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Understandingstructural changes in agriculture,

informing policy dialogue

Farmers’ Forum 23. Feb. 2012

IFAD Alexander Müller, FAO

World Agriculture Watch

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

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• Why WAW?

• Inform about WAW and other initiatives involving Farmers’ organizations

• How WAW could better serve farmers, agricultural policy makers?

Objectives of the side event

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

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16:30 Presentation of WAW• A. Müller, FAO• P. Caron, CIRAD

17:00 Panel presentations of ongoing initiatives involving Farmers’ organizations

• ROPPA• AFA• COPROFAM• C. Seré, IFAD

17:40 Open Discussions 18:20 Synthesis and conclusion

Organization

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

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• Wide diversity of agricultural systems with predominance of small holders and family farms

• Long-term ‘structural’ changes visible at farm level: size of holding, labor and inputs use, market and investment access, investment , non agricultural income etc.

• Differing implications - local to global:• Food & nutrition security; • Economic growth; Employment; cultural changes and

Heritage values• Natural resources (Land and water, BioDiversity, GHG)• Resilience to changes (CC adaptation, ..)

AG transformations: The Context

– 23rd February 2012

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Agricultural transformation is a GLOBAL phenomenonwith local consequences

social, economic and environmental

World Agriculture Watch – December 2011

6El Oued, ALGERIA

‘Ghout’ system• Small, 0.5ha basins, dug to GWL• Low maintenance, • Adapted to desertification• Family production – subsistence• Preserves agro-biodiversity

‘Modern’ practice• Irrigation• Large fields• Commercial oriented

production

Agricultural Transformation

Implications?• Incomes

• Water availability• Customary rights &

management• etc

7El Oued, ALGERIA

‘Ghout’ system• Small, 0.5ha basins, dug to GWL• Low maintenance, • Adapted to desertification• Family production – subsistence• Preserves agro-biodiversity

‘Modern’ practice• Irrigation• Large fields• Commercial oriented production

Implications?World Agriculture Watch – December 2011

Agricultural Transformation

8World Agriculture Watch – December 2011

Agricultural Transformation

Thika, KENYA

Agribusiness production• Higher input levels• Larger fields• Commercial oriented

production

Family farming• Lower input levels• Smaller fields• Some commercial production

Implications?• Employment• Environment

• Food security & nutrition• etc

FRANCE

Agricultural TransformationDecreasing number of farms, especially small farms

Implications?• Employment• Environment

• Territorial development

• etc

9World Agriculture Watch – December 2011

Why we need to know more about Agricultural Transformations

10WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

Why we need to know more about Agricultural Transformations

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1. Important implications for development goals – local to global

• Food security - MDG1, WFS including poverty and employment

• Environmental integrity – MDG7

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

Why we need to know more about Agricultural Transformations

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1. Important implications for development goals – local to global

• Food security - MDG1, WFS including poverty and employment

• Environmental integrity – MDG7

2. Polarized policy debates but complex and context-specific situations

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

Why we need to know more about Agricultural Transformations

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1. Important implications for development goals – local to global

• Food security - MDG1, WFS including poverty and employment

• Environmental integrity – MDG7

2. Polarized policy debates but complex and context-specific situations

3. Insufficient knowledge and capacities of stakeholders to Inform policy dialogue

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

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1. To understand the diversity of agricultural systems, structural changes and assess socio-economic and environmental implications

2. To improve multi-stakeholder planning and policy formulation related to agricultural transformation at local and international levels

Objectives of WAW

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

WAW Outputs: International

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1. A common framework to be used (after adaptation to local needs) by local observation units and partners to assess transformations through performances and evolutions of types of “farms”:• Livelihoods Approach ; Socio-economic and environmental indicators; • Scale: Production units to district level, markets, food systems• People centered; gender-sensitive; Local knowledge

2. Identify and characterize “hot spots” of transformations• Could include areas under large scale investments and systems at risks

3. World wide information platform• Information exchange; • Building common knowledge, • Comparative analyses

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

WAW Outputs at National level with a few supported “Local WAW”

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1. Strengthen Coordination • Build on existing institutions and information networks

2. Capacity development to support policy dialogue on transformations and their implications

3. Improved access to information products for different stakeholder needs:• Assessment reports• Policy options• Forecasts of possible crises • etc.

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

WAW: Key features1. Focus on diversity & structural changes in

agriculture for small to large scale systems, from farm to markets

2. Local observations

3. A common framework with socio-eco and environmental dimensions

4. Innovative inclusive approach, improving stakeholders’capacity including Farmers, to influence policy and planning processes linked to transformations

17WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

WAW and Farmers’ organizationsContext

• Important role of farmers’ organizations to improve policy effectiveness, notably to voice specific concerns and interests

• Calls of FO to better understand and recognize specific concerns of family agriculture International Year of Family Farming

• New forms of collaboration involving Farmers’ organizations needed to generate knowledge to inform policy

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WAW and Farmers’organizationsPossible roles of FO

• Multistakeholders’ involvement at different levels: – Governance: influence what to observe and which

indicators– Use of Farmers’ knowledge– Participation in the collective analysis and multi-

stakeholders dialogue to elaborate policy options – Synergies with existing observation systems led by

Farmers’ organizations

19WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

WAW and Farmers’organizationsBenefits expected

• Strengthened capacity to contribute to policy making process through:• Better awareness of performances of types of farms,

agricultural transformations, their impacts and possible policy options

• Reinforced capacities to generate knowledge on agricultural transformations (Training, tools and peer-to-peer exchanges)

• Participation to a forum for dialogue with different stakeholders on agricultural transformations

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Next steps1.Follow-up action needed by participants --

e.g. interest/commitments etc.

2.Stakeholders and experts meeting in March/ April 2012

• To refine the scope and method

• Consolidate governance and alliance

3.Selected pilot assessments in different regions of the world

WAW at Farmers’ Forum – 23rd February 2012

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THANK YOU

World Agriculture Watch

World Agriculture Watch – 25 November 2011