A new look at information
Ever hears about “secretes expert information”, Tei-kei or puppets for sustainable agriculture? Is agriculture in need of a different system of communication, as it is largely based on local resources?
This newsletter plead for a new look at information exchange to speed up the transition towards sustainable agriculture. We hope to inspire you to improve communication with farmers, being aware of the fact that the majority of innovation result from informal contacts between farmers.
Table of contents:
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4 - 5written by Teresa Stuart , Ricardo RamirezA farmer's own knowledge is the basis for development. Being aware of this knowledge helps farmers decide on the new information they wish to acquire fitting their ecology, economy, culture and interests. In this article, the authors describe a project where the learning objectives defined by the farmers became the basis for communication campaigns. Farmers in five Philippine barangays (villages) are experiencing this approach following earlier experiences by FAO in Development Support Communication. The project builds on the Filippino tradition of schools on the air and echoes Paulo Freire's lesson that, as a empowered learners, people are liberated from a major constraint to their development.
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6 - 7written by Biju NegiTraditional agriculture need not always be sustainable. But where agricultural rules have been constantly adapted to a changing environment, traditional principles prove to be sustainable. Starting to collect local and traditional seed varieties, Jarhdhari, a farmer in north India, revived interest in these principles. While Jarhdhari exchanges seeds and information, the farmers decide for themselves whether or not to adapt this re-gained knowledge to their own situation.
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8 - 9written by Wietse Bruinsma , Loes WitteveenSustainable agriculture is based on principles such as diversity and location-specific knowledge and practices. Chemical inputs are often not available and have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, sustainable agriculture takes the optimalisation of local resources as a starting point. It builds upon an information system that is, in the first place, directed towards this.
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10 - 11written by Koyu FurusawaThe existing market system for agricultural products does not consider the pollution of the environment, nor does it properly value farmers\' labour. Prices are often unstable. Tei-kei is a Japanese direct-distribution system for agricultural produce in Japan. Consumers buy their food directly from farmers. Farmers produce what consumers need and get stable prices. No shops, no middlemen.
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12 - 13written by Moreno ChiovoloniA Local and Traditional Communication Systems (L&TCS) are rarely taken into consideration by development agents. The author, working for an FAO communication programme in Mali, argues that there is a need for close collaboration between development agents and traditional and new \"rural communicators\" to make optimal use of the interactive power of L&TCS to stimulate people\'s participation.
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14 - 14written by Livai MatariranoRadio plays a tremendously important role in informing African farmers about rural livelihood issues. The worldwide Farm Radio Network distributes scripts on such problems. The author, programme manager for Zimbabwe, writes about his experiences with the programme.
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15 - 15written by Mulume MapatanoIn Zaire there was recently an agricultural fair where the main purpose was not to exchange farm products but rather to exchange knowledge. Farmer researchers met to show and tell each other how they have found ways to improve goat-keeping.
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16 - 16written by Brent M. SimpsonFarmers in Mali rely on informal communication channels for agricultural innovation. Producers with similar production objectives and opportunities are linked with locally tested and verified information.
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17 - 17written by David TovarIn Bolivia, Comunidad Nayjama tries to revitalise traditional ways of passing on knowledge. Traditional and contemporary information are mixed, while the farmers\' cultural identity is not violated. David Tovar would like to know about your own experiences in trying out harmonious new ways of information exchange.
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18 - 19written by Shree PadrePeople who have experience aren\'t writing. Those who write don\'t have the practical experience of farming. This in a nutshell is the tragedy of farm journalism in India.
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20 - 20written by Witoon LianchamroonThailand contributes considerable amounts of rice to the world\'s export market, but rural livelihoods are falling apart. Industrialisation forced farmers to face the feared infestation of Brown Plant Hoppers in their rice fields. In what way can Thai consumers help farmers to develop alternative agriculture? A new magazine started to address precisely this question.
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21 - 21written by David M. Payan LeivaBefore he started to work for the Nicaraguan Ministry of Agriculture, David Payan had studied zootechnics in Russia and lectured at the University Centro Americana. Full of ideas and with bookloads of scientific knowledge at hand, however, he decided that he wanted to work with farmers. In this article David describes the difficult but satisfying process of technicians learning to write for farmers.
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22 - 23written by Floice AdoyoHow to communicate with farmers in an optimal manner, getting their attention and keeping them interested? Floice Adoyo explains how drama was found to be the ideal vehicle for Kenyan farmers to convey sensitive messages to each other.
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24 - 24written by Eva PhilippsIn the first Newsletter of 1993, we published an article by Frédéric Prat, on his experience in setting up a small library on ecological agriculture. The reactions to this article were overwhelming. Almost 100 readers asked for more information. It appears that the need for written information is immense. However, collecting books is one thing, managing information is something else. In this article, Eva Philipps draws the attention to some pitfalls and gives us some aspects to be considered before setting up a documentation centre.
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25 - 26written by John RaintreeIn 1973 I had the opportunity to conduct anthropological fieldwork in a community of indigenous Tagbanwa people on the island of Palawan. The community, which consisted of about 500 hundred people, had recently been forced out of their ancestral lands to the north and had only recently settled at Lamani on the isolated west coast of Palawan. Here people were attempting to resume their traditional way of life under heavy pressure from logging companies and encroaching settlers from the overpopulated islands of the Philippines. At the conclusion of the fieldwork in 1973 it seemed obvious to me that something had to be done to assist the local people to identify a sustainable development path. Otherwise, the land pressures they were under would drive their once beautifully tuned swidden agroecosystem into a vicious cycle of shortening fallows, diminishing yields, over-intensification and progressive environmental deterioration.
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27 - 27written by Loes WitteveenCheap, simple and easy to understand \"colouring\" technique for appropriate illustrations. One of the elements is the \"colouring\" of black and white line drawings.
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30 - 30written by Brian O'RiordanIn the issue \"Cutting back on chemicals\", Kevin Kamp and colleagues explained how Integrated Pest Management had a positive effect on fish production in Bangladesh. In these articles, Brian O\'Riordan and Mohamed Hossein write about further initiatives to increase fish production in Bangladesh. Both initiatives focus on the poorest of the poor.
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31 - 31written by Mokarrom HossainIn the issue on \"Cutting back on chemicals\", Kevin Kamp and colleagues explained how Integrated Pest Management had a positive effect on fish production in Bangladesh. In these articles, Brian O\'Riordan and Mohamed Hossein write about further initiatives to increase fish production in Bangladesh. Both initiatives focus on the poorest of the poor.
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