By Dr. Kakoli Ghosh
ROME, Apr 6 2020 (IPS)

Together with medical services and transportation, farming and food production have been correctly identified as ‘essential services’ by all countries under lockdown. The Covid-19 pandemic has not yet made a dent in the food supply and so far, there are no reports of shortage of essential food and agricultural goods. All cities and towns are actively coordinating with government agencies, farms, businesses and transport companies to maintain the supply chain and ensure full availability of food for the population,

Kakoli Ghosh

This is the overall situation and the basic fact is that no country, rich or poor, has ready capacity to handle an emergency that requires a ‘whole-of-country approach’ all at once. It is becoming clear that the ground reality is very different for different metropolis, cities, towns and villages. Therefore, in a relatively short period since the onset of the pandemic, a range of innovative approaches and targeted, strategies have been developed and being employed to ensure food production and supply across the value chain.

For instance, in Wuhan an efficient, closely monitored and executed food procurement and e-distribution strategy was in play through its food outlets, supermarkets and home deliveries. It was supported by a robust digital architecture for operation at scale and there appears to be no major hiccups in food supply for its 11 million inhabitants. In Rome, there is a spike in the online ecosystem- something that was a modest initiative before the pandemic. Local agri-preneurs have increased and expanded their range of e-services and door-deliveries of farm products through innovative ways. In Delhi, swift policy measures have been deployed to avert food hoarding and cash support for farmers, incentives to ensure staggered transport of harvests among others.Similar innovative measures and new ways of working are being used and can be widely adopted for long-term recovery.

By all counts, three points seem to be of utmost priority. First, the role of government agencies must be reinforced decisively. The pandemic is bound to hit crop cycle, availability of inputs, storage and the entire farm value chain and the governments will need to coordinate and monitor an efficient, flexible strategy to handle the fall out. Public sector agencies have to be empowered to be able to provide the administrative network and infrastructural support needed for operating at scale. This would include for disbursal of resources, engaging the private sector, regulatory support, and managing externalities in line with the national priorities.

Secondly, food security should be the top concern. Having access to nutritious basic food for all the citizens can become a challenge especially for countries that rely on imports, when shipments are halted or borders are closed. Overall, lack of labor, lack of inputs or lack of finance and subsidies can all lead to major disruptions in the production cycle. More emphasis can be on developing and sustaining local food production that can be a lifeline during and after the pandemic. Such efforts must be sustainable, built on good practices and expanded to provide income, occupation at least at the local level. Natural resources, especially soil, water and agro-biodiversity should not be degraded any further.

Finally, agriculture has to embrace digital tools more quickly. Although online applications have been influencing many aspects of the society, it has not yet been given a priority in the agriculture sector. The pandemic has shown the immense value of digital tools and agriculture cannot be left behind. Especially for countries where food production and supply involves many smallholder farmers systematic application of digital tools can support sustainable production, quality control, price support and timely supply. Estonia operates fully online and an example on how to manage the transition. Better connectivity can unlock wider opportunities for the governments and the farmers and smallholder communities. This is the path to the future.

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By Dr. Kakoli Ghosh and Loreta Zdanovaite
ROME, Feb 20 2019 (IPS)

When young people from small towns and villages seek higher education they have to usually migrate to big cities leaving their local communities behind. On completion of their degree from the Universities, they generally prefer staying in cities, in search of a good job and a successful career. Though this is a standard practice, it is also a case of lost opportunities, especially for students who pursue higher education in agriculture. Here is why.

Mobilizing local farmers in for sustainable practices for common bean production, Uganda

An small initiative was carried-out with the partner RUFORUM¹ to try this out to strengthen linkages between academic knowledge and its ground-based applications. The goal was to promote youth support for SDG2- End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Graduate students from African agriculture universities were offered a six-month Community-Based Field Attachment² to share their knowledge and research experience with rural communities and receive feedback from communities on their specific research areas. The expectation was that such an interaction would provide graduate students an opportunity to a) link academic work with experience of rural community, b) increase practical skills to apply research findings in development-related field projects as well as c) provide local agencies, farmers groups and organizations with the specialized knowledge that can generate innovative solutions to improve rural livelihoods.

