– Stimulating FOOD PRODUCTION

This is my 500th blog. I need a special topic.

“With the growing world population increased food production is essential. It can help reduce wars because people with full bellies don’t fight.”

          When I finished secondary school in 1942 there were less than two billion people on this earth. Today we have 7.8 billion. This rapid growth is our major problem and it’s helping to cause climate change problems.

          We need to stimulate food production, reduce food waste, have a sound balanced healthy diet,  improve food storage and make new ways to improve distribution.

          With a fast growing world population increased food production is essential therefore the protection of highly productive farming land is vital. 

Five of the best ways to help stimulate food production

* Good food producing land must be protected

          Cities should be going up, not out over good food producing soils.

          Commercial farms should not be chopped up into small units for ‘play farming’ for city people.

          Planting trees for timber on food producing land reduces food production. 

* Focus on training

          The key to success in food production is to know the producers needs and to satisfy them,

          Focus on the next generation. Start in the schools. Establish farming cadet schemes and rural training institutes based on sound modern practical skills.

          Train male and female extension workers and rural journalists to help spread the latest research results and farming success stories.

          Food producers need a service where they can call up the latest information on any rural topic they desire. Journalists from a rural background should be employed for this task as they usually have a better appreciation of the needs of rural people.

* Set clear, realistic national goals

           We need to establish stronger rural organisations and cooperatives to give voice to help influence decision-makers.

          Short term credit should be easily available for low-interest seasonal loans.    

          Most city breed politicians have not got the background to fully appreciate rural needs. More people now live in cities where the majority of the votes come from.      

* Governments should budget and encourage  research into rural needs

• Where do farmers get their information?

• Where can they get objective honest information?

• What are farmers work pressures?

• How can rural safety be improved?

• What are the training needs of rural women?

• Where can farmers recruit trained staff?

• How can research results be implemented faster?

• Can land settlement and land-ownership rights be improved? etc

* We must prepare for the coming food revolution

          There will be major changes in the food we eat in the future. There will be more plant based foods and less animal based foods.               Climate change strategies are now an essential consideration and new crops will be needed in many areas.

     Farmers, scientists, teachers and extension workers must be constantly updated and kept fully informed of developing trends in our markets and their diet preferences.

Geoffrey Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)

“The key to success in food production is good communication – find out the needs of the producers and consumers and satisfy them.”

Source: “Rolling On”, “A Workbook for Stimulating Agriculture” published by Moss Associates, Ltd; “Stimulating Agriculture, A manual for training agricultural extension workers” published by UNDP, Thailand and “Stimulating Agriculture, Lessons from Asia and the Pacific” Occasional papers in rural extension, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.