Family farms to the fore

In a world that is increasingly facing the threat of food insecurity, the World Food Day is an annual reminder of the need to cultivate more to feed the ever expanding population. The World Food Day, which falls on October 16 every year, is celebrated by the Food and Agricultural organization of the UN and various countries around the world on a central theme pivotal to food production. The World Food Day was first held on October 16, 1981. The FAO marks World Food Day each year on October 16, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

The 2014 Theme is Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth. This is highly appropriate since family farming is inextricably linked to national and global food security. Both in developing and developed countries, family farming is the predominant form of agriculture in the food production sector. Family farming includes all family-based agricultural activities, and it is linked to several areas of rural development. And since many family farms, at least small to medium size ones, are not still machine intensive, they take better care of the Earth.

While there is no standard definition of a family farm, this Brazilian definition is the most accepted - A farm is considered a family farm if: the owner manages it with his or her family; it is smaller than 110 hectares; it relies mostly on family rather than hired labour; and the majority of household income is derived from the family farm. The family and the farm are linked, co-evolve and combine economic, environmental, social and cultural functions. (There are family-owned farms that are much bigger than 110 Ha, but they tend to be big family-owned agri companies).

Statistics

The statistics are revealing: Out of the 570 million farms in the world, 500 million are family-owned and are responsible for around 56 percent of global agri production. (Note that fishery farms are also included). In Asia, a staggering 85 percent of farms are family owned. In fact, it is the main source of rice production in Asia, where it is the staple diet of more than one billion people.

This year, the FAO hopes to: support agricultural, environmental and social policies conducive to sustainable family farming; increase knowledge, communication and public awareness on the importance of family farming; attain a better understanding of family farming needs, potential and constraints and ensure technical support for same; create synergies among various agri sectors for sustainability. The theme is especially significant in Sri Lanka where most farms are family held.

More countries should formulate policies that support family farming and provide them more incentives at a time when younger members of agri families have a tendency to migrate to the cities in search of white collar jobs. Agriculture, horticulture and fisheries should be made more attractive to the younger generation who will also be more conversant with earth-friendly organic agricultural practices. It is also vital to create more awareness in society on the contribution made by family farming to the economy. For example, more people should be encouraged to buy vegetables and fruits at their village fair itself, instead of going to the stores in the town or city. That will benefit both farmers and traders in the village – there are, of course, many instances where the farmer sells his produce directly to consumers.

Family farmers do face many challenges. They sometimes do not have the capital to buy agricultural equipment such as tractors and banks are also somewhat reluctant to grant loans. Programs should be tailored to assist such farmers. Post-harvest losses are another factor – if arrangements are made to preserve excess vegetables and fruits, more family farmers will benefit. They also face the problem of lack of access to the market, which is dominated by city-based companies. In some instances, they farm in remote areas which still do not enjoy proper access to the towns due to lack of infrastructure facilities.

They also need more education on all aspects of farming through the electronic media and through on-site visits by agricultural extension officers, on various factors including crop disease control and prevention. Family farmers and smallholders must be given more facilities and concessions to upgrade their farms and farming techniques.

Although it does not come strictly under the definition of a family farm, most people with even a small compound now have a “home garden” where at least a few vegetables and fruits are grown for personal consumption.

The Government and local bodies have encouraged this trend by organising contests to choose the best home garden. More awareness should be created on the importance of home gardens, because they can provide organically grown fruits and vegetables to families while cutting down on their Cost of Living. Collectively, they can make a significant contribution to any country’s food security situation.

Hunger

After all, every little bit helps in today’s food security scenario: A total of 842 million people in 2011-13, or around one in eight people in the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger, regularly not getting enough food to conduct an active life.

The good news is that this figure is lower than the 868 million reported with reference to 2010-12. The total number of undernourished has fallen by 17 percent since 1990-92. Still, the fact remains that one seventh of the world population do not have enough to eat. Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS. Malaria and TB combined, including 3.1 million children especially in Asia and Africa. Sixty six million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone.

It is simply unacceptable in a world that spends far more on non-essential things including weapons. Moreover, food ‘mountains’ are left to rot in certain developed countries where the people have too much to eat. It is an imbalance that begs to be corrected.

Addressing hunger will not be all that expensive if more developed and developing countries can pool their resources. Perhaps family farms can come to the fore in this noble exercise.