Healthier farmers, better products
In recent years there has been a growing interest in the links between food, food production and health. In this issue we present examples of how such links between health issues and agriculture have been addressed in practical ways.
There are articles about the use of traditional crops and food gardens for fighting AIDS in South Africa, the use of medicinal plants and local health traditions for primary health care in India, and how health concerns are driving safer vegetable production in Vietnam.
Table of contents:
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4 - 5written by ILEIA editorial teamThere is a number of major health challenges facing the world today. Some of the bigger issues are linked to the current state of agriculture. For example, HIV/AIDS, malaria and malnutrition are common in many rural areas where agriculture is the basis of the populations’ livelihoods, and their effects are felt acutely.
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6 - 8written by Stephen Sherwood , Ross Mary Borja , Linda Jo Stern , Nina Hernidiah , Scott A Killough , Paul Joicey , Peter R BertiWorld Neighbors' traditional focus and expertise are rooted in agricultural development. Recognising that great synergies exist between agriculture and health and looking for ways to improve our work, about ten years ago we sought to interact more with health professionals, we found that while we shared common hopes and aspirations, we often had very different ways of understanding poverty and how to help communities to address it. But we were able to come together around a common priority: good food for good health.
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9 - 11written by Sarah Kaschula , Kathy ArbucklePopulation pressures and transforming land practices are not the only threats to productivity. The Msunduzi area has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. HIV/AIDS poses a threat to agricultural systems unlike any other. Unlike other diseases, AIDS targets the productive household members who are usually contributing most actively to the household’s wellbeing. Moreover, AIDS is understood to be a “long wave” shock. This means that unlike other agricultural upsets, such as drought, labour shortages or sudden economic or political shock, AIDS slowly but steadily erodes at the resilience of rural livelihoods over many decades. How can agricultural extension officers tackle these issues? This was the question faced by the Children In Distress Network (CINDI), a network of organisations who have worked for over 10 years with AIDS afflicted groups in the region. CINDI recognised that if AIDS is indeed affecting food security in a unique way, then novel agricultural practices are required to help rural communities cope.
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12 - 13written by Joshua Spetter , Lisa ThompsonFive centuries ago, amaranth was an important crop used in many ways in daily life in Mexico. Today, in contrast, much of the rural population survives on a very limited diet, based primarily on corn. Fortunately, amaranth is making a comeback, becoming more and more popular around the world due to its exceptional nutritional value, and ability to grow easily in hot, semiarid climates. This article describes how Puente a la Salud Comunitaria (Bridge to Community Health), an NGO operating in Oaxaca, is bridging the gap between rural health and agricultural development through an integrated programme of nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, crop diversification, and soil conservation. In this way, they are promoting amaranth as a culturally significant, highly nutritious, and potentially income-generating alternative for crop diversification and food security.
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14 - 15written by Jan W Low , Mary Arimond , Nadia Osman , Benedito Cunguara , Filipe Zano , David TschirleyVitamin A is one of the critical micronutrients needed by all human beings. Vitamin A deficiency limits the ability of the body to defend itself against disease in about 40 percent of children under five years of age in the developing world.
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16 - 17The La Frailesca region is part of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, with altitudes between 600 m and 2000 m. Maize is the dominant crop; farmers in the valley also grow vegetables and keep cattle, while those in the highlands grow coffee.
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18 - 19written by Hira JhamtaniDrawing on two examples from Central Java, Indonesia, this article shows the importance of looking at the local agricultural systems and at the local food cultures when trying to achieve food security and an adequate nutrition. Even though villages may be self-sufficient in terms of food quantities, beating malnutrition depends also on the quality and variety of their food intake. These two examples show therefore the importance of first looking at the local food systems and at local crops, as they may provide the solution to the problems faced by the rural population. To that end, local knowledge becomes very important and should not be ignored, and local innovation needs to be encouraged.
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20 - 21In farming households affected by HIV/AIDS, the illness or death of family members often has negative effects on family food security. Village poultry can provide a source of high quality nutrition and income without requiring much in the way of labour or financial inputs. In this article, two examples from communities affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Africa are presented, showing how improving the management of village chickens contributes to HIV/AIDS mitigation, principally through improved household food security and income generation.
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22 - 23written by Luke Simmons , Steffanie ScottIn the past decade there has been a lot of publicity about the large number of food-poisoning cases and attitudes towards Vietnam’s food supply have shifted. The emerging middle classes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other urban centres have become concerned about the food they eat and are starting to demand vegetables with fewer pesticide residues. Some are even willing to pay a slightly higher price for these products, up to 10 percent more than vegetables that are not certified as safe. Concerned urban consumers are increasingly demanding “safe” vegetables. Farmers are responding to this new market opportunity and are beginning to deliver higher quality vegetable products to the market. By adopting integrated pest management principles, applying compost, using crop rotations and creating a favourable growing environment in low-cost shadehouses, farmers are able to reduce their chemical fertilizer and pesticide applications and produce vegetables that are safer for consumers, and better for their own health and that of their farms.
