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New Agriculturist - In print 10/5

The coming famine: The global food crisis and what we can do about it
By Julian Cribb
Published by University of California Press
Website: www.ucpress.edu
2010, 248pp, ISBN 978 0 52026 071 9(Hb), US$26
While debate continues on the imminence, causes and likely impacts of global
warming, and some sceptics continue to doubt the prospect absolutely, a more
immediate global crisis confronts mankind - famine on a scale not previously
experienced. The coming famine presents a tragedy unfolding over a mere
generation, and its author presents sobering data that cannot lightly be brushed
aside. Moreover, as Julian Cribb writes, "This will not be a single event affecting
all peoples equally at all times, but in one way or another it will leave no person
in the world untouched."
To meet growing demand, FAO estimates that food production will have to
increase 70 per cent by 2050. Yet currently, demand for food is rising two per
cent per year - a combination of continuing population growth and increasing
demand by growing middle class appetites for livestock products - while food
production lags at one per cent p.a.
However, with expanding megacities and industries demanding much increased
share of water, with oil production past its peak, and cities and leisure facilities
expanding over fertile land, farmers are faced with producing more with less. The
promise of further scientific advances through genetic modification have yet to be
fulfilled, and will have to offer (and quickly) plants that grow with less water, on
less fertile soils, and cope with rising temperatures that compromise seed-setting
in rice and other cereals.
To address the question of how the coming famine might be mitigated or avoided,
Julian Cribb points to three decades of complacency by aid donors and
governments that have believed the problems of feeding the world largely solved.
"The powerhouses of agricultural knowledge have turned away from agri-science
to pursue other technological El Dorados," he writes. "Between 1980 and 2006
the proportion of the world's aid budget spent on agriculture dwindled from 17 to
3 per cent."
Cribb also highlights wasteful use of irrigation water and of fertilisers, and he
questions how society can profess food shortages when up to a half of all food
grown is never consumed, but lost to pests, is discarded by graders who accept
only the most blemish-free for supermarket sale, and that disposed of by
consumers who buy and bin more than they need.
At a time of financial constraints, Cribb warns of the stark consequences of
continued lack of investment in agriculture since food insecurity invariably leads
to social instability, terrorism and even to war: "By neglecting or reducing support
for basic food production - as many have during the past 25 years - in order to
spread aid across equally deserving causes, the world's donors may
unintentionally have laid the foundations for future government failure and
conflict." In the words of a Spanish proverb quoted by Cribb, "Civilization and

anarchy are only seven meals apart." Admirable though it is to invest in health
and education, Cribb infers, such investment is forfeit if inadequate nutrition
undermines health, intellectual capacity and social stability.
The coming famine calls for urgent action on a number of fronts, not least in
research and the better communication of knowledge to producers, processors
and consumers. "For the twenty-first century we need a new model that invests a
dollar in knowledge sharing for every dollar in knowledge generation," Cribb
insists. And he proposes: "Those who profit most from food - the manufacturers
and supermarkets - should volunteer, or be required, to devote a slice of their
profits to the agricultural science and communication necessary to secure the
future of food supply. The sum required - US$145 billion for research and its
communication - is less than one-tenth of the annual global weapons budget."
Policymakers at the highest levels have the responsibility to take the decisions
that will see the world either fed or in hunger and turmoil in very few years. This
book is for them, for those who advise them, and for all concerned with feeding
the world.
Agricultural value chain finance: Tools and lessons
By Calvin Miller and Linda Jones
Published by FAO and Practical Action
Website: www.practicalactionpublishing.org.uk
2010, 192pp, ISBN 978 1 85339 702 8 (Pb), 19.95
In Kenya, smallholders growing fruit and vegetables for export can access funds
to buy agro-chemicals on the strength of their supply contract. Meanwhile, in
Tanzania, maize farmers depositing grain in a certified warehouse can obtain
loans, enabling them to purchase farm inputs at the right time, without having to
sell their crop when prices are low. Arrangements of these kinds, to provide
finance within agricultural value chains, are becoming increasingly common. And
for smallholders in the developing world, they are also essential, in the context of
a global food supply that is increasingly dominated by large-scale
agribusinesses.
This excellent and appropriately practical book, from Practical Action, offers a
global review of the approaches, tools and technologies used to provide finance
and finance-related support in developing world agriculture. Not all the
approaches are new, but the lessons and recommendations drawn from the
numerous case studies have much to offer. Introducing and adapting these
models will be critical over the coming decade, if the potential of agriculture as a
tool for development is to be realised. For those involved in agribusiness, farming
cooperatives, microfinance, as well as research and policy making, acquiring a
copy of Agricultural value chain finance will prove very worthwhile.
Food politics: What everyone needs to know
By Robert Paarlberg
Published by Oxford University Press
Website: www.oup.com
2010, 218pp, ISBN 978 0 19538 959 3(Pb), 9.99

