Looking at some of the Issues and our response
Problem summary
The major channels of information for farmers in the developing world – governments, development agencies and the private sector – are still promoting conventional (i.e. industrial/chemical) farming despite well-documented problems that include:
According to UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) the agro-industrial ‘green revolution’ model followed in parts of Asia and Latin America did improve yields. But this was at the expense of a damaged environment and deep indebtedness for many small farmers. [link] With many African nations looking to improve agricultural outcomes through a similar green revolution of their own, UNCTAD examined the potential for organic agriculture as an alternative approach. They concluded that organic methods are equal to or better than most conventional systems, with the potential for existing crops to reach their full potential of two to four times current yields. Crucially, they also concluded that organic is more likely to be sustainable in the longer term.
Impoverishing the land
In November 2011, the first-ever global assessment of the state of the land was published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report concludes that fully one quarter of the planet’s total land area (i.e. not ocean) is highly degraded. [link] In this report, the FAO stated that degraded land and water systems “…face the risk of progressive breakdown of their productive capacity under a combination of excessive demographic pressure and unsustainable agriculture use and practices…” They go on to say: “The greatest threat is the loss of soil quality, followed by biodiversity loss and water resources depletion... land areas are being degraded through farming practices that result in water and wind erosion, the loss of organic matter, topsoil compaction, salinization and soil pollution, and nutrient loss.”
Land degradation is part of the general failure of interconnected global systems that we depend on. More on this can be found in, e.g.: the millennium ecosystem assessment; the Stockholm Resilience Center's work on planetary boundaries; the Nicholas Stern report on climate change; and the Global Footprint Network.
Impoverishing people who live on the land
Based on research in four African countries, the Overseas Development Institute reports that governments, donors and development agencies all promote pesticide use alongside the private sector. [Link] They describe “...a vicious circle of debt and reliance on expensive agrochemical inputs”, and report one group of farmers they consulted as saying that the chemicals bring only problems (poisonings, suicides, increased production costs and debts) without improving yields.
Practical, Sustainable Options - Agroecology
The International Institute for Environment and Development, in a paper in a 2014 paper Agroecology - What it is and what it has to offer, opens by saying that "agroecology is gaining momentum as a scientific discipline, sustainable farming approach and social movement. There is growing anecdotal and case study evidence of its multiple benefits, from climate resilience to farm productivity. Yet its promotion in public agricultural policies, research and extension is still limited." They argue the need "for consolidating the evidence base for agroecology through multi-dimensional tools that not only measure yields, but also its many other benefits: economic, environmental and social. Mainstreaming agroecology will require a fundamental cultural and philosophical shift in how we as a society define ‘productive’ and ‘efficient’ agriculture." [link]
The College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley reports on research into the application of agroecology, which it describes as the “integrated use of a variety of management technologies and practices. The emphasis is on diversified farms in which each component of the farming system biologically reinforces the other components, for instance where wastes from one component become inputs to another.” [link]
It reports on initiatives to implement agroecology in countries around the world, including Chile, Cuba, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Senegal. Often carried out in the face of pressure to employ intensive chemical methods, positive outcomes were achieved, including increased yields, improved soil fertility and improved livelihoods.
The UC Berkeley report highlights the social benefits from sustainable agriculture like decreased inequality, as well as the environmental and economic benefits of enhanced sustainability. However, whilst drawing attention to the many initiatives to introduce agro-ecological approaches, the report’s authors also highlight the danger that these cases ‘will remain as “islands of success” in a sea of deprivation, merely living testimonies of the potential of the “path not taken” to feed the rural poor.’
Harnessing technology to promote social change
There are thought to be more mobile devices in use globally than there are people. Mike Short, President IET [link]
Despite the many well-documented success stories for sustainable agriculture, the agro-industrial model remains firmly entrenched as the ‘conventional’ approach. As such, it dominates the flow of expert information through the official channels that most farmers depend on. It’s difficult to see how this flow can be slowed down, let alone reversed in favor of agroecological approaches.
Part of the answer could lie in the fact that so many people living in poverty already have cell phones, a technology that can be used to facilitate self-empowerment against seemingly overwhelming odds.
