Moderators Summary - Food Security on 9th April 2003 - Communication - By Bruno Tran

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Dear Food Security e-Forum Participants,

Another area that I'd like to suggest, for further discussion, is communication. This has been introduced already by many of you:
- Ernest Molua (University of Buea, Cameroun) states that the challenge is for more produce to reach the market & be consumed (as opposed to being lost), and for increased adoption of existing technologies.

- Francis Mathooko (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya) laments that "nobody bothers to know after this achievement [the development of technologically advanced crops] what happens to the product"

- Eunice Obamiro (IITA, Ibadan) touches on the same subject, when writing
that the impact assessment of an innovation is as important as its discovery. Eunice concludes by suggesting that scholarship programmes between Africa and Europe, collaborative work, conferences and seminars are needed to disseminate research results and information.

- Trust Beta (University of Manitoba and co-moderator of the Agro-Food Enterprises e-Forum) calls for all to "work tirelessly in building superior communication strategies that will ensure that we tap into all channels necessary to address food insecurity. [she] believes there is a chasm in our current communication strategies that we need to bridge before food access becomes a reality to million of people."

- Mercy Ekop (FUSD Foundation, Ibadan) calls for the application of advances form other areas of research to the traditional fields of food security, following a bottom up approach, "[...] new technologies should be built on existing indigenous knowledge and culture.". Mercy also describes in detail a workshop where communication between participants was seen as a central asset.

- Obot Ekop (Merbot Consult Intl Ltd, Ibadan) resonates with the previous call, offering that "to enhance adoption, the smallholder must be part and parcel of the processes of conception, research and implementation".

- Inuwa Usman (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria) develops this further and points the finger at approaches "thought to be good without proper understanding of the farmer and his environment"

- Dave Harcourt (co-moderator of the Agro-Food Enterprises e-Forum) has asked for input on a number of questions, including ".. is there accurate and diverse information on actual wastage [...] .. has sufficient information been provided to the farmer to help them avoid gluts [...]"

- Gina Kennedy (FAO, Rome) has provided us with an excellent start-up list of resources on indigenous knowledge, available globally, on the web. Dave
Harcourt has already added more.. Who is next?

- Margaret Powell (ICOSAMP, South Africa)has offered to us the exciting example of the Icosamp project, which compiles and makes available on the web, information on migrant pest in southern Africa.. in real time.

- Mohammadou Mohammadou emphasised the hope for processing technologies,
existing in some countries, that could be imported and spread in towns and villages.

- Peter Belton (UEA, UK) offered conclusions from a meeting in South Africa
which included "One of the important issues must be to get all the actors [...] working together with the participants of the value food chain in food production"

And there are more contributions with relevance to the subject of communications...

I would like to request your thoughts on the issue, and will start by asking a few questions (they are not exhaustive):

- Communication is a two-way process. Each actor in the process listens and talks.. Have you got examples of such a process at work, in your specific area of food security? Examples where this happens and examples where only 1 actor does all the talking..

- Where are the "pinch points" in our communication processes:
. at the local level, between farmers and development agents?
. at the regional level, between agencies (NGOs, researchers, ministry staff..)
. at the national level, between comparatively richer and poorer regions?
between ministries?
. Internationally, do we share our results appropriately?
I believe these questions are rather loaded, because communication at all these levels should be improved!

- What can we do to improve those levels where we work? I am talking about simple, positive steps that we can take ourselves, as well as major recommendations to organisations and individuals who can influence..

- Does anyone share with me the belief that communication (at all these levels) is where we can make the most effective progress? Should we mainline this, in Food Security? In development? Do we need to learn more on communication, do we need to develop our communication skills?

Thank you.. and I wonder...
Did I manage to make myself clear? Did I communicate effectively?

Bruno Tran
Moderator

Moderators Summary - Food Security on 8th April 2003
Trade and (for?) Food Security - By Bruno Tran

Dear Participants of the Food Security e-Forum,

I believe that some additional areas for discussions have emerged from previous postings. One is on Trade.

There has been a series of reference to trade in contributions from several participants. I offer below my reading of these submissions (with my most
sincere apologies if I misrepresent any):

- Gina Porter (Durham University, UK), who argues that we must understand better the complex formal and informal marketing systems at work in SSA. Gina then moves on discussing the role of traders in social development which ultimately is linked to food security. Finally, Gina points to the urban setting, and its specificity, concluding that traders are to be considered as partners and key players.

- Anselm Enete (Leuven University, Belgium) puts forward the opinion that
traders' role in the food system increases farmers wealth and food security
generally, limiting wastage, improving food safety and quality.

- Cecilia Scurrah-Erhart (University of California, US) asked whether there
are examples of intermediaries and/or enterprises involved in food distribution and whose impact on farmers and consumers have been demonstrably positive.

- Dave Harcourt (SAFPP, South Africa) reminded us of the links between this
discussion line and the Agro-Food e-Forum. He also questioned the positive
impact that traders would have on small-scale farmers.

- Pete Golob (UK) offered us his "controversial" view on Food Security, based on many years of experience gathered whilst working for NRI, resolutely based on the necessity to buy food as well as grow it. Putting the emphasis indirectly on trade and traders, Pete argues that families must develop income sources, to complement the food they grow, especially in times of shortage.

- Asia Kapande (TAHEA, Tanzania) appears to suggest that governments regulation should favour large scale farming, with a view to increase production.

I am convinced that many of us will want to develop these issues related to trade. My question to the colleagues mentioned above, and all otherparticipants is this: the current credo, from the World Bank, the IMF and most other donors, is that free trade and free market, the pursuit by individuals and enterprises of financial wealth is the way forward, the recipe for development. Is it everyone's belief that this is correct,
That this will provide universal food security and that this is the only model for development?

(I suggest that replies and follow-up questions are posted to our Food Security e-Forum as well as the Agro-food enterprises forum)

Bruno Tran
Moderator