradicating hunger &

poverty

Community Food and Water Security System

Farming System for Nutrition (FSN)*

“FSN involves the introduction of agricultural remedies to the nutritional maladies prevailing in an area, through the mainstreaming of nutritional criteria in the selection of the components of a farming system involving crops, farm animals and where feasible, fish.  While finalizing the components of a farming system, the gender and age dimensions of human nutritional needs should be kept in view, such as the special needs of pregnant women and nursing mothers, and new born babies during the first 1000 days after conception and birth”  

Agric Res DOI 10.1007/s40003-014-0119-5, 5 August 2014

Kolli Hills

Mixed Cropping in Family Farming

Nearly 75 million women and 15 million men are involved in Dairy Enterprises in India.

Ownership of Livestock is more egalitarian

Crop-Livestock Integrated Farming System

TRIBE DISTRICTMedicinal

Plants used

Bhatra Nawarangpur81

Bhumia Koraput 69

Bonda Malkangiri 55

Gadaba Koraput 83

Gond Nawarangpur67

KandhaKoraput + Rayagada

124

Koya Malkangiri 48

Paroja Koraput 74

Saora Rayagada 59

9 tribes 4 districts660 MPs

Women andCultural & Curative Diversity

Farmers’ Rights :Conserver, Cultivator, Breeder

Genome Saviors - Tribal Families of Koraput, Odisha

Women in Family Farming

Non

-far

m E

nter

pris

es

Household Mushroom Production

Multiple Micro-enterprises for Livelihood Security

Community Hunger Fighters

o Become well-versed on the causes and cures for the endemic and hidden hunger prevailing in the village / town through a nutrition literacy programme

o Identify and introduce agricultural remedies to nutritional maladies based on gender and age

o Introduce in the farming system biofortified crops and varieties

A bill to provide for the gender specific needs of women farmers, to protect their legitimate needs and entitlements and to empower them, with a view to carrying out the aforesaid purposes, of establishing mechanisms, authorities, powers and functions relating thereto and for matters connected therewith

Women Farmers’ Entitlement Bill 2011(Private Members’ Bill introduced by Prof M S Swaminathan, MP (Rajya Sabha)

Women, who first

domesticated plants over

10,000 years ago, have

been the saviours of

biodiversity throughout

history

Dr Sara Ahmed

Engendering the Curriculum in Agricultural

Universities

Contribution by

RICE BIOPARK

IN Nay Pyi TawMyanmar

Rice Biomass provides opportunities for additional income

Biopark being developed under the

guidance of Hon’ble Mr U Myint Hlaing, Minister

of Agrticulture and Irrigation, Myanmar

Anticipatory Research to checkmate the adverse impact of unfavourable climate

Climate Smart Cereals

Innovations in below sea level farming in KuttanadCOCONUT - RICE - FISH

Punja seasonNovember- February

Low chemical input or OrganicYield- 4.2 t/ha

April- OctoberMonoculture – Giant Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)Polyculture*- Indian major carps or common carps or Silver carps and grass carps and Giant PrawnYield- Rice: 4.2 t/ha Fish- Prawn: 480 kg; Carp : 300 kg.

* Recommended practice

Sea Water Farming(Sea water constitutes 97% of the world’s

water resource)

No Time to Relax : Major Challenges Ahead

o Avoiding Food losses and Food Waste

o Adverse change in climate, temperature, precipitation,

and sea level

o Shrinking per capita land and water resources

o Expanding biotic and abiotic stresses

o Adverse cost-risk-return structure of farming

o Market volatility

o Reluctance of youth to take to farming : Lack of

Demographic Dividend

Source : FAO, US Energy Administration and www.indexmundi.org and http://quotes.post1.org/historical-crude-oil-price-chart/ (data updated as on July -2014)

The Future

Belongs to

Nations with

Grains and

not Guns

Price Volatility

Family Farming is the pathway to Sustainable Food Security

India has made huge progress in agriculture from what was known as a “ship to mouth” existence to the status of conferring the right to food with home-grown food. This was possible only because of public procurement at a remunerative price. Unfortunately, there is a controversy in the World Trade Organisation about the support extended to Indian farmers for achieving Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a “Hunger Free India”. Providing family farmers with adequate financial and scientific support to ensure food security should be the bottom line of all food and agriculture policies of developing countries. Food and income Security should remain non-negotiable, particularly in countries where over 50% of the population depend on farming for their livelihood.

WTO and Food Security

Zero Hunger Challenge

Challenge Response

1. Calorie deprivation Ever-green Revolution

2. Protein Hunger Pulses Revolution

3. Hidden Hunger Biofortification Revolution

Family farming based on gender, nutrition and climate sensitive agriculture is the pathway for food for all and forever

Winning the War against Hunger