Why is $100 Better than $1000? Farm Support vs. Food Aid
Posted on March 24, 2009
At a recent Farming First conference in New York, Dr. Lindiwe Sibanda explained how supporting small-scale farmers with $100 worth of agricultural inputs and training can help them to improve their livelihoods more than $1000 worth of equivalent food aid.
Dr. Sibanda is CEO of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), a Southern African network organisation with representation in 12 Southern African countries.
Watch her presentation here:
Tags: Africa, aid, FANRPAN, Farming First, food crisis, Lindiwe Sibanda, New York, principle2, principle3, principle5, video
Apr 22, 2009
The programs of boosting agriculture in less development will be appropriate if it will be the continuous process rather the seasonal base kind of efforts. We (as LDCs) have long experience of food shortage even before the beginning of the crisis, therefore our common concerning here can be more than crisis. We believe that more researching should be launched in several rural communities, the training centers must be emphasized to facilitating food productivity on a continuous basis.
MALISA Godwin
The UNIVERSITY OF DAR-ES-SALAAM
Apr 29, 2009
hi,i interested in ur site and i always support.
thanks.
Apr 29, 2009
Dear Malisa.
I could not agree more. My family has a project (self-financed) in Western Kenya where we train subsistance farmers in organic farming. After training they are then taken care of by our field officers. Farmers have to form groups and register with the social service. These groups are integrated in other projects like the production of soyabeans, nutritional and santiation courses,entrepreneurable projects, etc. We have so far trained 1000 farmers, we also train in Girls Secondary Schools. If you leave me your address I shall forward you our web page which (the English form) should be done in about 2 month. I am very keen on sharing knowledge for the improvement of our project.
With best regards,
Brigitte Frey
P.S. We have also protected springs and given access to 10000 people to
clean water. My e-mail address: b.frey@uitikon.ch
Jul 12, 2009
Could this be the old wisdom give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.
Hmm….
Sep 10, 2009
Your blog is so informative. keep up the good work!!!!
Sep 22, 2009
Greetings to you all and blessings to each of you , your families and loved ones and all whom you are reaching out to in your great work work at scheme program in Western Kenya.
It is only with people like you who see and believe that it is possible to address and deal with this tragedy that hope will be braught back again into peoples lives . To become mothers to our people –to mother and nurish them with care that builds hope again into their lives and families .
AIDS and Hunger are huge human tragedy and the consequences for our families ,friends and our peoples is immense. We must stretch all our efforts and energy to do all we can to get people aware so that we can turn back this tsunami wave engulfing our people
Thank you and with many good wishes to you.
Ibrahim Hassan
WOCHA Tanzania
Sep 24, 2009
food security is a big issue so we need to come together to fight that in the rural communities.thanks 4 the good work.
Sep 25, 2009
I am from Ethiopia,Serving in the rural parts through Dvelopmental work with NGO New regesterd NGO.So I am glad in your vision.Please would you mind to support me and my community by your advise how we can expand this vision to serve more Rural people through agricultural develpoment program?
God bless you !!
Demessie Bekelech
Oct 03, 2009
I read your web site, feel nice. I want to draw your kind attention towards drought,and disturbance in ecological balance. It is due improper rainfall,excess exploration of under ground water, so we all think on it.
Sita Ram Banjara
Executive Engineer (Land Resources ) ,Zila Parishad Bikaner Rajasthan
Oct 03, 2009
Wonderful work. Was very much motivated by your presentation. We are upward thinking youths who believe in our self funded farming initiative in A place called Machakos where drought is very persistent. I availled 2000 euros to 18 youths who have small farming activities. They each got between 90-100 euros in terms of seeds and local made farm inputs. I was so shocked to see how they transformed and know 12 of them are planting french beans, capsicum and beatroot to big companies and also supplying the locals with kales, spinach and onions. Their turnover is now heading 350- 500 euros and as I share our expirience we are developing a programme to assist them pay back in form of assisting other two youths. This was made possible by tapping into existing capacities in a community. We always have some capacitites in a community even if their is war, hunger, drought and all sorts of calamities.
Cheers Charlie
Oct 04, 2009
Hi all.Am original from Burundi living in UK. as an African i know how hard it is to find meals three times a day. because of high unemployment which is leading and become the course of shortage of food in Africa. my disappointing is we have a bless land which we can grow any things and reaps something but because of lack of confidence some people lose that hope of engage themself in agriculture.and forget that is a huge skill which can make a different in our society. therefore. my advice today is we have to gate up shoulder by shoulder don’t give up start farming so we can fight this battle which make us die in early age.hope god is on our side and believe trying always make difference. thanks all
Oct 07, 2009
I just came to know about “Farming First”. Good work.
Oct 16, 2009
“At a recent Farming First conference in New York, Dr. Lindiwe Sibanda explained how supporting small-scale farmers with $100 worth of agricultural inputs and training can help them to improve their livelihoods more than $1000 worth of equivalent food aid.”
The above quotation must be sent to ALL the donor agencies and the Heads of ALL the governments, particularly the Western Governments.
By one hand they pour in all sorts of aid to the poor countries and by the other hand they indirectly take away all the aid given plus a little. That is why the poor countries are getting poorer. They dump their surplus food produced at subsidized prices in the poor countries where the poor farmers cannot compete.
They can help the poor countries by not giving any aid and at the SAME TIME by not dumping their surplus food in those countries. NOT DUMPING surplus food items at prices that are below cost would help and encourage the poor farmers in those countries to earn a living and stand on their own feet.
Oct 19, 2009
Hi,am from Uganda, just started a poultry farm and i would like to use it as a model to help my community especially the women and children.I would like to share more of the experiences am going through.Please keep up the good work.This is so informative
Patrick
Concern For Children and Women Empowerment(COFCAWE)
Oct 21, 2009
Hi i am a Cameroonian.i am very much interested in issues like this.i am very happy to come across such a Website.
The issue i wish to emphasis is that fundings for farmers especially small scale farmers are lacking,our government does not lay much importance on agriculture they are most concern about themselves.
We have a small group called GreenFarms C.I.G we be very happy to recieve information on organic farming and some support