Locally rooted: Ideas and initiatives from the field

By
23 September 2011

Regional food systems develop around the crops grown in a particular area. Yet other “ingredients” are also needed to help the different stakeholders connect to each other, whether these are other economic activities or alternative approaches. Here are just a few examples from different countries.


Brazil: Planning at the micro level

Many farmers who live in coastal areas are also involved in fishing. They provide a large proportion of the fish consumed inside their region and export quite some to other parts of the country, yet they are rarely seen as part of a food system (or as part of a value chain). Together with other organisations, the federal Ministry for Fish and Aquaculture (or MPA) has been working in Baixo Sul, in the state of Bahia, to explore how these activities can be strengthened, to the benefit of the local population and of the region’s food system as a whole.

MPA’s research has shown the importance of social networks: some of these are absent and others need to be strengthened. One of the recommendations of their investigation was to run micro-level participatory planning exercises, aiming at developing strong “micro-systems” in which fisherfolk are proud and active members.

More information?
Contact Tatiana Walter at the University of Rio de Janeiro.
Email: tatianawalter@gmail.com


Nepal: Trade and micro-enterprises

Humla, a district at the northwest edge of Nepal, has no motorable road connecting it to the rest of the country. Farmers grow maize, barley, potatoes, beans and several types of dry rice, but their total outputs are not enough to cover the needs of the population. Every year, for several months, most families depend on government subsidised rice. Yet there is clear potential to produce other crops which could help in the fight against malnutrition, or help farmers to increase their incomes.

Some villages, like Simikot, produce honey; others do well at growing apples, apricots and walnuts or naru (Strackeyi spp.), which is used to produce soap for which there is a large demand, inside and outside the district. Local development organisations are helping farmers set up small-scale industries so they can extract and market the kernel oils, and produce soaps. Equally important, they are also encouraging inter-village trade.

More information?
Contact Mukunda Bushal, in Chitwan, Nepal.
E-mail: omukunda@gmail.com


Malawi: New markets

Malawi has one of the lowest per capita consumption rates of milk and dairy products in Africa: just 5.5 litres of milk and dairy products per year (far less than the 200 litres/year recommended by international organisations). Yet different studies show that the traditional markets are saturated, and the local industries are imposing quotas on farmers so they limit their production levels.

The Shire Highland Milk Producers Association is developing an alternative approach to marketing which is helping farmers find new consumers in Blantyre, the capital of the Southern Region. Supa Cream Milk is a sales concept whereby young entrepreneurs can set up their own individual business unit as a “social franchise”. They rent the brand and equipment, and receive the necessary assistance to sell the association’s milk in the city’s informal markets. Having started with seven entrepreneurs, there are now more than 40 milk business-people involved, most of whom are women. These growth rates are showing that more and more milk is reaching the consumers.

More information?
Contact Wouter Verelst or Simeon Danger, marketing manager, at Supa Cream Milk.
E-mail: w_verelst@hotmail.com


Papua New Guinea: A stronger value chain

As in many other parts of the world, farmers in Papua New Guinea generally only develop “opportunistic relationships” with input suppliers, transporters, wholesalers and consumers, all of which are limited to a specific transaction or moment. As a result, they have little or no bargaining power, and no influence on the price they receive for their products.

One project aimed to increase vegetable production in the area around Port Moresby and to supply the markets in the country’s capital city. It started by getting stakeholders together and building linkages between them. This process, which aligned the expectations of consumers and suppliers, led to agreements about what crops to grow, the quantities to produce, and the frequency of supply.

Farmers in Rigo Koiari and Bautana, in the Central Province, are now growing these crops (which include tomatoes, capsicum, cabbages and many others). Greenfresh, the main commercial partner in the project, is helping these products reach the city by providing better transport and storage facilities.