{"id":771,"date":"2021-03-15T09:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T09:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.one\/blog-usos\/?p=771"},"modified":"2023-08-29T14:32:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T14:32:40","slug":"sustainable-agrifood-systems-a-transformation-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/global-pen-friends\/sustainable-agrifood-systems-a-transformation-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable agrifood systems: a transformation challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Correspondence between\u00a0MR\u00a0<\/strong>(researcher at Universidad Centroamericana \u2013 Managua) and\u00a0Serge Mukotanyi Mugisho<\/strong> (chercheur \u00e0 l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Bukavu). For security reasons, the name of the student from Nicaragua was anonymised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Serge,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is an honour to start our communication in this Global Pen Friends\ninitiative with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to share some reflections on the topic of agrifood systems with\nyou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its origins, humanity has taken care of basic needs, such as food.\nIn recent decades, society estimated that only through monocultures and\ntransnational companies would we be able to produce enough food to feed the\nworld\u2019s population. However, the situation has not been satisfactory as is\nreflected in the data presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the\nUnited Nations (FAO, 2019), which states that \u2018in Latin America and the\nCaribbean there are 39 million people suffering from undernourishment\u2019. In\nother words, strategies must be expanded to achieve the Sustainable Development\nGoals on zero hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, addressing food and nutritional security involves a\ncomprehensive analysis of different components, such as availability, access,\nconsumption and biological utilization of food, with the purpose of finding good\nstrategies to mitigate the effects of food crises and assist vulnerable\npopulations. According to the World Food Programme (WFP, 2019), \u2018food\ninsecurity is higher in the most fragile and degraded environments, susceptible\nand exposed to natural disasters and recurrent crises\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this sense, climate change has both direct and indirect effects that\nharm agricultural productivity, including changes in rainfall patterns,\ndroughts, floods and the geographic redistribution of pests and diseases (FAO,\n2015). This indicates greater pressure for farming families and indigenous\ncommunities that mainly cultivate land for self-sustenance. It should be\nrecognized that the basis of the global agrifood system is the men and women\nwho produce food and, due to the consequences of climate change, they are the\nmost affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most vulnerable people in the world live in these\nenvironments, with little water and biodiversity. This problem is especially\nnoticeable in the case of the Central American Dry Corridor (ADC), where there\nare indicators that heatwaves are getting longer, aridity is rising and extreme\nevents are becoming more frequent (Calvo, Quesada, Hidalgo, and Gotlieb, 2018).\nCentral America has been historically affected by extreme hydrometeorological\nevents, with droughts being one of the phenomena that has left the agricultural\nsector with the greatest losses, compromising the population\u2019s access to safe\nand nutritious food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Figure 1 Geographical delimitation of the Central American Dry Corridor according to CCAD (2011). San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica. 2017 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the same time as this significant exposure to extreme events, the majority of the Central American population involved in the primary sector (producers, livestock farmers, family farmers and actors related to regional\/rural development) do not have access to technologies that allow them to diversify production methods and enter the international market and the current development model (Calvo, Quesada, Hidalgo, and Gotlieb, 2018). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Figure 2 Dry conditions of staple crops, corn and beans <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then, if we take a look at the impact of monocultures, it is evident\nthat they no longer respond to the quality of food production that guarantees\nstable nutrition and natural resource protection. Silvetti and Caceres (2015)\nmention that these extractive activities \u2018have implied private appropriation of\nnatural capital and the possibilities of social reproduction of the peasantry\u2019.\nFurthermore, the advance of the agricultural frontier has generated changes in\nland use and losses in biodiversity and in the productive capacity of soils,\nwhich compromises the continuity of ecosystems and food production. As a\nresult, farmers who produce traditional foods for the domestic market are being\ndisplaced by agribusiness. Unfortunately, these problems only occupy a marginal\nplace on the government agenda and many farmers are forced to migrate.