VijaySrinivas (India)

AndriusKulikauskas December 3, 2009 12:05 CET Chat:

VijaySrinivas: Andrius, in simple terms, I want to be an enabler for people across the world to solve their diverse problems. :: from food, water to education and livelihoods :: I told Pam that I wanted to do something in FOOD SECURITY :: Do u think worknets and Dadamac can work together on issues like food security and livelihoods :: right now i am working on a project that monitors air and water quality in Indian cities and towns :: the idea of this project is to empower citizens with crucial information about air and water quality (24x7)

An Indian NGO called Pradan is organising a one-day Workshop titled "Workshop on System of Crop Intensification", under the aegis of the National Resource Centre for Rural Livelihoods in Pradan and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. The workshop is being held on December 23, 2009 at the Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses, New Delhi.

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has been popularised in India over the last 6 years or so and has shown immense potential in enhancing the productivity of small and marginal farms. Farmers, Research Institutes, Agriculture Universities and Departments have been working in earnest to promote SRI in different parts of the country. Drawing on the fundamental principles of SRI, the technology is being gradually extended by practitioners and researchers to other crops as well, albeit in a limited manner. As a result technologies for wheat (SWI), sugarcane (SIS) and millets intensification (SMI) have come to light.

Apart from outperforming conventional methods of cultivation in terms of output, SRI is cost effective and ensures the optimal use of water in drier regions. The promise of this technology to address issues of rainfed regions is best displayed by its resilience to erratic and delayed monsoons, as noticed in the Kharif of 2009. It is in this regard that the National Resource Centre for Rural Livelihoods (NRCRL) in PRADAN, along with the Aga Khan Foundation, India (AKFI) and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), is organising a one day Workshop on the System of Rice Intensification in Delhi on 23rd December, 2009.

The purpose of the Workshop is to bring together experiences from various stakeholders as to how SRI has fared this year (Kharif agricultural season in India). The Workshop would look at how the technologies can be modified / improved to achieve better results. The Workshop will also attempt to outline the policy support required for the systems of crop intensification, particularly rice, to become part of the mainstream agriculture extension system, so that issues of food security for poor communities can be better addressed.

By sharing your experiences and learning at the Workshop participants can enrich the discussion at hand.

For further details please write to [email protected]

SteveBosserman (Columbus, Ohio)

SteveBosserman: What can I do with others to advance social justice in the world by experimenting with social system rules that distribute influence more equitably among members and offer them a wider range of choices? The metric for me is food security and safety. If people don't have a steady supply of affordable, healthy food, then there is no social justice.

SteveBosserman, December 4, 2009: I saw the posting about Vijay and food security. That's what triggered my curiosity about the chat room. :: We're starting the process of going for another USDA grant to advance local food systems and local economies. We will target social justice issues such as access and affordability of food. :: We're going to make it an open proposal, as much as we can. :: It will be posted publicly on localfoodsystems.org. :: I'll post a link on the Social Ag site here to trigger awareness and invite others to take a look and participate as they would like. :: This one could be a big deal given the rising concerns in the US over a jobless recovery, foreclosures, unemployment, and urban blight (David is a good example of the kind if social issues we are encountering in nearly every city). :: Of possible interest, we are pursuing an aggressive asset mapping process so people in a locality know where their assets and resources are and are better prepared to make good decisions about their use and application without dependence on others who are far away, don't know, and don't really care.

AboutThisPage

• EndeavorLeader=VijaySrinivas
• EndeavorTeam=AndriusKulikauskas
• EndeavorSummary=Do something in food security that links the efforts of Dadamac and MinciuSodas.
• GrowerInvestigation=Might we engage Steve regarding what we might do for food security?
• TaskUpdated=20091207
• TaskToDo=Share Steve's chat and Vijay's post from the wiki page.

Comments

VijaySrinivas, December 4, 2009: Greetings to my friends in worknets. I am a journalist and communications professional based in New Delhi, INDIA. Since May 2009, I have been slowly transitioning from the world of media to the development sector. My areas of interest are environment, food security, water, livelihoods and community health. But of these areas, food security is the one I want to know more about. I am concerned about it because for me, quite simply, this is the building block of human life. No food, no life. And the way things are going, I think food is on it way to becoming the next shortage item after water. The basic reason for this group is to learn and share with the community here on the ways to enhance food security for everyone in this world. Food security, as I see it, is less about getting the food on our tables every day and night, and more about making the farmer secure about his job of growing food for us.

I am pasting what I wrote on Dadamac.net on The Future of Farmer and Food. Here goes:

The more I read about the farm sector, the sadder I feel about the farm community across the world--more so in developing countries.

As the global population surges by a few billions over the next few decades, farmers are going to face more pressure than ever to produce food in the face of challenges like climate change, shrinking agricultural labour (caused by movement of people from villages to cities), and shortage of land to till.

In a recent article, Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, said as the rural and farm population got reduced, agriculture would increasingly become more capital- and knowledge- intensive to produce more and higher quality food for bigger and richer urban populations.

While much of the new investments, he said, would come from the private sector and farmers themselves, a substantial sums of public money must be spent on infrastructure, technology, education and extension systems.

Another interesting article by emeritus Indian scientist M S Swaminathan says the media has a crucial role to play in revitalising agriculture by reporting on issues impacting farmers and their livelihoods.

Professor Swaminathan, regarded by many as the pioneer of India's green revolution in the 1960s, adds that media has to take care not to lose focus of the small farmer.

I am not too sure how much of the big media would like to pay heed to his words.

But I still see a silver lining skirting the dark clouds. Since a lot of the next revolution will be propelled by education and technology, organisations in the ICT (information, communication and technology) space, in tandem with research institutions, have a wonderful opportunity to create new avenues to train the farming community on better use of seeds, water and irrigation.

To me, the biggest theme of the next few decades will be to keep the farmer and his family happy in their homes, fields and villages.