The mobile phone has become the ubiquitous technology of our time, giving even the most remote and poverty-stricken a means to connect to the global community. According to the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (ARD) of the World Bank, the potential of information and communication technologies in developing country agriculture is “profound”. In their assessment of the impact of mobile phones in driving sustainable farming, they refer to research which “found significant scope for impact throughout the agricultural sector, including enhancing farming efficiency and improving access for smallholders to markets.” [Link]
In its report Agriculture at a Crossroads, the IAASTD suggests that mobiles also have a role to play in empowering women and girls: “Linking women farmers with markets and using effective, appropriate and cost-efficient ICTs can promote skills development among women. The use of the mobile phone is an example of an information technology that is increasing exponentially among women in many developing regions.” The same report also points out that: “Mobile phones are also a portable market research tool, allowing producers to find and compare current market prices for their products and ensuring greater profits for their products”. [Link]
Just how much scope is there for mobile phones to make a difference? Can they really counteract the power of governments and the private sector by promoting alternatives to industrial farming? Existing projects are instructive, such as the mobile development labs in parts of Africa, building technical and business skills for young developers and entrepreneurs to create cellphone-accessible services. [Link]
Grameen Foundation uses mobile phone applications in its Community Knowledge Worker program in Uganda, to help smallholder farmers get accurate, timely information to improve their businesses and lives, by training community members as trusted intermediaries to provide information services to fellow farmers. [link]
Another practical example of mobile technology at work, this time in the Philippines, is the e-Extension program for agriculture and fisheries. This program is being implemented through the Agricultural Training Institute, and is described as focusing on “…creating an electronic and interactive bridge where farmers, fishers and other stakeholders meet and transact to enhance productivity, profitability and global competitiveness.” [link]
Services that can all be accessed using the cheapest cellphones, include…
WeFarm - "Internet for people without the internet" - using SMS to share farming tips and advice with other members around the world.
MedAfrica – providing people with medical advice and direct communication with doctors;
Citivox – designed to collect and share data between citizens and their government;
Agri-advisory services in India advising farmers via voice or text; when to plant crops, how to mix fertilizers and pesticides, when to dispense them and how much water to add each day.
Why Permaculture?
Permaculture is a design science that applies whole systems thinking to the design of sustainable human systems, notably food systems, taking inspiration from the complex interconnections found in the natural world. [link]
With hundreds of thousands of permaculture projects world-wide, there is a ready-made global forum for farmers from equivalent climates around the world to share their knowledge and experience. The PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate) training follows a consistent format world-wide, and uses experiential learning to prepare people to apply the concepts within the setting of their own lives. [link]
In designing an intervention like permEzone we acknowledge that, in channeling knowledge, information and practical resources, we can neither control nor predict the uses to which those resources will be put. Resilient eco-social systems can only be facilitated by empowering people to make increasingly informed choices of their own, breaking the cycle of dependence on external resources.
Zone E
We’re introducing the concept of zone E to acknowledge the need to apply permaculture design principles to those human systems that extend into the electronic landscape. If properly nurtured, our activity in zone E could become a self-sustaining ecosystem. This use of the word ‘ecosystem’ suggests social systems that exhibit self-organization as the combined actions of many connected individuals create synergistic relationships – what permaculture designers refer to as invisible systems.
To step off the path being recommended by most official channels will inevitably feel like a big risk. Any farmer being encouraged to take this risk needs to have a relationship of trust with whoever is promoting the alternative: do they speak my language, understand my situation, and experience the same conditions on the ground that I have to work with? permEzone ambassadors can tackle these misgivings by using their own farms as demonstration sites that promulgate locally-appropriate solutions.
Trained practitioners, putting permaculture design into practice with support from their teachers, can work in cooperation with other farmers to share their experiences in making the transition to sustainable agriculture, and start to build more sustainable local economies. As the community expands, so would the opportunity for cooperative working, whether in leveraging buying power or coordinating access to markets.
The World Bank report, IC4D 2012: Maximizing Mobile, examines increasingly, specialized mobile services that provide “localized information about price, weather and climate, pest control, cultivation practices, and agricultural extension services.” The report suggests that the full potential for the technology in the agricultural sector will depend on appropriate support structures:– “enabling ecosystems”. [Link]
permEzone has the potential to be one such ecosystem.
