Tag: agriculture

As the debate on the national Indian Food Security Bill reaches parliament, Oxfam India Program Officer Rebecca S. David outlines the benefits of such policies in one state in Central India.

At a public hearing organized by Oxfam and the State Right to Food Network Sonkali, a widowed mother and landless labourer, told people how she lost her only sense of security – a ration card entitling her to food subsidies through the state government’s Public Distribution System (PDS).

Over the last few years, Oxfam has uncovered more and more about the extent and impact of land grabbing in the countries where we work. When the speed and scale of this phenomenon became clear, we knew we had to act. We strongly believe that the World Bank is in a unique position to change the rules of the game, which is why we are asking them to lead the way in changing how agricultural land is bought and sold in the developing world.

The consumer is king in agriculture. Until aware consumers change their behaviour, the smallholder farmer will get good words, symbolic gestures, and little else. Consumers need to meet producers halfway by paying a fair price and sharing the risk.

By Sonali Bisht, founder of INHERE (India)

The future has arrived, it’s just not at the scale required. The spread of bottom-up approaches to farmer innovation, coupled with breakthrough technology developed by input companies, will make smallholders productive and profitable. Crucially, new technologies must be accessible, appropriate and affordable.

By Kavita Prakash-Mani, Head of Food Security Agenda, Syngenta International