Respect through farming
For people sidelined by society, small scale farming can provide opportunities in life. In this issue, we present experiences which show how people facing social stigma, or living with physical disability can grow crops or rear livestock and gain “Respect through farming”.
The magazine features many practical experiences from all over the world, as well as addressing possible long-term solutions that can remove the causes of exclusion. Read in the latest LEISA Magazine why and how agriculture can help marginalised people to play a meaningful role in their communities.
Table of contents:
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1 - 1
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2 - 3
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4 - 5written by ILEIA editorial teamEditorial
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6 - 7written by Paulo Petersen , Luciano Marçal da Silveira , Adriana Galvão Freire , Sílvio Gomes de AlmeidaTo what extent do rural development programmes allow for diversity in the social situations where they work? In particular, how can they take this diversity into account when seeking to involve and empower the poorest families? How can an agreocological focus and a gender approach help these families overcome poverty? These questions formed a central part of a study undertaken in Brazil's semi-arid region to improve the local development programme run by the non-governmental organisation AS-PTA.
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8 - 9written by Petra ShakyaIn Nepal, certain groups such as ethnic minorities or dalits face discrimination or exclusion. A local NGO has been organising communities into groups, purposefully mixing discriminated with non-discriminated people. Through training programmes and by encouraging discriminated people to take on higher positions, the organisation has allowed for many barriers to be broken down within the communities. This has created more opportunities for previously excluded people.
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10 - 11written by Alfred LakwoIn Nebbi district, Uganda, women and girls eat after men have filled their stomachs. A local NGO targets women to discuss nutritional values and cultural norms. Surprisingly, when approached with respect, both men and women are willing to review traditional practices and make sure all get enough food.
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12 - 13written by Hans FeijenIn a traditional region in Egypt, farmers started participating in Farmer Field Schools (FFS) to receive training on pest management. When women facilitators were recruited, some women-only field schools started, while later even mixed schools emerged. The topics discussed slowly moved beyond agriculture to health and reproductive issues, rights and literacy. "My husband never listened to me. Now he wants to hear what I learned during the training sessions."
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14 - 15In the village of Zamblara, gender differences as well as caste division have long been clearly defined. Ten years ago, a group of women set up its own organisation of rice producers. Through Participatory Learning and Action Research (PLAR) activities, the group has not only managed to increase rice production, but the regular sessions have broken down traditional barriers between women and men as well as between castes.
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16 - 17In Malawi, the fifth poorest country in the world, the government introduced a voucher programme for small scale farmers, providing them access to subsidised fertilizer and seed. The country suddenly saw bumper harvests in both 2006 and 2007. Are fertilizer subsidies the way out of poverty for small scale farmers in Africa?
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18 - 19written by Abdul Syukur , NgadiyonoWhat can a small farmer do if his or her land gets grabbed by a powerful state organisation such as the Indonesian navy? Forming a group and fighting for your rights is a first step. Moreover, you need expertise from NGOs or universities, legal advice and perseverence.
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20 - 21written by Anyanzo Thomas Abbey , Azu AlbertCivil unrest in northern Uganda, lasting many years, has hampered development of smallholder farming. With peace in the region, farmers can once again engage in local marketing. Government and NGOs support the formation of farmers’ groups for bulk marketing and access to market information.
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22 - 24written by Emma KirwanIn Ecuador, the benefits of a healthy food system are becoming luxuries beyond the reach of the urban and rural poor. The modern market has come between urban-based consumers and rural-based producers. Intermediaries control distribution and prices while charging a lot for their services. These transactions affect both the grower and the consumer, who continue to suffer unfair prices, poor product quality and harmful consequences to the environment.
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25 - 25written by Simon MukwayaIn an HIV-stricken district in Mozambique the number of orphans is growing. Committed women want to take care of them, but they are very poor themselves. A relief organisation supports caregivers and orphans to rear chickens for the local market. “Now we can provide children with school uniforms and some food.”
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26 - 27written by Natasha van Dijk“Care farms” combine care of the land with care of vulnerable people. Such farms exist in many European countries. In the Netherlands, the Kiem care farm has sixty years’ experience in involving mentally disabled people in agricultural activities. The farm sells a wide range of horticultural products, while the participants have found a worthwhile function in society.
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28 - 28written by NgalimThe Karang Widya foundation in central Indonesia is trying to respond to rising numbers of troubled youths living on the street. It has set up a therapy programme which stimulates behaviour change through practising organic farming. This has created new opportunities for these youths, who go on to better lives.
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29 - 29written by Humphrey NkondeIn Ndola, Zambia’s second largest city, a special school for the visually impaired recently added agricultural production to its programme. The students learn to produce various food crops as well as pigs. Last year, they won the prize for the best maize, outcompeting all the “normal” schools in the area.
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30 - 31written by Sanjay JoshieNew legislation in India allows communities to take charge of degraded forest areas. One village claimed to have legal rights over a particular forest area. But users from neighbouring villages protested. An external NGO helped the communities to accept each other as legitimate forest users. Jointly, the villages are rehabilitating the area.
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30 - 31written by Shiva KhanalWith leasehold forestry, poor households are allowed to use a plot of degraded forest for a certain amount of time. In Nepal, a project showed that this helped poor households improve their living standards, while at the same time reviving degraded forests. Implementing leasehold forestry on a larger scale was a logical next step. But in doing so, the Nepalese government ran into some obstacles.
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32 - 33written by Muideen Oluwatosin SalawuMany rural areas do not benefit from a country’s overall development. Local people get discouraged as nothing seems to work to get them out of poverty. However, an outsider may have refreshing ideas. In one remote village in Nigeria, students found that some land was suitable for rice cultivation. They sought professional support to help farmers tap this potential.
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34 - 34In Nepal, development projects often focus on policy issues such as rights-based approaches, with less emphasis on livelihoods. The impact on the poor of such an approach is often not immediately visible. This article describes how an NGO helps rural households to start home gardening, independent from local landlords or far-away markets.
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35 - 35
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36 - 37
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38 - 38
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40 - 40written by Roberto UgasRoberto Ugás, lecturer at the La Molina University in Lima, Peru, was recently elected as IFOAM’s Vice President for the period 2008-2011. As an old friend of ILEIA and collaborator of the LEISA Magazine, we asked him about the federation’s future plans, especially in the context of this issue’s theme of social inclusion.
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