What causes famines? Was the green revolution bad for the environment? Does
food aid create dependence or hurt farmers in recipient countries? Is the world
facing an obesity crisis? How do farm subsidies shape international agricultural
trade? Can genetically engineered foods help solve global hunger? These are
just some of the questions tackled by Robert Paarlberg in his bid to examine and
explain today's beliefs about farming and food in an effort to rebalance some of
the debates surrounding the politics of food.
With regard to the green revolution, Paarlberg is clearly an advocate and puts
much of its criticism down to "a wide-spread social suspicion, mostly among
nonfarmers, of any new technology that employs science to alter or dominate the
biology of traditional farming." He adds that despite hostility towards the green
revolution, especially among environmentalists in rich countries, the green
revolution "remains firmly established as the approach of choice among most
farmers and agricultural policy leaders."
At the same time, while he acknowledges some of the serious environmental
damage that has occurred as a result of increased use of fertilisers, pesticides
and irrigation, Paarlberg argues that not introducing high-yielding seeds would
have been much worse: "If India had relied on its traditional low-yield farming
techniques to achieve the production increase it needed during these decades of
rapid population growth, it would have had no choice but to cut more trees,
destroy more wildlife habitat, and plow up more fragile slowing and dryland soils."
By covering such hotly debated and complex subjects, some readers are likely to
disagree with his views or feel that the analysis is oversimplified. However, Food
politics is succinct, methodical in its approach and clearly written with little
technical jargon. As a result, this book will be of interest to those within the
development community and also the general public.
Biocultural diversity conservation: A global sourcebook
By Luisa Maffi and Ellen Woodley
Published by Earthscan
Website: www.earthscan.co.uk
2010, 282pp, ISBN 978 1 84407 921 6(Pb), 34.95
The importance of biodiversity in sustaining the natural ecosystems on which all
life depends, is being celebrated in this International Year of Biodiversity (2010).
But commitments to reduce biodiversity loss are proving difficult to meet, and a
major reason for this, suggest Maffi and Woodley, is the tendency for
development and conservation programmes to promote standardised
approaches that undermine cultural diversity and traditional knowledge. In other
words, biodiversity and cultural diversity are inextricably linked, and both need to
be supported if we are to have healthy ecosystems and better prospects for the
people who depend on them.
An excellent example from the many presented in this global sourcebook comes
from Kitui district in Kenya. Bottle gourds (<em style="">Lagenaria sicenaria)
have been cultivated here for over 10,000 years, with the hard-shelled fruit being
used for a plethora of purposes, including storage of liquids such as water, honey
and perfume. The spread of plastic containers placed both the plants and the

local knowledge connected with them at risk, but thanks to the work of a local
women's group, that trend has now been reversed. Through the creation of a
museum, seed collection and education centre, and activities such as seed fairs
and joint planting activities, people have rediscovered the value of the gourds.
This has led to increased income, better nutrition and closer community bonds.
Through such examples, the authors call for policies that value cultural diversity
and creativity, empowering people, rather than distancing them from the
knowledge and practices that have supported survival and adaptation over
generations.
Livestock sector policies and programmes in developing countries: A menu
for practitioners
By the Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative
Published by FAO
Website: www.earthprint.com
2010, 162pp, ISBN 978 9 25106 543 3(Hb), US$45 or free to download
Livestock contribute to the livelihoods of about 70 per cent of the world's rural
poor but livestock policies rarely favour poor smallscale farmers. To provide
policymakers and development practitioners with a broader perspective of
livestock and to help formulate more effective policies, more than 50 examples of
policies and programmes are reviewed and detailed in this Pro-Poor Livestock
Policy Initiative publication.
Practical guidelines and examples are presented in this user-friendly Menu,
providing an understanding of the multiple elements that are required to ensure
efficient and equitable livestock sector growth. Analysis of land tenure, insurance,
animal health, credit, marketing, trade, environment and research policies are
included with case studies drawn from more than 30 countries. Land titling in
Cameroon, fodder banks in Nigeria, community-based animal health workers in
Indonesia, livestock brokers in Sudan, mobile banks in Malawi, quarantine
facilities in Malaysia and participatory goat research in India are amongst some
of the examples included.
Guide for decision makers: For farmer organizations and exporters wishing
to export organic and fair-trade certified products
By Cora Dankers and Ellen Pay
Published by FAO
Website: www.fao.org/publications/en
2010, 81pp, 978 9 25106 581 5(Pb), free to download
Increasing demand for organic and fair-trade products offer opportunities for
small farmers in developing countries to increase their incomes and food
security. To help farmers groups and small exporters make the most of the
opportunities and overcome the challenges of entering these markets, the UN's
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has compiled this practical guide.
Drawing on lessons learned during a four-year project in West Africa, Guide for
decision makers addresses the process of exporting organic and fair-trade
certified products. The book begins by providing the reader with the tools to

