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. Agricultural production supports the development of other small industries. In rural areas there are often few other opportunities for activities that are not related to agriculture.
New thinking and policies are needed if agriculture is to develop. More focus is needed on sustainable farming methods and on traditional staple crops. Access to markets and to funding for micro-enterprise has often been shown to stimulate agricultural growth.
This issue looks at a number of practical ideas that may provide some help in different situations. We have tried to look at all the different stages of growing crops and introduce ideas that can be useful throughout the production cycle. In urban areas there may be little or no land available for agriculture. However, people can still grow crops by roadsides, riverbanks, outside their homes or on roofs and window ledges.
We start with ideas for priming seed, making the most of limited land and producing compost to enrich poor soils. We then move to ideas for using waste-water and storing the harvest. The centre pages have recipes for protecting crops against pests and diseases. Sometimes it can really help to work as a small group, so we look at how different groups operate. We include tips for livestock farmers raising animals on poor quality feeds. When expert help and advice is needed, it can be very difficult to find, so we share information about some organisations willing to share their skills and knowledge.
Isabel Carter