Investing in family farmers will help feed the world

Investing in family farmers will help feed the world

Right now, 870 million people in the world are hungry. In Thailand alone, an estimated five million people do not get enough to eat. Thailand, along with 37 other countries, surpassed the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving its 1990 hunger rate three years ahead of the 2015 deadline, and the UN reports that many other countries are on track to do the same by 2015. But before the world gives itself a collective pat on the back, it's important to realise nearly one in eight people are still hungry.

Farmers’ groups and research organisations have been urged to find solutions that nourish the world while improving farmer incomes. THANARAK KHOONTON

National and international leaders, farmers' groups, and research organisations need to find solutions that really nourish the world while improving farmer incomes, empowering youth and women, and protecting the environment. And with 2014 having been declared the International Year of Family Farming by the UN, the time to act is now.

These solutions will not be found in silver bullet technologies or billion-dollar government food aid programmes. Supporting the world's small family farmers with the resources they need to grow food for themselves, their communities, and the world is the way forward. Approximately 2.2 million farms in Thailand are considered small family farms _ with landholdings measuring less than 1.5 hectares. Although these farms are small in size, their potential to improve yields and environmental sustainability of agricultural production is huge.

Industrial agriculture practices tend to be extremely resource intensive and can damage the environment. Up to 70% of global water use goes to farming, and soil is being eroded between 10 and 40 times faster than it is being replenished.

Smallholder farmers, however, typically have intimate knowledge of their landscapes and local climates, and with adequate support and resources could help to transform the food system through more sustainable methods that also boost productivity. They are also more likely to use traditional knowledge and techniques to rely less on scarce natural resources, and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than industrial farms.

The introduction of sustainable agriculture methods, like organic farming, is important for ensuring the viability of smallholder farms. In 2005, confronted by the debt of so many farmers in her native Korat, Sumalee Thongteera introduced organic farming techniques. At first, only 100 families participated, and that number quickly dwindled to 50. After one year, however, those 50 families made more profit than those using chemical-heavy agricultural techniques. Today, as manager of the Lam Pra Pleong cooperative, Ms Sumalee works with 2,000 farming families producing top-quality rice, fruits and vegetables. The organic cooperative sells produce to upscale resorts and restaurants, as well as at their own farmers market.

The success of the Lam Pra Pleong cooperative demonstrates how sustainable agricultural methods allow farmers to forego many costly inputs, contributing to a more profitable and healthy output.

Rural areas, where the vast majority of family farmers live, suffer from higher rates of poverty than urban ones. According to the World Bank, poverty in Thailand is primarily a rural phenomenon, with 88% of the country's 5.4 million poor living in rural areas.

Supporting the success of family farms and increasing the incomes of family farmers will significantly raise overall living standards in Thailand. Research from Oxfam shows that investing in small farmers also creates a multiplier effect that extends beyond the farming sector. Farmers spend a big share of their income in other sectors, including construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing.

And the Lam Pra Pleong cooperative is not the only initiative helping family farmers increase their incomes. The Bak Ruea Farmer Organisation is also leading the way in effectively raising rural incomes by introducing organic farming techniques, helping to get farmers higher prices for their produce.

Small family farms carry the potential to nourish the hungry, stimulate economies, and protect the environment. With these sorts of impressive returns, donors, nonprofits, and governments must focus more attention on family farmers and invest in programmes and infrastructures that empower them. When nourishing the world is what's at stake, there is no time to wait. Only decisive action can ensure that the International Year of Family Farming will actually make a difference.


Danielle Nierenberg is co-founder of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank (www.FoodTank.org) and Anna Glasser is a research intern at Food Tank.

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