Next question please

It's been a long time coming but I do recall posting earlier on the planning stages of this now published study. Using a horizon-scanning approach, leading experts and representatives of major agricultural organizations worldwide have prioritised what they feel are the 100 most important questions for global agriculture. The aim is to use sound scientific evidence to inform decision making and guide policy makers in the future direction of agricultural research priorities and policy support. Much food for thought here.

The Malthus Monsters

I am continually irked when I visit the Times online with its constant prompts for subscription on every news item clicked. This is nothing compared to the feelings I had about the grossly crass and unsavoury musings of Matthew Parris on rural dwellers in his article "If you want to save the planet stop breeding" in Saturday's edition of the Times. Unfortunately I can't link to the story itself because of the pay wall hassles but Robin Smith has taken him to task on his blog, Real Reform.

Where would you like to see more agricultural funding directed

Nourishing the Planet blog has an interesting discussion going on the above topic. Some of you may have come across the discussion already, it has been linked to by our friends over at the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog putting forward the case for a significant role for ABD.

Opportunities for family farming

Earlier I posted on ILEIA's The Future of Family Farming conference. You can find a brief report of the conference here, with more to follow. ILEIA have also announced their new publication, Farming Matters.

Feed the world, Bob and Bono need not apply

There has been a spate of articles in the popular press recently about ways and means to feed the world but I recently came across a series of articles in the Monthly Review which I think provide a much better narrative, and all downloadable for free. They are:

Can ecological agriculture feed nine billion people? by Jules Pretty

From food crisis to food sovereignty by Eric Holt-Gimenez

Agroecology, small farms, and food sovereignty by Miguel Altieri

Fixing our global food system by Peter Rosset

Some of the above articles are part of a special issue the magazine ran on agriculture and the food crisis in July/August 2009 which is worth checking out. Nice magazine, why not subscribe and support their good work.

Why we left our farms to come to Copenhagen

"Tonight is a very special night for us to get together here for the opening of the assembly of the social movements and civil society at the Klimaforum. We, the international peasant movement La Via Campesina, are coming to Copenhagen from all five corners of the world, leaving our farmland, our animals, our forest, and also our families in the hamlets and villages to join you all." Read more.

Agriculture and Copenhagen

COP15 at Copenhagen gets underway today and agriculture issues will take centre stage on 12 December at the Agriculture and Rural Development Day. There is also a possibility of a programme of work on agriculture emerging.

The ODI highlights that transitions to more sustainable agriculture will mean taking action to: use existing resources more economically; farm more flexibly and ‘resiliently’; switch to conservation approaches to farming from current approaches that degrade resources, and, shift nutritional habits of society’s wealthy populations away from highly resource-intensive diets.

Brains to burn

Foreign Policy has just published it's list of Top 100 Global Thinkers. I can count the number I would agree with on one hand, well maybe two hands if I'm pushed. I suggest those on the the list who hold dear the neoliberal consensus which has contributed to many of our current global problems, including the recent food crisis and riots and a situation where probably close to half the human race suffer either perpetual hunger and malnourishment or some form of food insecurity, be replaced with the likes of Jules Pretty, Miguel Altieri, Robert Chambers, M.S. Swaminathan, Peter Rosset, Eric Holt-Gimenez, Nils Roling, Gary Nabhan, Pat Mooney to name a few. What's the chances of that?

Shocks and stocks

Interesting wrap up of international meetings and discussions surrounding the recent 'Food Security for All' meeting in Madrid. Video commentaries from, among others, Steve Wiggins and Lawrence Haddad

Rural images

And the same fried has brought to my attention the nice photography of David Creedon, out of Cork who currently has an exhibition titled Ghosts of the Faithful Departed runnning at Photofusion, London. The exhibition tells the story in photos of mass emigration from rural Ireland during the 50s and 60s.

2009 Irish Landscape Conference

The 2009 Irish Landscape Conference will be held in Tullamore, Co. Offaly from October 13th-16th. The conference is targeted at policy and decision makers, local authorities, government agencies, NGOS, representative associations and individuals with an interest in landscape matters. If you are interested in attending please register your interest by contacting Anne Barcoe by e-mail: abarcoe@heritagecouncil.ie

A flyer regarding the conference can be downloaded here.