\nAdditionally, there are negative effects on public health, due to the\ndependence on high chemical inputs in crops, which are dispersed in the water,\nair and soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all these reasons, it is pertinent to question whether agriculture pursues fair and complementary integration. Based on this, we must innovate to make sustainable crop opportunities a more tangible option; that is, a holistic approach as put forward by FAO (2013) to promote climate-smart agriculture (CSA). CSA has a broad perspective because it \u2018aims to enhance the capacity of agricultural systems to support food security, and to incorporate the need for adaptation and mitigation opportunities into sustainable agricultural development strategies\u2019. Furthermore, CSA \u2018recognizes that the realization of the options will depend on the context and capacity of each country, as well as their access to more complete information, harmonization of policies, coordination of institutional arrangements, and flexibility of incentives and financial mechanisms\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Figure 3 Visiting rural communities in the Central American Dry Corridor (Matagalpa, Nicaragua) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I recognize that CSA is the theory of the complete organization of agricultural systems. However, the shift towards socially just, economically viable and environmentally safe agriculture must be the result of social actions in both the rural sector and in an alliance with urban organizations. Some examples of these actions include shifting towards low-carbon solutions, implementing renewable energy, optimizing irrigation water, integrated pest management, livelihood diversification, making better decisions about agriculture and land management with improved data and climate information and greening value chains from farms to urban areas, among other solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, the benefits of production with a focus on food sovereignty and local consumption should be disseminated to the general public, with the participation of the young and adult consumers as a measure of resilience to climate change and extractivism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, climate change shows the vulnerabilities of the agrifood\nsystem and at the same time increases them to a greater extent. It is not\nenough to be highly productive at the cost of excessive exploitation. The good\nmanagement of food sources as suggested in the CFS proposal, which involves\nguidelines such as updated climate-conscious policies, technical support and\nmanagement tools, empowerment of local communities and innovative financing\noptions, will make it possible to make climate-smart agriculture a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this first letter, I reach out to you Serge, hoping to know your point\nof view on this very urgent topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best regards<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MR
22-FEB-2021, Managua<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tr\u00e8s ch\u00e8re MR,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

En me r\u00e9f\u00e9rant \u00e0 la situation de mon pays et \u00e0 votre correspondance,\nvoici mon point de vue sur le syst\u00e8me agroalimentaire durable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Au cours des \u00e2ges, l\u2019agriculture s\u2019est d\u00e9velopp\u00e9e par la mise en \u0153uvre de techniques culturales adapt\u00e9es aux contraintes naturelles et aux possibilit\u00e9s des hommes. Les effets combin\u00e9s de la d\u00e9gradation des sols (accentu\u00e9e par le relief et le climat), de la croissance d\u00e9mographique et de l\u2019utilisation de techniques traditionnelles de production constituent des contraintes r\u00e9elles \u00e0 la production alimentaire. C\u2019est ainsi que plusieurs populations dans le monde ne parviennent pas \u00e0 satisfaire leurs besoins primaires d\u2019alimentation et que les populations de la plupart des pays en voie de d\u00e9veloppement vivent dans l\u2019ins\u00e9curit\u00e9 alimentaire. C\u2019est ce que rapportent les donn\u00e9es pr\u00e9sent\u00e9es par la FAO (2019) comme elles ont \u00e9t\u00e9 cit\u00e9es dans la correspondance de MR.