The major channels of information for farmers in the developing world – governments, development agencies and the private sector – are still promoting conventional (i.e. industrial/chemical) farming despite well-documented problems that include:
- Severely degraded land with continual destruction of essential soil and water resources.
- Indebtedness leading to the loss of livelihoods, and exacerbating rural-urban migration.
- Resultant social impacts that include the fragmentation of communities and increasing poverty and inequality.
- A growing crisis, as unsustainable farming practices destroy natural systems that are essential components for the sustenance of life.
According to UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) the agro-industrial ‘green revolution’ model followed in parts of Asia and Latin America did improve yields. But this was at the expense of a damaged environment and deep indebtedness for many small farmers. [link] With many African nations looking to improve agricultural outcomes through a similar green revolution of their own, UNCTAD examined the potential for organic agriculture as an alternative approach. They concluded that organic methods are equal to or better than most conventional systems, with the potential for existing crops to reach their full potential of two to four times current yields. Crucially, they also concluded that organic is more likely to be sustainable in the longer term.
Impoverishing the land
In November 2011, the first-ever global assessment of the state of the land was published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report concludes that fully one quarter of the planet’s total land area (i.e. not ocean) is highly degraded. [link] In this report, the FAO stated that degraded land and water systems “…face the risk of progressive breakdown of their productive capacity under a combination of excessive demographic pressure and unsustainable agriculture use and practices…” They go on to say: “The greatest threat is the loss of soil quality, followed by biodiversity loss and water resources depletion... land areas are being degraded through farming practices that result in water and wind erosion, the loss of organic matter, topsoil compaction, salinization and soil pollution, and nutrient loss.”
Land degradation is part of the general failure of interconnected global systems that we depend on. More on this can be found in, e.g.: the millennium ecosystem assessment; the Stockholm Resilience Center's work on planetary boundaries; the Nicholas Stern report on climate change; and the Global Footprint Network.
Impoverishing people who live on the land
Based on research in four African countries, the Overseas Development Institute reports that governments, donors and development agencies all promote pesticide use alongside the private sector. [Link] They describe “...a vicious circle of debt and reliance on expensive agrochemical inputs”, and report one group of farmers they consulted as saying that the chemicals bring only problems (poisonings, suicides, increased production costs and debts) without improving yields.
Practical, Sustainable Options - Agroecology
The International Institute for Environment and Development, in a paper in a 2014 paper Agroecology - What it is and what it has to offer, opens by saying that "agroecology is gaining momentum as a scientific discipline, sustainable farming approach and social movement. There is growing anecdotal and case study evidence of its multiple benefits, from climate resilience to farm productivity. Yet its promotion in public agricultural policies, research and extension is still limited." They argue the need "for consolidating the evidence base for agroecology through multi-dimensional tools that not only measure yields, but also its many other benefits: economic, environmental and social. Mainstreaming agroecology will require a fundamental cultural and philosophical shift in how we as a society define ‘productive’ and ‘efficient’ agriculture." [link]
The College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley reports on research into the application of agroecology, which it describes as the “integrated use of a variety of management technologies and practices. The emphasis is on diversified farms in which each component of the farming system biologically reinforces the other components, for instance where wastes from one component become inputs to another.” [link]
It reports on initiatives to implement agroecology in countries around the world, including Chile, Cuba, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Senegal. Often carried out in the face of pressure to employ intensive chemical methods, positive outcomes were achieved, including increased yields, improved soil fertility and improved livelihoods.
The UC Berkeley report highlights the social benefits from sustainable agriculture like decreased inequality, as well as the environmental and economic benefits of enhanced sustainability. However, whilst drawing attention to the many initiatives to introduce agro-ecological approaches, the report’s authors also highlight the danger that these cases ‘will remain as “islands of success” in a sea of deprivation, merely living testimonies of the potential of the “path not taken” to feed the rural poor.’
Harnessing technology to promote social change
There are thought to be more mobile devices in use globally than there are people. Mike Short, President IET [link]
Despite the many well-documented success stories for sustainable agriculture, the agro-industrial model remains firmly entrenched as the ‘conventional’ approach. As such, it dominates the flow of expert information through the official channels that most farmers depend on. It’s difficult to see how this flow can be slowed down, let alone reversed in favor of agroecological approaches.