Demonstrating vaccination of New Castle Disease vaccine for chickens, Uganda

This limited exercise has provided us with some interesting insights. It is clear that there is a genuine interest among youth to contribute to their local communities. The various topics of their projects on child nutrition, crop production and animal health among others, addressed a pertinent need in that community. The interactions allowed them to link their theoretical knowledge with practice on the ground. Both local communities and academic institutions expressed willingness to undertake more of such knowledge-exchange partnerships as it was a win-win. In future, perhaps such experiences could help universities to design short-term courses to address local issues and nurture innovations. If such initiatives were at scale and sponsored by local institutions, they might also encourage return of educated youth to agriculture in Africa and beyond. That would surely accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Table 1. Student projects for Community-Based Field Attachments in Africa

¹ The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is a network of 105 universities in 37 countries in Africa, www.ruforum.org.
² Special Call for Applications: Ten RUFORUM Community-Based Field Attachment Programme Awards

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By Dr. Kakoli Ghosh
ROME, Apr 25 2017 (IPS)

In the context of global development, ‘no one is left behind’ brings with it a powerful message. It emphasizes progress- one that is inclusive, fair, integrated and empowering. The phrase ‘No one is left behind’ is mentioned some five times in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that was adopted by all governments at the United Nations in 2015. The Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet, peace and prosperity. It has globally agreed 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 ambitious targets, and should be achieved within the next decade ‘to end poverty and hunger everywhere; to combat inequalities within and among countries; to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies; to protect human rights and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and to ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources.’

Kakoli Ghosh

Another important group that must not be left behind are the teenagers. Currently there are some 1.2 billion young people, of which 88 percent live in developing countries. Should the Goals be achieved by 2030, the youth of today could be the biggest beneficiaries. Much will depend on policy environment in a country, but in my view, the academic community can play a critical role. Science, technology, analytical data and multidisciplinary approaches are required for almost all the goals. Therefore, teachers- as the custodians of future generations – could lead by promoting a systems-based approach, revising outdated curricula, applying the indicators in their own settings as well as participating in monitoring progress at the national level. Creating awareness among the students can encourage their buy-in early on, which in turn can lead to quicker solutions and new possibilities. In fact, Goal 4 ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ focuses on youth; this focus is also in Goals 8 and 13. There needs to be a strategy in place to mobilise academia to support the implementation of these Goals. Strengthening education quality and increasing investment in universities today, particularly in developing countries, can position youth to cope with the challenges of tomorrow.

Women and youth may not be the only groups falling behind when one considers the status of migrants. As Agenda was being adopted in 2015, a number of countries were dealing with an unprecedented migration including in Europe, the Near East and Sub-Sahara Africa. Immediate attention had to be given to the availability of food, shelter and safety of the new refugees. It is estimated that there are some 244 million international migrants today, of which a third are young adults leaving their countries due to conflicts, climate change and political instability. Their education, aspirations, prospects are being left behind. For the first time the issues of migration are recognized with the Goals 10 calling for ‘well-managed migration policies’ and Goal 8 focuses on the situation of migrant workers.

Looking ahead, there is a lot to do. What will it take for each of us to step up, to achieve gender equality in our own sphere? How can young adults benefit from the Goals? How to promote integration of diverse communities in a sustainable way? It is not possible to do it alone. Perhaps it is time to revive ‘partnerships’ as a fundamental tool for delivery. Partnerships not as an association for the few but as a mechanism for collective achievements. As Swami Vivekananda said ‘There cannot be any progress without the whole world following in the wake, and it is becoming every day clearer that the solution of any problem can never be attained on racial, or national, or narrow grounds. Every idea has to become broad till it covers the whole of this world, every aspiration must go on increasing till it has engulfed the whole of humans, nay the whole of life within its scope’.

The statements and views mentioned in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IPS.

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