Money does grow on trees

Input–output analysis was used to evaluate the total economic impact (i.e. the sum of the direct, indirect and induced impacts) of the forestry and wood products sectors on the Irish economy. The total impact of the forestry sector on a number of regional economies was also examined, as were the short-term economic consequences of an afforestation scenario. Only economic activity associated with timber production was considered, and externalities associated with the sector were not accounted for. The results show that in 2003, forestry produced a direct output of €255.4 million. For every euro of output from forestry, a further €0.85 of economic activity was generated, yielding a total output of €472.4 million and total employment level of 7182. The wood products sector generated a total output of €1.6 billion and a total employment level of 12,246. These estimates of the economic impact of the forestry and wood products sectors cannot be added due to an overlap in indirect and induced impacts. The gross total value of an afforestation programme amounting to 15,000 ha per annum over 5 years was shown to be €475.0 million. Accounting for the fact that almost all land currently afforested is in agriculture, the net total value of this afforestation programme ranged from €157.8 million to €340.4 million, depending on the farming system being replaced and whether stacking of direct payments to farmers under the Single Payment Scheme applies to the land being planted. Full paper details below.

Assessing the value of forestry to the Irish economy — An input–output approach

Forest Policy and Economics, In Press, Available online, 5 October 2008,
Áine Ní Dhubháin, Marie-Christine Fléchard, Richard Moloney and Deirdre O'Connor

Food marketing and rural development

University College Cork is now seeking applications for the MBS in Co-operative and Social Enterprise and the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Co-operative Organisation, Food Marketing and Rural Development, which recommences in October, 2008. Click here for more information

Can youth dig agriculture?

I just returned from New Caledonia where I participated in the Pacific Regional Youth Stakeholders meeting at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea. While the purpose of the meeting was to examine approaches to improved regional coordination of youth development issues there was an interesting discussion on things that might be done to improve participation and inclusion of youth in agriculture. In fact SPC are in the process of developing a strategy to achieve just that. Just how do you encourage youth involvement in agriculture when there are so many problems besetting agricultural and rural development in many countries to begin with?

We identified ten areas that could be examined, as have many other groups tackling the same challenge. These might include:

1. Youth is mainstreamed by relevant organisations into agricultural projects and programmes which ensure youth have equal access to the benefits;

2. Relevant agricultural and youth organisations and agencies work together in equal partnership with effective planning and coordination among relevant stakeholders who can contribute substantially to improving youth livelihoods in the agriculture sector;

3. Youth are provided with opportunities for active effective and on-going participation in agricultural activities

4. Youth receive appropriate and relevant education and training to ensure they can build and support a livelihood based on agriculture;

5. A supportive enabling environment is created that can promote youth enterprise and entrepreneurship (e.g. access to credit, mentoring, leadership training) and which improves job and income-generating activities through agriculture;

6. Developing community-based organisations, young farmer clubs and groups and other youth peer organisations that can assist in mobilising and supporting Pacific youth in developing a livelihood through agriculture

7. Agricultural Research and Extension systems are more responsive and supportive to the needs and issues facing Pacific youth;

8. Pacific youth are trained in ICT technologies to support agricultural livelihoods and employability;

9. Opportunities are created to showcase the contributions of young people to economic development through participation in regional youth trade shows and other large gatherings;

10. Funding support is secured from relevant donors, agencies and other bodies.

If you have any suggestions for activities that might support or contribute to these areas we would be very glad to hear from you. Alternatively, if you have any thoughts on the broader picture and have been involved in programmes to promote youth in agriculture please do share your thoughts and experiences.

The World Food Situation

The world food situation is being rapidly redefined, as income growth, climate change, high energy prices, globalisation, and urbanisation transform food consumption, production, and markets. A recent paper from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides an overview of the the key forces driving these changes, and considers what policy responses are required to address the challenges and avoid increased misery for the world's poorest.

Read more here.

Why some rural communities prosper while others do not

Andrew M. Isserman, Edward Feser and Drake Warren penned a paper in May 2007 that examines rural prosperity in the US, something oft overlooked and unknown. In fact, more than 300 rural counties and 200 mixed rural counties are more prosperous than the country as a whole. Each has lower unemployment rates, lower poverty rates, lower school dropout rates, and better housing conditions than the nation. This research seeks to understand why. The diverse theories considered focus on location, the economy, urban-rural linkages, highways and airports, human and social capital, diversity and homogeneity, knowledge and creativity, and climate and topography. Read the paper here.