Part of the answer could lie in the fact that so many people living in poverty already have cell phones, a technology that can be used to facilitate self-empowerment against seemingly overwhelming odds.
The mobile phone has become the ubiquitous technology of our time, giving even the most remote and poverty-stricken a means to connect to the global community. According to the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (ARD) of the World Bank, the potential of information and communication technologies in developing country agriculture is “profound”. In their assessment of the impact of mobile phones in driving sustainable farming, they refer to research which “found significant scope for impact throughout the agricultural sector, including enhancing farming efficiency and improving access for smallholders to markets.” [Link]
In its report Agriculture at a Crossroads, the IAASTD suggests that mobiles also have a role to play in empowering women and girls: “Linking women farmers with markets and using effective, appropriate and cost-efficient ICTs can promote skills development among women. The use of the mobile phone is an example of an information technology that is increasing exponentially among women in many developing regions.” The same report also points out that: “Mobile phones are also a portable market research tool, allowing producers to find and compare current market prices for their products and ensuring greater profits for their products”. [Link]
Just how much scope is there for mobile phones to make a difference? Can they really counteract the power of governments and the private sector by promoting alternatives to industrial farming? Existing projects are instructive, such as the mobile development labs in parts of Africa, building technical and business skills for young developers and entrepreneurs to create cellphone-accessible services. [Link]
Grameen Foundation uses mobile phone applications in its Community Knowledge Worker program in Uganda, to help smallholder farmers get accurate, timely information to improve their businesses and lives, by training community members as trusted intermediaries to provide information services to fellow farmers. [link]
Another practical example of mobile technology at work, this time in the Philippines, is the e-Extension program for agriculture and fisheries. This program is being implemented through the Agricultural Training Institute, and is described as focusing on “…creating an electronic and interactive bridge where farmers, fishers and other stakeholders meet and transact to enhance productivity, profitability and global competitiveness.” [link]
Services that can all be accessed using the cheapest cellphones, include…
WeFarm - "Internet for people without the internet" - using SMS to share farming tips and advice with other members around the world.
MedAfrica – providing people with medical advice and direct communication with doctors;
Citivox – designed to collect and share data between citizens and their government;
Agri-advisory services in India advising farmers via voice or text; when to plant crops, how to mix fertilizers and pesticides, when to dispense them and how much water to add each day.
Why Permaculture?
Permaculture is a design science that applies whole systems thinking to the design of sustainable human systems, notably food systems, taking inspiration from the complex interconnections found in the natural world. [link]
With hundreds of thousands of permaculture projects world-wide, there is a ready-made global forum for farmers from equivalent climates around the world to share their knowledge and experience. The PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate) training follows a consistent format world-wide, and uses experiential learning to prepare people to apply the concepts within the setting of their own lives. [link]
In designing an intervention like permEzone we acknowledge that, in channeling knowledge, information and practical resources, we can neither control nor predict the uses to which those resources will be put. Resilient eco-social systems can only be facilitated by empowering people to make increasingly informed choices of their own, breaking the cycle of dependence on external resources.
Zone E
We’re introducing the concept of zone E to acknowledge the need to apply permaculture design principles to those human systems that extend into the electronic landscape. If properly nurtured, our activity in zone E could become a self-sustaining ecosystem. This use of the word ‘ecosystem’ suggests social systems that exhibit self-organization as the combined actions of many connected individuals create synergistic relationships – what permaculture designers refer to as invisible systems.
To step off the path being recommended by most official channels will inevitably feel like a big risk. Any farmer being encouraged to take this risk needs to have a relationship of trust with whoever is promoting the alternative: do they speak my language, understand my situation, and experience the same conditions on the ground that I have to work with? permEzone ambassadors can tackle these misgivings by using their own farms as demonstration sites that promulgate locally-appropriate solutions.
Trained practitioners, putting permaculture design into practice with support from their teachers, can work in cooperation with other farmers to share their experiences in making the transition to sustainable agriculture, and start to build more sustainable local economies. As the community expands, so would the opportunity for cooperative working, whether in leveraging buying power or coordinating access to markets.
The World Bank report, IC4D 2012: Maximizing Mobile, examines increasingly, specialized mobile services that provide “localized information about price, weather and climate, pest control, cultivation practices, and agricultural extension services.” The report suggests that the full potential for the technology in the agricultural sector will depend on appropriate support structures:– “enabling ecosystems”. [Link]
permEzone has the potential to be one such ecosystem.
