O.k., here’s the new one and it is actually posted!
There have been success stories and land degradation stories solicited by the UNEP and presented on the website http://www.oasisglobal.net/successes.htm
Look at some of the stories, comment on what you see is common between them, and how this relates to the video we watched in class “The Oregon Farming Story”.
Responses are due no later than Saturday night (1/24/09) by midnight (12:00)
27 comments:
The common thread I noticed is the implementation of new conservation techniques. These techniques aimed to conserve land through water saving and responsible farming pratices. By improving these techniques, erosion, etc., can be combatted and environmental sustainability can begin to become a reality.
As demonstrated by many of these stories, as land conservation is neglected, it begins to have secondary affects. Desertification begins to occur and farming is affected. If conservation techniques are improved, however, it's also evident in a community. For example, when drip irrigation is installed, water supply is greatly reduced. People must acknowledge that changes must be made...that is when we will move forward.
It seems that a lot of the innovations occurring are
due to people sharing ideas and helping each other
discover new ways to conserve. Drip irrigation appears
to be popular among the processes being used and with
practices such as this, occurrences like droughts are
lessening too. Many groups and projects like the ISWC
are also being formed to provide aid and ideas for new
methods of conservation. In the movie we watched, we
saw such inventive conservation methods as re-using
manure as fertilizer and more.
Through all these groups, projects, and sharing
of info and ideas, the future is looking brighter for
water conservation. hopefully these patterns keep up
as we move forward as well.
I read the first couple of stories, and it seemed like even the author noticed that the successful farms were a source of inspiration to nearby farmers. Especially in countries like Niger and Burkina Faso, where word of mouth replaces the media sources that come with technology, seeing someone's success can be incredibly powerful. The techniques seen in these countries had to do with taking degraded soil and enriching it with manure and preventing runoff and increasing amounts of groundwater. In Burkina Faso, it ended up being a happy cycle because more plants meant more animals to produce manure.
This is similar to the Oregon Farming Story in that the farmers looked to different ways to irrigate and use water in order to create sustainable soil that isn't degraded.
Another important aspect of these stories is that it didn't take much money to begin the cycle for these people; once they saw a successful farm they were jumping at the chance to create their own. An important lesson to take from this is that a little bit of effort goes a long way, and it's worth it to support organizations that make this kind of sustainability possible.
First of all, I noticed that all of the success stories occured in rural and very impoverished portions of Africa and Southern Asia, as these are the places that need the most assistance in terms of monetary capital. Up until these projects, it was common for an idea such as proposing plans for more-efficient methods to irrigate land to be shot down by those who said that it would cost too much and not work in the end anyways. However, weren't these the same people who couldn't care less about where their own water was coming from? The problem with their standpoint is that they did not understand that things needed to be done to help out the people who couldn't just turn on the faucet and get clean drinking water. By having success with not only the availability of water in these areas but of improved methods of farming, sich as rehabilitation of soil, have allowed these once-impoverished farmers to have a chance to succeed in the local and domestic markets.
As far as these success stories relating to the video "The Oregon Farming Story", it all has to do with "going with the flow". As the years progressed, technology made farming easier and easier to accomplish and succeed at; however, these methods also damaged the land, making it much more difficult to farm during later years. As farmers come to terms that they are losing production due to lack of fertile soils for growing their crop(s) and bills are breathing down their necks, then they will desperately look for a way to get back into a profitable business. When a success story comes out, and others start trying the successful techniques and improve their production, then the chance that a farmer looking to improve their own production and make more money will skyrocket because it is proven to work.
In conclusion, these success stories demonstrate that change can be made in the field of farming. Now that efficiency is on the minds of farmers in the "Green Movement", they will look for ways to cut down on the damage that they do to the soil they plant in. By having these success stories, others are encouraged to follow those principles and hopefully become more efficient and yet not lose any production or soil fertility.
The commonalities in all of these success stories seem to be market driven, the farmers around the area gave the land another shot and it proved to have a good outcome. This is also where I think the link comes in to the video; farmers sticking with the land through tough and easy times (including land and market).