The State of Civil Society

The newly released CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society: Volume 1 Country Profiles and Volume 2: Comparative Perspectives draws on information collected by the CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI) project in more than 45 countries. Northern Ireland is included as one of the sampled countries. The books explore civil society’s accountability, its relationship to the state and business, and its role in governance and development, among other issues. Development of the Northern Ireland 'country paper' was led by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and the CSI project represents the first-ever attempt to put the civil society concept into practice in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland report can be downloaded here or a brief Executive Summary here.

More barmy laws

Unfortunately the article does not appear to be available online but the Guardian Weekly (21.03.08) reports how the severe 2007 cereal season has meant a critical shortage of wheat straw suitable for thatching and how this will be worsened by less seed in coming years. Thatch craftsmen get tangled up in red tape describes how frustrated thatchers have tried to persuade local planners to let them use triticale, a wheat-rye hybrid, as an alternative. Even though triticale is approved by the conservation agency English Heritage local council officials are having none of it. They insist that only traditional straw can be used on listed buildings. Putting the wrong type of straw on roofs could land you with a fine of up to £20,000 and six months in prison.

International Women's Day

Tomorrow is International Women's Day

Fact Sheets and Training Guides for the implementation of Gender Equality in Agriculture and Rural Development are available for download from the Gender Equality Unit of the Irish National Development Plan.

Migration: Forcing Movement, Closing Doors

I finally managed to get along to one of Comhlamh's First Wednesday Debates. The sensitive and emotional issue of migration. Generally it was an interesting night covering the usual push and pull factors involved, the global and historical context of migration. I learned much about recent immigration trends in Ireland and the demographic changes this has contributed. I also learned more about the new migration bill that is being discussed at the moment.

A couple of specific issues predictably arose, issues that continue to unsettle me.

In regards to Irish attitudes to migration and immigrants, someone from the floor made the comment that Irish rural communities are less welcoming and accommodating than urban centres. In my limited time back in Ireland, and having lived in both contexts, I am not convinced that this is the case. Certainly in cities like Dublin there are more spaces for migrants (and Irish) to meet and interact. However, cities by their very nature are more cosmopolitan and this does not necessarily reflect a more welcoming and accommodating attitude on behalf of the local population. I would certainly like to hear more about rural /urban experiences before forming any opinions on such an issue.

Secondly, brain drain. One floor speaker felt that we as a country should be more socially responsible when it comes to 'taking' all the qualified talent from many of the countries supplying migrants to Ireland. Obviously he has a bit of a point but I think the issue is much more complex than this, as one of the panel replied in his response about the benefit of remittances. There are other benefits too. A large number of migrants involved in the 'brain drain' do eventually return to their countries bringing a wealth of new skills, ideas and knowledge. They also bring a breadth of new networks and contacts and more. But what annoys me most about the 'brain drain' debate is that it is usually 'ex-pats' and people in receiving countries that do all the complaining about it. You rarely hear countries supplying the 'brain drain' complain. I suspect because they can clearly see the potential benefit of their qualified people working overseas. I also have a problem with the issue of 'who decides?' or 'who has the right to decide?' about who can go where. Is it okay for those of us in the wealthy world to have professional mobility, while those in the poorer south should stay put? Ireland, and it's citizens, with their historical experience of the 'brain drain' should be in a position to make a more informed analysis of this complex and tender topic. One could equally make the argument that it is our social responsibility to accept migrants as part of the 'brain drain'.

Finally, and it always gets my back up, another floor speaker felt that the onus should be on migrants to 'assimilate'. What has happened to the collective Irish memory? Try telling that to the hundred's of thousands of Irish migrants who travelled across the water from the 1950's up to the 1980's. I can remember many stories of the 'no blacks, no dogs, no Irish' signs in windows of B&B and other guest houses in London. Personally, I recall turning up on the doorstep of a house in Kent, where I had arranged to stay for 6 months on the phone, only to be told by the landlady that she wouldn't have let me have the room if she had known I was Irish. Apparently she thought I was American on the phone! The point being that for many reasons this whole issue is much more complex and requires a more detailed analysis than simply saying that the onus or responsibility lies with one particular group of people. It lies with all of us.

In many respects it seems that our collective memory on migration is hazy which is sad because we have so much in common with current migrants. Much that could inform the current debate on migration and help Ireland innovate in how it deals with migrants.

Would love to hear more views on this.