Creating a healthy environment
For this Newsletter, we have deliberately set a theme which goes beyond the sectoral boundaries of agriculture. We are concerned here with farmers’ motivation to take action in the face of environmental changes which have negative impact on their quality of life.
Farming is part of a wider system of land use. Farming both affects the wider system, and is affected by it. Environmental changes make new demands on people’s energy and time in order to meet their need. These demands are considered by farmers in choosing farming techniques which can be applied. Indeed, these demands will often mean that that improving of farming techniques is not always the first priority for farmers.
Table of contents:
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3 - 3written by Vijay ShahWhen a small village wants to catch as much water as possible for dryland farming, they need to be not only enthusiastic and hard-working. They need to be good fund-raisers - and have plenty of luck! The author depicts how farmers\' efforts in India have even begun to convince policymakers to support water-harvesting.
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4 - 5written by Joanne Harnmeijer , Ann Waters-BayerHow do farmers see environmental changes affecting their family\'s well-being? How are they trying to cope with and, wherever possible, improve the situation? What can outsiders do to support them in these efforts? These are questions addressed in this issue.
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6 - 7written by Alice WelbournThe author reports the outcome of participatory appraisals in various African countries about rural women\'s perceptions of change.
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8 - 8written by Wickramasinghe, AnojaInvestigations in Sri Lanka into the use of tree products in homegardens, villages and nearby forests revealed the central role of women in managing and using tree resources - and the important role of tree resources in helping women ensure their family\'s well-being. Anoja Wickramasinghe reports on findings from the Forestry/Fuelwood Research and Development Project.
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9 - 10written by Howorth, ChrisProjects to improve woodfuel security often fail because the planners know too little about the context of the problem. Illustrating this by the woodfuel economy of Gambian women, Chris Howorth urges: \"listen to what people say and watch what they do\" before you, as project planner, do anything.
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11 - 12written by Daniela Soleri , David A. ClevelandHousehold gardens are one way for people to rebuild part of their former environment after moving to a new place. This not only adds flavour to life, it also enriches the family diet with flavour, vitamins and nutrients. As Daniela Soleri and David Cleveland argue: household gardens all over the world are a tribute to people\'s ability to adapt to changing environments.
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13 - 14written by Paul SommersProfound environmental changes are affecting the health status of Pacific Islanders, especially young children. Paul Sommers describes how a child-centred approach to improving home food growing and the home compound environment has led to better family health.
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15 - 17written by Marta GuidiOne of the biggest problems faced by Mixtepeco peasants (Mexico) is environmental degradation. But this is only a symptom of a wider crisis affecting all communal life. The indigenous peasants\' quality of life is determined and constrained by their unfavourable position in the market economy. Marta Guidi describes a small but multidisciplinary project designed to strengthen peasant identity and resilience.
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18 - 20written by Clive PoultneyFarmers, livestock-keepers and fishermen in South Africa are organising themselves to manage their water resource to meet their needs. As Clive Poultney reports, the local user groups have succeeded in cooperating with each other, and have also joined forces against commercial interests which threaten to destroy their environment.
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21 - 21written by Sanitsuda EkachaiThe shift from growing cabbage instead of opium poppies by hill tribes has caused shortage of good quality and quantity of surface water for the downstream farmers in northern Thailand.
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22 - 23written by Willi Ehret , Andrew KiddA rural development programme shifts from a predetermined intervention to a tailor-made response to village needs. Willi Ehret and Andrew Kidd describe a day in the life of a committed extension worker in Nigeria.
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24 - 24written by Thecla MeestersProjects may succeed in identifying felt needs, yet fail to find the best response. Kenyan women developed a more acceptable solution than the original technology of a drinking water project. Thecla Meesters concludes that, if NGOs would create more space to react to local initiatives, project staff could become real partners in development.
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25 - 25written by Coen ReijntjesDutch environmental NGOs invited consultants from the South to give their view of the state of the Dutch environment and to critically assess Dutch policies for development. Countless consultants from the North have been telling countries in the South what they should do to protect the environment. Here, the South holds up a mirror to the North.
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26 - 27written by Bertus Haverkort , David MillarIn adjusting to changing conditions, farmers experiment in ways which sometimes includes spiritual aspects. These aspects are often unperceived or even ridiculed by outsiders, but they are very much a reality for insiders. A Ghanaian-Dutch team of two made a case study among the Talensi people in Tongo, a village in northern Ghana.
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28 - 28written by Michael Loevinsohn , Louise SperlingFarmers are keen to get hold of new crop varieties which appear promising. In an attempt to design seed systems to reach smallholders, CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical) and ISAR (Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda) studied the spread of new bean varieties in Rwanda. Louise Sperling and Michael Loevinsohn explored the question:
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29 - 29written by Vicki FindelFelling trees is against the law in the Dominican Republic, but the FECAJA Farmers\' Federation have come up with an alternative.
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30 - 32written by Natalie HahnMore and more international institutes, agencies and movements are joining in the quest for sustainable agriculture. To give space for news and views on these developments on the \"agropolitical\" scene, we are introducing a new section of the Newsletter
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