The link between the stories presented by the UNEP primarily seemed to be that all of the countries incorporated newer, more modern techniques to solve their agricultural problems.
Some of the countries incorporated traditional techniques from that region along with modern techniques, but most only used modern ones.
The reports related to the video "The Oregon Farming Story", for a couple of reasons. The first, one of the farmers found a way to use animal manure to water some of his crops, an innovative method that not many farmers use. And secondly, some of the farmers discussed the fact that if they don't modernize and update the machinery that they use on their crops then they will fall behind the other farms who do have the latest in farming machinery, lose money, and eventually go out of business.
Many times, when we discuss aiding the development of developing nations, people are akin to throw up their hands, and claim that nothing can be done. Yet, there is almost always the possibility of progress, if one is willing to commit the effort necessary. It is also important to realize, that amidst all the gloom and despair, there are success stories. In truth, it is only by examining the success stories, understanding the source of their success, and emulating it, that we can succeed. First of all, we must examine the common traits of these success stories.
One of the first common traits among many of the success stories is local involvement. The agencies were willing to involve people from the community, which is very important, for two reasons. First of all, this increases acceptance of new ideas, it as makes such large scales shifts in agricultural practices more palpable. Secondly, such a situation increases the likelihood that these arrangements will remain in place, even after the organization in question have left. The second common trait, decentralization, also played a part, as it allowed decisions to be made based on local conditions. This is important as top down planning often fails, because it ignores these local conditions. The third common trait was that many of these agencies encouraged technology to be passed on to others. This makes a difference as the best proponents for a new technology, are those users who are already successfully using it. Finally, infrastructure was developed, which is an important part of ensuring that development succeeds. These are all important common traits, and we must learn from them. Yet, there are both similarities, and differences, between these situations, and the video we watched.
In the video, many of the farmers were likewise in dire straits. Yet, the nature of their problems is different, and different solutions are required. These farmers are not in a situation where the changes they need to make lie within their power. Rather, they have been locked into a system where only gigantic, agribusiness type farms can survive. This is unfortunately a situations which no amount of help from international NGO's can solve, but which requires political action. One can also debate whether it is a good idea to attempt to save local farms, as the price of such actions may well be quite high, and opponents believe that the benefits are low. Yet, this is a debate that has not taken place in the US, and it is high time that it took place. This lends us a thought to conclude upon.
We have seen how success can be achieved in Africa and Asia, through the judicious help of NGO's, and the great potential success that is possible. However, not all the news is as joyous, for here in the US, while we likewise have farmers in difficult situations, the remedies that are needed are different, and much harder to find. Yet, those remedies are out there, and we must discuss how to find them. We have the power to effect change within ourselves, now we must merely make use of it.
Between the video and these stories, there are many things they have in common. First of all, I believe a very strong contribution to crop growing and preservation of land, is proper knowledge. I read the story "The Proper Knowledge-sharing", and in this story, it went over the importance of knowing how to preserve your land and the proper ways to do so, benefiting you as a farmer, and the land you’re using. This was a main issue I got from the video. If we know how to preserve our land, plant and grow with out destroying the soil, we can have much better influences on the earth and better productions for ourselves. The importance of knowledge sharing is simply that if one does their part, hopefully others will follow and see the importance of helping others see how their farming can damage the land, and the steps it takes to preserve/protect the land in general.
Most of the stories I read were similar in ways of a hopeful look into the future and a look into what can be done to help prevent, rather than what already has happened. Trying to undo the damage in small ways but in bigger, trying to prevent them and be consistent with a new way of farming and producing on important limited resources. If we learn hw to stop this soil degradation and destruction, we will have less of a mess to clean up when we have realized our land has become useless.
Each success story seemed to start with different techniques tried by the farmers to combat desertification. Some varied in that they were forced to change crops due to failing markets for that particular item (cotton for example). Eventually adequate irregation was acheived as well as a crop that brought good income.
The video is similar to these success stories because the farmers in the videa were also struggling to obtain adequate irregation techniques as well as an income earning crop. In the movie the major obstacle that the farmers talked about a lot was the falling market value of their particular crop.