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24 - 25written by P.M. Unnikrishnan , G. HariramamurthiAlthough India is endowed with a rich medical knowledge and natural resources, health status is far from satisfactory. The Home Herbal Garden programme, initiated by the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions in Bangalore in 1998, promotes positively assessed local health practices for self-help in primary health care among rural populations. As part of this programme, a methodology for documentation and participatory assessment to identify safe and effective practices was developed. Communities and households are trained on how to cultivate and use plants selected during this process. The benefits from one Home Herbal Garden can be reaped by not only the family members, but by friends and neighbours as well.
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26 - 28Urban vegetable farming is an important means for attaining urban food security, balanced diets, and is now the livelihood of many urban dwellers in Ghana. However, many of the vegetables commonly grown need to be watered on a daily basis. Poor urban sanitation means that water used is often contaminated, and can transmit disease. This article describes an action-research project that has recently been developing appropriate options for reducing health risks from vegetable contamination, while safeguarding productivity and livelihoods. As farmers became more aware of the health risks, they have tried out and modified various irrigation methods. Best practice guidelines will now be developed to share these findings.
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29 - 29written by Jaqueline Evangelista , Lourdes LaureanoThe area known as the Cerrado makes up nearly 25% of land in Brazil, and is characterised by its very high biodiversity. It is home to an invaluable cultural heritage of traditional knowledge and practices related to the use of its natural resources. The medicinal plants of the Cerrado have always been used for treating family health by individuals, and community groups. Different community groups working with health and the environment from five states came to know of each others’ work through various projects and exchanges in the Cerrado in the early 2000s. The Pacari Network was founded in June 2002, currently representing 80 local organisations. It carries out many activities – research, trainings, exchanges, participation in social and environmental movements and policy advocacy.
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30 - 31written by G.S. Unnikrishnan NairTrivandrum is the densely populated capital city of Kerala, the southernmost state of India. Just as some farmers near Trivandrum have been producing vegetables organically for some time, some enthusiastic individuals have been growing vegetables in the city for over a decade. However, this has been largely unorganised and isolated. It was after the health warning that some inhabitants and residential associations thought more seriously about cultivating vegetables on their terraces of their houses. They approached the local government for help, and a scheme called “Village in the City” was officially launched at the end of 2002 by the Department of Agriculture of the Government of Kerala. This proved to be a great success as many residential associations and individuals registered and participated. It was popularised through the media, which led thousands people in Trivandrum and other cities in Kerala to adopt terrace farming.
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32 - 33Development practitioners face difficulties persuading small holder farmers to reduce their use of extremely and highly hazardous pesticides. The patents on many of these pesticides expired long ago, allowing companies to market them at bargain prices. From an agro-ecological perspective, it is ironic that nearly all are nonspecific, broad spectrum insecticides that kill all insects – both harmful and beneficial. From a public health perspective, it is perverse and tragic that they are the most toxic and at the same time normally the most readily available products in the developing world. Presenting their experience in Ecuador, and the actions currently being carried out to make these products "politically unviable", the authors urge LEISA practitioners and readers from throughout the world to consider similar actions in alliance with other sectors of society.
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34 - 34written by Heiko SchindlerWild plant collection refers to the collection of medicinal and aromatic plants from their natural habitats. This activity needs to be carried out carefully as it can put pressure on the local resources. Growing populations, the conversion of land to agriculture and a high international demand for some species, can easily lead to habitat losses and to a complete depletion of these resources. This article presents the current situation of different wild plant collection projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina. These follow the “Organic” and “FairWild” certification schemes of the Institute of Market Ecology (IMO), an international third party certification body.
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35 - 35written by Rosemary C. NgomaIn the 1999-2000 planting season, Kingston Jeremiah Chidumula Nkhata, a retired Chief Primary School teacher in Mzimba district, in the northern region of Malawi, thought that, if his forefathers had been able to grow crops without chemicals, it had to be possible now. As a teacher is a scavenger for information, he receives international magazines like the LEISA Magazine. He collected information about compost from these magazines and soon started making compost. Later on, his entire family joined and supported his efforts and also made compost. The bumper harvest that Mr. Nkhata yielded, attracted many people to come and ask how he had achieved it. After seeing the practical work Mr. Nkhata was doing in his garden, many farmers wanted to learn about organic practices, and they decided to join together voluntarily. The members all agreed to name the initiative with Mr. Nkhata’s third name. Thus we created the Chidumula Model Organic Farming Initiative, known as CHIMOORFAI.
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