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo (RDC), comme d\u2019autres pays\nafricains, est en train de subir les effets combin\u00e9s des crises alimentaires et\nfinanci\u00e8res internationales, mais dans un contexte particulier qui d\u00e9coule \u00e0 la\nfois de sa longue histoire de crise multiforme et de la sp\u00e9cificit\u00e9 de ses\ncontradictions internes lorsqu\u2019on consid\u00e8re l\u2019\u00e9cart \u00e9norme observ\u00e9 entre les\npotentialit\u00e9s et les performances de l\u2019\u00e9conomie nationale. En effet, ce pays est\nreconnu mondialement d\u00e9tenir une capacit\u00e9 extraordinaire qui permettrait de\nnourrir plus de deux milliards et demi de personnes, si on utilisait\nsuffisamment d\u2019intrants, toutefois il connait aujourd\u2019hui des difficult\u00e9s\ncroissantes \u00e0 nourrir ses soixante-dix millions d\u2019habitants (Nkulu et Ngulungu,\n2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u2019autre part, l\u2019agriculture essentiellement pluviale et l\u2019\u00e9levage bas\u00e9\nsur la disponibilit\u00e9 naturelle des ressources pastorales (eau et p\u00e2turages),\nt\u00e9moignent de la vuln\u00e9rabilit\u00e9 croissante du secteur rural face au changement\nclimatique avec l\u2019irr\u00e9gularit\u00e9 des pluies et leur mauvaise r\u00e9partition dans le\ntemps et dans l\u2019espace. A cause de ces drames, le nombre annuel de crises alimentaires\nen Afrique a tripl\u00e9 entre les ann\u00e9es 1980 et 2000. La s\u00e9cheresse a diminu\u00e9 les\nr\u00e9serves d\u2019eau r\u00e9duisant la productivit\u00e9 de la r\u00e9colte. L\u2019ensemble a conduit \u00e0\nune famine, comme en Afrique de l\u2019Est. Ce sont les petits exploitants qui sont\nles plus frapp\u00e9s par ces ph\u00e9nom\u00e8nes, (ICPAC et <\/em>SEI, 2009).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La vraie question est alors de savoir ce qu\u2019il faudrait faire pour\nlutter contre cette crise, dans le monde en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral et en RDC en\nparticulier ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u2019une mani\u00e8re g\u00e9n\u00e9rale, la r\u00e9ponse \u00e0 cette question est le d\u00e9veloppement\nd\u2019un syst\u00e8me agroalimentaire durable. Cependant, le d\u00e9veloppement de ce syst\u00e8me\nvarie d\u2019un milieu \u00e0 l\u2019autre et d\u2019un contexte \u00e0 l\u2019autre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les propositions faites par MR (r\u00e9incorporer le mod\u00e8le des bonnes pratiques agricoles avec optimisation des ressources, agriculture socialement juste, \u00e9conomiquement viable et respectueuse de l\u2019environnement etc.) restent des bases th\u00e9oriques qui n\u00e9cessitent une praticit\u00e9 pour \u00eatre valable. \u00a0Un ancien auteur (Olufemi et\u00a0al.,\u00a0<\/em>1988) propose m\u00eame une \u00e9limination progressive de la crise alimentaire qui devrait passer par l\u2019accroissement de la capacit\u00e9 productive de l\u2019agriculture, notamment des cultures vivri\u00e8res, dont l\u2019insuffisance en quantit\u00e9 et en qualit\u00e9 affecte n\u00e9gativement la satisfaction des besoins alimentaires en Afrique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ces propositions peuvent en effet fonctionner dans certains contextes\nmais pour mon pays, la RDC, par exemple, ce grand pays au milieu de l\u2019Afrique qui\na la possibilit\u00e9 de presque tout produire et dans lequel certaines de ces\npratiques sont mises en \u0153uvre, demeure parmi les pays dont la population ne\nparvient pas satisfaire ses besoins alimentaires et pour lesquels quelques\nfacteurs aggravants seraient \u00e0 la base de la d\u00e9t\u00e9rioration de la s\u00e9curit\u00e9\nalimentaire -il s\u2019agit notamment de : (1) l\u2019incidence de la pauvret\u00e9 qui touche\npr\u00e8s de 65% de m\u00e9nages ruraux, (2) la chute de la production agricole locale,\n(3) le d\u00e9placement interne d\u2019environ 3,7 millions de personnes, (4) la\nd\u00e9pr\u00e9ciation de la monnaie nationale face \u00e0 la devise am\u00e9ricaine et (5) la\nperte du pouvoir d\u2019achat des m\u00e9nages due au taux de ch\u00f4mage \u00e9lev\u00e9 et surtout \u00e0\nl\u2019inflation r\u00e9sultant de la cause pr\u00e9c\u00e9dente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le d\u00e9veloppement d\u2019un syst\u00e8me agroalimentaire durable tient donc compte\nde l\u2019\u00e9volution \u00e9conomique et surtout politique de chaque r\u00e9gion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ainsi, plusieurs pistes de solutions peuvent \u00eatre envisag\u00e9es pour\nassurer ce d\u00e9veloppement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Former la\npopulation rurale aux bonnes pratiques agricoles et \u00e0 une agriculture raisonn\u00e9e\net am\u00e9liorer son niveau de vie : les agriculteurs locaux produisent\nmais souvent leur production est une production vivri\u00e8re. La formation va\naugmenter leurs capacit\u00e9s et va permettre l\u2019augmentation de la production, le\nsurplus pourrait ainsi \u00eatre valoris\u00e9 et vendu, ce qui permettrait\nl\u2019am\u00e9lioration du niveau de vie. Ceci peut \u00eatre fait mais si le r\u00e9seau de vente\nn\u2019est pas efficient, le surplus sera perdu et, dans un m\u00eame pays, on produira\nmais une certaine partie de la population n\u2019aura pas acc\u00e8s \u00e0 cette production.\nC\u2019est le cas dans ma province, le Sud-Kivu, o\u00f9, dans certains villages, la\nproduction est bonne mais le r\u00e9seau routier n\u2019est pas d\u00e9velopp\u00e9, ainsi la ville\nreste moins approvisionn\u00e9e d\u2019une part et le niveau de la population rurale\nreste bas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. La proposition de MR reste valable pour palier la chute de production\u00a0: un changement vers une agriculture socialement juste, \u00e9conomiquement viable et respectueuse de l\u2019environnement,\u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. L\u2019adaptation\n\u00e9cologique (changement climatique), politique et \u00e9conomique : une\nadaptation aux effets du changement climatique, par exemple produire en\nutilisant moins d\u2019eau (syst\u00e8me de riziculture intensive). La vie politique du pays a\nun impact sur la production locale et par cons\u00e9quent sur la s\u00e9curit\u00e9\nalimentaire. L\u2019agriculture est une branche importante de l\u2019\u00e9conomie.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Cordialement<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Serge Mukotanyi Mugisho
