It ~- Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2011
FinancialVangu ~S_mallholder·--:farmers -important
eradicating hunger, poverty Stories by Jimob BababUlde
T
he President of the Global Development rogram at the Bill & relinda Gates oundation, Sylvia 'athews Burwell, has ~vealed that lDallholder farmers ave a massive role to lay in eradicating ; unger and poverty if lade more productive. Delivering a keynote ddress at the justDncluded conference . Leveraging gricuJture lor f1proving NulIilion and fealth organised by the ~ternational Food Policy D
esearch Institute in lew Delhi, India, she isclosed that threeuarters of the world's Dorest peol.'le get their lod and lDcome by Irming small plots of jnd. "If we
can make ;nallholder farmers lore productive and lore profitable, we can ave a massive impact n hunger, poverty, and utrition. "A!;lriculture and utntion are part of a trtuous cycle. Not only oes increasing gricultural productivity nprove the health of rnallholder farmers trough better nutrition, ut healthier nallholder farmers are iSO more productive, iving them the l>portunity to grow lore food, earn more Icome, and contribute • further economic rowth. while She said
agriculture alone cannot defeat under-nutrition, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation they believeagric.ulture can play a muchbkrger role than it has fleen in improving the diets of the world's poorest families. Burwell said it is not a surprise that a recent study shows that countries which pursue pro-agriculture policies have faster reductions in their stunting rates. "Agricultural productivitr has not only raised lDcomes, it has also reduced food prices, makinv. it easier for the world s poorest peoJ.lle to feed their families. Burwell added "decisively combating under-nutrition will require contributions from the fields of agriculture, health, water and sanitation, education, and social protection. It is my hope that this conference will foster greater collaboration between our areas of expertise and help us find solutions to the world's nutrition challenges." She explained that it's not enough for people to just increase the quantity of food available to the world's most· vulnerable communities, especially women and children, that there is need to improve the quality of their diets by ensuring they have access to diverse, nutritious foods. "Over two billion people in the world still suffer from poor nutrition. Each year,
in
Burwell
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°Bhuriyabas villagers who have taken lessons in livestock production from an NGO, lbtada, promol-
ing agriculture. more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die unnecessarily because of lack of key nutrients in their diets." She said many countries with impressive gains in agricultur,al and economic growth have not experienced the full benellts of improved nutrition. "India's tremendous economic achievements and dramatic increases in food production, for example, have not allowed it to break free from the challenges of chronic under-nutrition and malnutrition among its poorest citizens. India is home to one-
third 01 the world's undernourished children. Undernutrition is also widespread among India's adults too. " Burwell said at the Gates Foundation that ther are working to realISe agriculture's full potential to help overcome nutrition challenges. "We are supporting a !lame-changing effort to lDcrease the levels of vitamin A, zinc, and iron in staple crops widely grown and consumed by the poor. She added that they know that more nutritious crops are only beneficial if the world's poorest farming families have enough land and
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'>h''!lJ<ruel1 Fan, Director-General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRIj; M. S. Swaminathan, Oak in Ecotechnology and Michael Rubinstein at the conference on "Leveraging Agriculture for 7lproving Nutrition and Health" held in New De1hi, India Jast week.
support to grow them. "That's why we are working with Landesa, an organisation securing land rights for the world's poorest families, to give women farmers access to land and training to help them grow nutritious foods to feed their families. ':At' ihe same time, we recognize there's a lot we still don't know about
the links between agriculture and nutrition. To better understand why high levels of malnutntion in India persist despite sustained economic and agricultural growth, we have teamed up with the International Food Policy Research Institute to explore the links between agriculture and nutrition."
Farmers warned against farming on forest reserve institutions had been haji Alhassan alerted on the invasion Saidu, the of the reserve by ecretary, Suru farmers. Local Government Reacting to the Council of Kebbi State, warning, Alhaji Musa has warned farmers not Babale, a resident of the to farm in the Bamarejo area, said it was Forest Reserve. intended to avert Saidu, who gave the frequent clashes. warning on Thursday in between farmers and Dakingari, headquarters cattle rearers. He, however, urged of the council, said that anyone caught fanning the local government on the forest reserve authority to find would be prosecuted. alternative land for He said the reserve fanners. was solely earmarked for He said that farmers grazing cattle, adding who had been flood that the warning was disaster victims in recent necessary to prevent a times were compelled to clash between farmers utilise the reserve for and herdsmen. farming due to the He noted that the situation they found reserve is the property of themselves in. the council, adding that "Many of our parents it was earmarked. as and grandparents. had cattle route am~ g~azlDg:;.; -em~tat:eti farming' ~dr'.·: land in the state's' bye->:'~ili-yhhil:' and.:.>'ltny:~ laws. :: "::4~ibn~opreveptthem, Accordmg to the' from' planting on any secret~ry, the st~te land may render them authonhes, secunty jobless and hungry" agencies and traditional Babale said. '
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