It is inspiring to see what can be done to improve the environment, especially when the people working towards these sustainable goals do not have a grand amount of money or resources. As I read through the stories, two things that really stuck with me were the Indigenous Soil and Water Conservation (ISWC) and Promoting Farmer Innovation in Rainfed Agriculture (PFI). I think the idea of exchange visits and study tours are fantastic. This gives farmers an opportunity to see what is working and not working for other people, and a chance to learn from each other. I think that when farmers help to educate each other it is kind of a morale booster. We saw in “The Oregon Farming Story” that farmers need to have a LOT of faith and hope in what they do. I think that when farmers share their experiences with others, it might inspire the kind of hope that is needed with a difficult job.
Every story had a tie in with a differnent farmer fighting desertification and other natural problems. A few of the stories had farmers who wimped out, and started growing a completely different crop, like cotton. As piping became cheaper, it allowed some larger farms to save a lot of water, and grow the same crops.
This is so similar to the video because it shows how resourceful humans can be to grow food. They both show how farmers struggle to keep their families fed. The video dealt with the politics much more than the stories, where as the stories were much less informational.
With these stories they are connected by the fact that some organization has been implemented under the idea of educating the general public on effective ways of using resources to produce better farming and crops.
In the movie the families also have the hopes of raising more crops, even though their struggle is more of the economy rather than their lack of knowledge.
What these stories had in commong was that they had had to change what they usually do, from improving their land to new and better farming techniques to newly modified crops that they weren't able to grow before. Countries from Africa and West Asia both showed struggle due to land issues and failing farm techniques. But through the help of neighboring countries and programs from aiding countries, they were able to learn proper ways to take care of the land and were able to improve their farming so that they would become successful. The way the African countries shared information with each other to aid one another was a really great thing to do. They were willing to share with each other their techniques, which is discussing quite more easier. With better techniques to farming in mind, these countries were able to produce crops that would bring them more value in the market.
In the movie however, even though the families grew crops that has value in the market, its not enough to sustain them. Economy plus competition with other farms, especially in a well-developed country such as the United States, is way more tougher than what developing countries such as Africa goes through. Especially since the farms here in the US need to make a lot of money to just keep their farms running. In the developing countries, it seems like they are happy with just what they make,as long as they make something. In the movie it showed that even if you do make some money from your product, it may not be enough for you to stay in the game. That's why even if the farms do improve in their farming techniques, there is still some kind of challenge that they have to get through.
The thing that most of these stories had in common was the way their soil returned to normal. In most of the stories, the people began conserving water. Their livestock and crop production also increased greatly so they recieved a higher income. They worked hard to achieve this, but eventually with help from the UNEP and others, they were able to have healthy soil again. They were able to make the money they needed to survive and they were able to continue their lives in a better way.
In general, farmers already have a difficult time attempting to make a decent living doing their jobs. Thus, whenever a external or internal factor affects the farm, the results can be devastating. In the success stories, each of the farms mentioned were affected by a internal factor. Because water was not being conserved the farms were becoming deserts.
In the movie some of the families decided that their day of farming were over, however most of the the families chose to continue farming. These people are hopping for a better season in the future, but its not up to them to decide what will happen.
Each one of the success stories started in the same way; multiple farms participating in both local farmers markets, and large scale shopping centers had fallen to the hand of desertification. This had occurred because the farmers of these fields had neglected to use water conservation tactics. However, when the next harvest season started the farmers were happy to use tactics such a drip irrigation.
