Stimulating Agriculture 1 –

        My next series of blogs will be on this topic. I will tell you why.

        Today much of the publicity seems to be about getting rid of fossil fuels to reduce global warming. No one seems to talk about the real problem  – overpopulation.

        When I was born in 1926 we had a world population of less than 2 billion. Today we have 7.9 billion and the estimated population for 2050 is 9.7 billion.

        There is an increasing flow of rural people into the cities giving urban areas greater political power.

        These people need to be fed and rural land is decreasing due to the spreading of cities.

        Having run rural workshops and attended international conferences in many highly populated Asian and Pacific countries, such as Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand,  and lectured on this topic at the University of the South Pacific  I am now in a better position to make some suggestions.

A Handful of Tips to stimulate food production

        Each country is unique and must work things out for itself. Countries are at different stages in development. Taiwan, for example, has turned from being a food importing to a large-scale exporting country.

*  Set clear, realistic national goals

        Clear, realistic national goals must be generated by national and provincial governments.

        Governments need to stop the spread into less productive areas and concentrate on protecting the most productive ones.

        They should budget to upgrade research and educational institutes and set up effective research, extension, communication, and marketing services. These go hand in hand.

* Farmer organisation and cooperatives must be established

        These organizations must be encouraged to have a voice to influence policy decision-makers.

        It is essential to involve them in planning to help minimize restrictions, red tape, and corruption.

        The more you involve people the greater the chance they will support any changes needed.  

* Farmers need honest returns for their products

        Credit must be made available for low-interest seasonal loans.

        The best seeds and animals should be available at a reasonable price.

        New and better markets and market chains must be set up. Innovative processing and packaging of products should be investigated.

* More extension workers are needed

        By setting up demonstration areas food producers can see the advantages of using new technology resulting from research to increase production and to bring them greater returns.

        Groups of farmers can be brought together to share their farming knowledge and experiences. This is especially important for new and struggling farmers.

        In Pacific and Asian countries there is a need for both extension workers, to act as a link between farmers, scientists, and specialists, such as soil, environmental scientists, entomologists  and other specialists. 

        One of the  greatest needs in agriculture may be more trained women extension workers.  They can play a crucial role in helping women farmers in food production, nutrition and family planning.  They can also be trained in sound financial planning and keeping farm records.

        By helping them set up home industries they can bring in extra income and help reduce the population drift from rural to urban areas.

        Scientists and extension leaders need to be trained in good management skills. Poor management skills can become a limiting factor in the effectiveness of rural workers. 

* Focus on the next generation

        Raise educational standards. Start in the schools. Set up school farms. Train future farmers in modern farming ways.

        Establish farming cadet schemes and rural training institutes based on sound practical skills.

        Start young farmers clubs and farming competitions. Train them in communication and leadership skills.

        With the growing world population, increased food production is vital.

        Experience shows countries with people with full bellies, don’t fight wars.

Geoffrey Moss(mossassociates.co.nz)

“The key to success in agriculture production is to know the farmer’s needs and to 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, “Stimulating Agriculture, Lessons from Asia and the Pacific” Occasional Papers in Rural Extension No.7, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.