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Footsteps 54

HOUSEHOLD AGRICULTURE

Photo: Jim Loring/Tearfund
Photo: Jim Loring/Tearfund

In recent years there has been a shift in development away from agriculture. Governments, donors and NGOs have focused their efforts more on areas like education, health and water. Why is this? In some countries it is because all the resources invested in agriculture for many years have made little impact. Agricultural production in many countries remains poor, farmers’ incomes are low and migration from rural to urban areas continues.

So does agriculture, whether in rural or urban areas, matter? We believe that the answer is definitely yes! Many of the world’s poor depend on farming for most of their food and income. There is a strong link between improving agricultural production and helping people out of extreme poverty.

Please find below articles from Footsteps issue 54 in html.

To download a pdf version of Footsteps issue 54 click here (746K).


Alcohol and advertising
Advertisements shape what we think and how we feel. They sell more than the product itself. They sell ideas or messages that encourage people to buy the product. Companies that produce alcohol spend a lot of time and money creating images that make d... More >>
Bible study
Investing our lives wisely We can do three things with our lives. We can waste them, we can spend them or we can invest them. The Bible teaches us to invest our lives to make a difference for eternity. We should not live on this earth to be a consum... More >>
Black gold - the importance of compost
by Peter Musgrave.  Compost-making is a vital, life-saving opportunity to save waste and turn it into productive use. Compost is made from mixing together organic waste materials – such as leaves, weed and straw – and leaving them to decompose unti... More >>
Door-sized gardens
Many homes, particularly in urban areas, have little room for growing crops or vegetables. However, outside nearly every house is an area of bare ground. The soil may be hard or infertile and people often do not consider using it for growing vegetabl... More >>
Editorial
In recent years there has been a shift in development away from agriculture. Governments, donors and NGOs have focused their efforts more on areas like education, health and water. Why is this? In some countries it is because all the resources invest... More >>
Letters
Aloe vera I have noticed with interest the popular use of the plant Aloe vera in Nigeria for treatment of various ailments, including skin infections, burns, stomach problems and eye diseases. People are growing the plant in their yards and making m... More >>
Mineral blocks
When land is scarce or infertile, livestock often survive on poor diets of scrub, crop waste and straw. In these conditions livestock will grow and reproduce slowly and provide less milk and meat. However, the demand for animal produce, whether for m... More >>
Natural control of pests and diseases
There are three approaches to coping with pests and diseases on crops and vegetables… 1. Grow strong, healthy plants Plants, like people, grow best when they are ‘well fed’. Fertile soils fed each year with compost and manure will produce strong,... More >>
Priming seed
Crops are like children. If they are given a good start in life they usually grow tall, strong and healthy. But if crops grow slowly after germination they often become stunted, are more likely to be damaged by pests and diseases and will yield less.... More >>
PRODAD
One of the main activities of PRODAD in Nicaragua, is encouraging kitchen gardens. PRODAD teaches people that growing vegetables improves both nutrition and the household economy. They use a demonstration plot to encourage families of the benefits o... More >>
Resources
Solar Water Disinfection: a guide for the application of SODIS EAWAG/ SANDEC recently published a manual on the use of SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection). This was mentioned in Issue 51 of Footsteps. The SODIS manual is written for field staff who ar... More >>
The value of working together
by Isabel Carter.  The centre pages of Footsteps 53 encouraged people to consider their resources – not just looking at their financial resources (which may be very small) but also other kinds of resources. For example, most people have access to hu... More >>
Underground storage pits
Underground storage pits can be used to store vegetables in dry areas for a few months. Having a good supply of stored vegetables improves household nutrition and means vegetables can be sold for higher prices later in the year when they are not ea... More >>
Using waste-water for agriculture
Nearly half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Their need for clean water supplies continues to increase and often competes with the needs of agriculture for water. Poor people in urban areas often pay a lot to receive supplies of clean ... More >>