All the stories presented all had something in common, and that was they each realized how their agricultural practices were causing desertification and badly degrading what was once a stable and fertile ecosystem. How some rehabilitated their degraded land was through soil and water conservation while also reducing the water runoff. Because farmers shared their discoveries, it caused others to do the same as well; leading to greater crops production, the renewal of old degraded land, and more ground water recharge. Communication is the key, however it doesn’t necessarily mean once a great idea is put forth, it will thus commence. For example, the most proficient of all the ideas presented, the drip irrigation method (which saves tremendous amounts of water verses the flooding method) is one farmers see the greatest potential in, however it is still highly unused by farmers in the U.S. today. The reason being is money. As we leaned in the video we watched in class, there is no guaranteed return or income on commodities. If the demand for the resource falls, so does the products value and ultimately the farmer suffers greatly as well by not making a profit with their season’s harvest. Even with the subsidies the farmers receive from the government, they still won’t have the kind of money necessary for installing the drip irrigation system. What I think, is that the government should have to help pay for the needed drip irrigation systems, because if we put this matter off any longer and we don’t realize how our agricultural practices are causing harm, it won’t provide for a sustainable future.
All of the farms involved chose to change their irrigation practices, once they understood that their actions were damaging the land that they relied upon. Most of the successes occured in developing nations. It seems that when one farm experienced a positive outcome, many others were eager to try the environmentally friendly practices. Farmers were happy to share their newly aquired knowledge with others, and together they are making strides to combat inefficiant use of water. There are also similarities between the stories and the video we watched in class. The farmers in Oregon are experiencing issues with land degradation as well. They are struggling to make ends meet. The difference is that many of these farmers cannot afford to switch to more efficiant irrigation systems, such as drip. Since farmers in developing nations are getting aid, it seems obvious that American farmers need governmental support in order to continue producing food for the nation without destroying their cropland.
All the stories had a lot to do with farmers sharing ideas with their fellow farmers. All the stories were about people/societies who knew how to solve the problem. I believe that if farmers who are struggling get help from the community then conservation and rehabilitation will be achieved more easily.
In the stories the farmers used new techniques and ideas to save their farm and surrounding land. This relates to the video we watched because the farmers in the video also used many new techniques and ideas. I believe the most efficient techniques come from farmers who work together. I understood from both the video and the stories that most farmers are trying to work together or with their community to help stop soil contamination and wasteful watering.
The stories and the video worked together to show the whole picture of what is happening to farmers now. The stories covered the rest of the world and the video covered mainly the Pacific Northwest. I believe the only way to fix the problems are for farmers and the community to work together for conservation of soil and water.
Most all the stories are related in which the way all the different communities achieved their success through soil/water conservation and the use of new technologies. Also, that most of the different stories achieved their success from following the practices of their neighbors and obviously learned from each other. The conservation and restoration that most of these farms practiced were the methods that one farm near them had used before.
These stories are similar to the video in how both the farms in the video and farmers in the stories both suffer from land degradation. Although the oregon farmers and the farmers in the stories have many different resourced to work with.
The major commonality between the given article stories is that the key to successful farming is to invest in the land and take sustainable measures. The biggest success stories were from those who were willing to invest a little more time and money into assets like retaining manure for nutrients or controlling water runoff. Coming up with and experimenting on new sustainable ideas seemed to be a common plan throughout the stories.
A quote from one of the articles: "Farmers are themselves avid experimenters. Researchers are increasingly recognizing the value of helping farmers share their best innovations among themselves." shows that as farmers discover new more efficent methods of farming, not only do they help themselves, but spread it to others as well. For example, one of the articles stated how programs were investing in sending farmers to visit and observe the more advanced and sustainable farms to help spread their methods.
The stories directly relate to "The Oregon Farming Story" in that all farmers are facing the harships of agriculture and are looking for advanced and more efficent methods to stay running and sustainable. For example, the Oregon family recycled their manure as nutrients for their crops, in turn, yielding a higher amount of crop, bringing in more feed for the livestock: a very sustainable cycle. This method was also mentioned in the articles. Altogether, the road to sustainability is crucial for the success of farmers and agriculture.
I saw so many commonalities that Oregon and American farmers would do well to learn.
One of the most important aspects of the Dryland success stories was that the people were working together, conversing, and teaching each other the best farming methods possible. In villages, communities, regions, and countries, people worked together to support each other. When one farmer discovered something, they spread to everyone else, and when the idea was accepted, the whole area benefited. American farmers need to learn this skill to preserve their businesses. Yes this is a market based system where the winner takes all, but maybe we need to move away from that to make sure we still have farmers to produce our food. If all or most farmers worked together to produce the food, the United States would have a much more efficient agricultural system. Food prices would probably stabilize substantially more than now because farmers would be using the best methods possible and making greater profits.