    28-FEV-2021, Bukavu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dear Serge,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I hope everything is going well. Thank-you for your reply, in which you provided\nrelevant data from your country. Here, I want to share with you some thoughts that\narise from our first correspondence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Evidently, developing countries (such as Nicaragua and the Democratic\nRepublic of Congo) have a high vulnerability index in food insecurity, mainly\naffected by poverty and the climate crisis. I very much agree with your\napproach to \u2018the development of a sustainable agrifood system [which] takes\ninto account the economic and, above all, political evolution\u2019. On this point,\nI can comment that decision-making in our countries has many weaknesses; and\nwithout the political will for a sustainable agrifood system, it will be\ndifficult to change the situation of the general population. This does not mean\nthat nothing can be done, but rather that the work entails a change in social\npriorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That is why I agree with experts from different organizations who say\nthat these policies are urgently needed and that the importance of rural\nproduction must be revalued. For example, the IICA (2021) stated that, to\npromote the growth of agri-food systems in the region, sustainable and\ncomprehensive models are required, adjusted to local contexts, which promote\nintegrated water and soil management to increase resilience, productivity and\nprofitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Text
    Urban vegetable garden workshop<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Having an agricultural system with environmentally responsible policies\nthat promote justice and access to food as a right and not as a privilege,\nwould be a great benefit to our regions. It is very important that as young\npeople we reflect on this, and question the probable outcomes of actions that\nwe can take. Similarly, I agree with your ideas about the training of the rural\npopulation. I even dare to say that that we need training for the urban\npopulation as well, because a society that promotes a circular economy and\nsustainable agriculture strengthens us as a community. In the cities, we can adjust\nconsumption habits; for example, we can strengthen the marketing chains of\nlocal markets, the creation of gardens and optimization of resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It has been a pleasure to read your first response and share on such an important\ntopic. I look forward to your ideas in your next letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thank you for your time and I hope that your training projects continue\nwith a promising future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Kind regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    MR
    5-MARCH-2021, Managua<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tr\u00e8s ch\u00e8re\u00a0MR,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Je suis content de te lire \u00e0 nouveau et de voir le d\u00e9veloppement de tes\nid\u00e9es sur le syst\u00e8me agroalimentaire durable dans un contexte qui est le n\u00f4tre\n(le Nicaragua et la R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique du Congo).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dans cette correspondance, je vais beaucoup insister sur le changement des priorit\u00e9s sociales comme l\u2019a propos\u00e9 MR dans son texte. En effet, pour nourrir le monde entier, le continent (l\u2019Afrique ou l\u2019Am\u00e9rique), le pays etc. on doit commencer par nourrir une famille. En effet, le meilleur d\u00e9veloppement\u00a0du syst\u00e8me agroalimentaire doit passer par cette base avec une approche \u00ab\u00a0Bottom-up\u00a0\u00bb. Presque toutes les actions en premier lieu doivent toucher la base, l\u2019agriculture familiale, avec ensuite le d\u00e9veloppement d\u2019un syst\u00e8me de march\u00e9, de la transformation et apr\u00e8s le d\u00e9veloppement de l\u2019agriculture industrielle qui aura comme objectif d\u2019appuyer d\u2019abord la production locale et de d\u00e9velopper \u00e0 partir de cette derni\u00e8re une autonomisation g\u00e9n\u00e9rale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bref, chaque pays, chaque r\u00e9gion devrait trouver des r\u00e9ponses \u00e0\ncertaines questions sur la situation de son milieu, questions propos\u00e9es par\nl\u2019appel \u00e0 projet 2021 de la Fondation de France pour la promotion de\nl\u2019agriculture familiale dont certaines sont :<\/p>\n\n\n\n