References
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture”, http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/95153/icode/
Grameen Foundation, “AppLab in Action”, http://www.grameenfoundation.applab.org/AppLab-Ag.html
Hindu newspaper, “Census findings point to decade of rural distress”, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2484996.ece
ICT in Agriculture – World Bank, “Assessing the Impact of Mobiles”, http://www.ictinagriculture.org/ictinag/content/assessing-impact-mobiles
India Together, “Farm suicides: A 12-year saga”, http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/feb/psa-suicides.htm
Institute of Engineering and Technology, Press Release: “More mobiles than people worldwide”, http://www.theiet.org/policy/media/press-releases/20111006.cfm
International Institute for Environment and Development, “Agroecology - what it is and what it has to offer”, http://www.fsnnetwork.org/sites/default/files/LauraSilici_14629IIED.PDF
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), Synthesis Report - “Agriculture at a Crossroads”, http://www.unep.org/dewa/agassessment/reports/IAASTD/EN/Agriculture%20at%20a%20Crossroads_Synthesis%20Report%20%28English%29.pdf
New Scientist, “Phone tech transforms African business and healthcare”, http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128334.600-phone-tech-transforms-african-business-and-healthcare.html
Overseas Development Institute (ODI), “Pesticide provision in liberalised Africa: Out of control?”, http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/4271-pesticides-africa
Permaculture Institute (US), “Permaculture Certificate, Diploma, and Professional Practice”, http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/professional_practise_pages
Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, “What is Permaculture”, http://www.permaculturenews.org/about-permaculture-and-the-pri/#permaculture
Philippine Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Training Institute, “e-Extension Program”, https://www.facebook.com/eExtensionProgram/info
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, “Sustaining African Agriculture – Organic Production”, http://unctad.org/en/Docs/presspb20091rev1_en.pdf
University of California at Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, “The Potential of Agroecology to Combat Hunger in the Developing World”, http://nature.berkeley.edu/~miguel-alt/the_potential_of_agroecology.html
World Bank, “IC4D 2012: Maximizing Mobile”, http://go.worldbank.org/0J2CTQTYP0
Grameen Foundation, “AppLab in Action”, http://www.grameenfoundation.applab.org/AppLab-Ag.html
Hindu newspaper, “Census findings point to decade of rural distress”, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2484996.ece
ICT in Agriculture – World Bank, “Assessing the Impact of Mobiles”, http://www.ictinagriculture.org/ictinag/content/assessing-impact-mobiles
India Together, “Farm suicides: A 12-year saga”, http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/feb/psa-suicides.htm
Institute of Engineering and Technology, Press Release: “More mobiles than people worldwide”, http://www.theiet.org/policy/media/press-releases/20111006.cfm
International Institute for Environment and Development, “Agroecology - what it is and what it has to offer”, http://www.fsnnetwork.org/sites/default/files/LauraSilici_14629IIED.PDF
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), Synthesis Report - “Agriculture at a Crossroads”, http://www.unep.org/dewa/agassessment/reports/IAASTD/EN/Agriculture%20at%20a%20Crossroads_Synthesis%20Report%20%28English%29.pdf
New Scientist, “Phone tech transforms African business and healthcare”, http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128334.600-phone-tech-transforms-african-business-and-healthcare.html
Overseas Development Institute (ODI), “Pesticide provision in liberalised Africa: Out of control?”, http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/4271-pesticides-africa
Permaculture Institute (US), “Permaculture Certificate, Diploma, and Professional Practice”, http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/professional_practise_pages
Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, “What is Permaculture”, http://www.permaculturenews.org/about-permaculture-and-the-pri/#permaculture
Philippine Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Training Institute, “e-Extension Program”, https://www.facebook.com/eExtensionProgram/info
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, “Sustaining African Agriculture – Organic Production”, http://unctad.org/en/Docs/presspb20091rev1_en.pdf
University of California at Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, “The Potential of Agroecology to Combat Hunger in the Developing World”, http://nature.berkeley.edu/~miguel-alt/the_potential_of_agroecology.html
World Bank, “IC4D 2012: Maximizing Mobile”, http://go.worldbank.org/0J2CTQTYP0