Second, farmers used the crops and methods that were most effective. Some used diverse drops to make sure they had some of everything. Others used the crop that was best suited to the land. People used crops that needed less water or got systems that made water more available with greater efficiency and less cost. The farmers were very flexible and adaptive to new situations. When the weather changed, they switched crops. When land began to exhibit signs of burnout, it was set aside to recuperate, or land restoration techniques were used. The most important part is that they didn't just try to produce more of the same crop that wasn't working in order to balance losses. The Dryland farmers were ready to change because they understand that their survival depended on it.
People in the community/village also got involved in their local farms because they knew it was their only food source. When programs came to teach new techniques, the people were their to learn about them and help give out their own ideas. When governments subsidized or payed for new and effective equipment, the people were there to help set it up or help pay for it. The community was always there for the farmers, even when the government collapsed and the programs left. We Americans should learn how to work together to protect our farms. If we can help the farmers of American get new technology and more effective farming methods, we can start taking the first steps toward being a self-sustainable country and ensuring that our farmers don't go out of business.
At one time, agriculture was the largest parts of our economy. Now, war supplies have almost taken it's place. To create a stable economy and to resurrect our national image, improving and stabilizing our agricultural power to the world should be at the top of our list.
A reoccurring theme I found among the "Dryland Success Stories" was the positive effect of putting the control of farming practices in the hands of the community. Whether it was the management of Eucalyptus forests or controlling the grazing of sheep herds, community involvement and cooperation yielded both greater productivity and a more sustainable approach to farming.
A secondary theme that also came across strongly was the strong influence of consumer desires on production practices.
These two approaches to sustainable farming play a large role in Oregon agriculture. Oregonian farmers are swayed by market demands, but they must also meet the needs of many different buyers in order to stay afloat as businesspeople. A more local approach to farming severely affects the amount of money flowing in, but it also cuts expenses and gives farmers a much greater ability to meet the needs of their consumers.
The common theme between the success stories and the movies is that both are examples of people trying to implement new, more sustainable practices into their farming. They are becoming increasingly aware of how overcultivation can result in desertification, and that new techniques must be brought about to reduce this consequence.
Farmers and communities learn from success stories such as these, because they may not be aware or realize the benefits of different techniques until they rise to their attention.
Although the farmers in the movie had not implemented practices on such a scale as those in the stories, they were beginning to and it was increasing their awareness of the situation.
The Common simlilarities between the stories of Oregon Farmers and the Stories we read were the new ideas and technology that farmers used to keep the soil health and save their farming community. I got the impression that the Oregon Farmers were more worried about the quantity they can get out into the market, with good reason of course. They did this to keep their farmers going. In The "Dryland Success Stories" They cared more about health sutanable practices.
Even though Oregon Farmers were more persuaded by the market, they are starting to work towards more sustable pracitices.
The overall idea that was expressed by the United Nations Environment Programme success stories is that rehabilitation of degregaded drylands can be acheived by soil and water coservation or crop and livestock systems depending on the area in question. It also demonstrates that when these conservation methods are implemented the area's economy will prosper.
This idea of conservation that third world countries have utilized so well, when applied in farming in areas such as Oregon can have the same effects and help our economy here as well.
We are only at the beginning of our sustainable future and by implementing sustainable farming techniques here, in Oregon, we will be setting a standard for other places in the US for years to come.
What's interesting to me is that agricultural rehabilitation was sometimes achieved partially through soil and water conservation. That's like killing two birds with one stone. Several places employed systems that would allow them to use more of the water available, like groundwater run-off, for example. There were also breakthroughs in maize's resistance to drought, conserving even more water. This goes to show that farming and conservation don't have to be mutually exclusive. Sustainability can often HELP farming, they are now realizing, because they are seeing how overcultivation results in desertification.
This is also how these stories relate to The Oregon Farming Story: the realization that sustainable farming practices are definitely ideal.
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