evaluate their organisations' strengths and weaknesses, analyse the


opportunities and challenges presented by the market, and select the best type
of supply chain and certification scheme. Other modules include business
planning, financial management, training, certification and market research and
marketing.
Promising African plants: A selection from the PROTA programme
By PROTA Foundation
Published by PROTA Foundation/CTA
Website: www.prota.org
Database: database.prota.org/search.htm
2010, 169pp, ISBN 978 9 29081 434 4(Pb), US$42
The Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) programme, started in 2000, set
itself an ambitious target: to gather information on Africa's 7,000 useful plant
species, select the most promising and support their further research and use.
Ten years on, the PROTA database now contains information on over 2,000
plants - from cereals and vegetables, to medicinals, oils and timber - as
celebrated in this tenth anniversary publication.
Twenty five highly promising species have been chosen for the book, certainly
enough to whet the appetite of the researcher or student looking for a new
subject of study. Spiderplant (Cleome gynandra), for example, is found
throughout tropical Africa, and is used as food, medicine and insect-repellent.
When intercropped, it can protect cabbages from diamondback moths, and
French beans from thrips, and it has also been shown to repel and kill some
species of tick. Little work has yet been done on either plant breeding or
agronomy, but a pilot project in Kenya's Rift Valley province saw smallholders
increase their income from improved cultivation and marketing of the vegetable.
Other promising plants featured in the book include African eggplant, bambara
groundnut and the shea butter tree.
Making the most of agricultural investment: A survey of business models
that provide opportunities for smallholders
By Sonja Vermeulen and Lorenzo Cotula
Published by IIED and FAO
Website: www.iied.org/pubs
2010, 106pp, ISBN 978 1 84369 774 9(Pb), free to download
Renewed interest in agricultural investment has led to a rise in large-scale
acquisition of farmland and subsequently to heated debates over 'land-grabbing'.
But little attention has been paid to alternative, and more inclusive, business
models, such as contract farming schemes, joint ventures, management
contracts, and new supply chain relationships. To address this gap, Making the
most of agricultural investments examines a variety of business models and
considers their opportunities and constraints, and options for scaling up.
According to the authors, none of the business models reviewed emerged as the
best option in all circumstances for smallholder farmers, but the extent to which
an investment shared value with local smallholders was usually more important.

"Depending on its specific terms, contract farming may be a vehicle for providing
support and improving market access for smallholders - or an exploitative
relationship where smallholders are effectively providers of cheap labour, and
expected to carry production risks," the authors explain.
The report does not imply that the alternative business models are preferable to
large-scale plantations in all cases. "In some instances, plantations may be the
best option for the investor, host country and the local community," the report
states. "For example, in areas with very low population densities and little local
capacity to engage in agricultural production, it may be difficult to establish
business models that include local ownership and operation." But the authors
observe that many countries are seemingly approving plantation-based projects
without recognising alternatives.
In order for more inclusive business models to work, the authors state that the
willingness of companies to genuinely engage with these models is a key
ingredient. Government policy, secure local land rights and the negotiating power
of smallholders are also important. Moving forward, the report calls for a more
thorough understanding of inclusive business models, national policies and
programmes to promote and support these models, and action at the
international level to minimise negative impacts and maximise opportunities for
smallholder farmers.
Dead planet, living planet: Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration for
sustainable development
Edited by Christian Nellemann
Published by UNEP and GRID-Arendal
Website: www.earthprint.com/productfocus.php?id=3861
2010, 109pp, ISBN 978 8 27701 083 0(Pb), US$30 or free to download
Mankind's health and survival are inextricably linked to the health and survival of
ecosystems, from forests and freshwater to coral reefs and soils. Indeed, it is
estimated - perhaps somewhat bizarrely - that ecosystems deliver essential
services worth over US$72 trillion each year, comparable to World Gross
National Income. Birds and bees pollinate a wide range of crops, mangroves
protect coastal communities and provide nurseries for aquatic life, savannah
grasslands support wild and domestic grazing animals and the oceans are an
important source of food. Yet so many ecosystems have been damaged or
destroyed by careless and unsustainable exploitation.
This colourful and informative paperback documents over 30 successful case
studies of ecosystem restoration ranging from deserts and rainforests to rivers
and coasts. It also provides a useful glossary of terminology, acronyms and
details of the many contributors and reviewers. What Dead planet, living planet
makes clear is that restoration is not only possible but can be highly profitable in
terms of public savings. Initial restoration costs are often high but the costs are
dwarfed by the long term costs of losing the services that these ecosystems
provide.
Clearly this is a book that should be read widely by policymakers as well as more
general readers. A minor shortcoming is the higher-than-average number of

typographical errors, but this lapse does not detract from the importance of the
message, nor the need to expedite the recommendations on how to avoid future
degradation of ecosystems and how to optimise their successful regeneration.

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