@農자료창고

learning-module7-preview.pdf

For small-scale farmers, knowledge is a key ingredient for production and for improving livelihoods. Knowledge helps farmers to live and farm in a sustainable way, allowing them to adapt to changing conditions. Farmers not only learn from external sources, by the means of extension, education or information and communication technologies, but a large part of knowledge for sustainable small-scale farming is generated on the farm itself.

Indigenous or local knowledge, generated and shared by farmers, plays a crucial role in small-scale agriculture. As is increasingly recognised, innovation by small-scale farmers is of great importance to deal with changes in the environment, like climate change, globalisation and urbanisation. However, systems of agricultural knowledge are not always well equipped to incorporate farmers’ knowledge.

Formal education and extension are still too often organised within a top-down model, where there is little space for farmers’ input. Participatory approaches have been taking farmers’ own knowledge much more seriously. Also, they have helped to build capacities of farmers and other actors involved in the process of innovation and learning.

All these issues, and more, are explored in Module 7. The different Learning Blocks examine various aspects of knowledge in small-scale agriculture at farm level, in the wider context, and at the level of governing institutions. Throughout the module, this material is linked to several educational resources, including games and exercises, articles, videos, photos and ideas for field visits, in order to stimulate discussion and reflection on knowledge issues in small-scale agriculture.

learning-module6-preview.pdf

Small-scale farming continues to be the economic livelihood base for large numbers of people around the world. In developing countries, most people (2.5 billion) are involved in agriculture, and of these, 1 billion are small-scale farmers with access to two hectares or less of farmland. In spite of their small base, this form of farming is enormously dynamic.

Module 6 is dedicated to the economic aspects of small-scale farming – in particular to the influence of markets and finance. These provide good options for farming, but can also undermine the sustainability of this livelihood. As in the rest of the Learning AgriCultures series, this module follows a systems-oriented approach to its theme.

The first learning block focuses on how small-scale farming relates to the market and the different marketing strategies and financing options that small farmers use. In the second learning block, the wider context in which small-scale farmers operate is discussed: market chains, financial systems and the development and trends that are taking place that have a great effect on the sustainability of small-scale farmers’ livelihood base. The last learning block takes a look at different governance issues that encourage or undermine effective markets and financial systems to underpin the sustainability of small-scale farming.

Throughout the module, links are made to a variety of educational resources, including games and exercises, articles, videos, photos and ideas for field visits, in order to stimulate discussions and reflection on how market and finance issues relate to small-scale farming around the world.

http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/resources/pdfs/module5-learning-agricultures

Module 5 seeks to engage people in discussions about labour dynamics as well as energy use in small-scale farming. Small-scale farmer households work extremely hard in order to produce enough to sustain themselves. Getting the most out of their labour and time is a major preoccupation.

Many challenges exist in rural areas that place a strain on how productive family farmers can be: low access to health facilities, water and sanitation services, and limited energy options. More and more rural farming families are finding they need to seek other employment on the side. Naturally, this situation has great consequences for labour dynamics on rural small-scale farms.

This module discusses some ways in which these laborious tasks can be eased, and brings up some of the wider systems’ ramifications of using different technologies and energy options. Among others, it refers to sustainability of different energies, links between energy production and climate change, energy and land use, as well as gender perspectives on energy and labour.

Throughout the module, links are made to a variety of educational resources, including games and exercises, articles, videos, photos and ideas for field visits, in order to stimulate discussions and reflection on how labour and energy issues relate to small-scale farming around the world.

http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/resources/pdfs/learning-agricultures-module-4-full

Module 4 seeks to engage people in discussions about small-scale livestock systems - both sedentary and pastoralist. There is currently an inherent bias against small-scale or backyard livestock systems, and especially against smallholder pastoralist systems. Research, extension, conservation, infrastructures and markets, breeding development programmes and, in many cases, subsidies currently favour high-output large-scale livestock systems and are contributing to the disappearance of many potentially valuable local breeds, knowledge and ecosystems. 

While the current global trend of livestock production (and policy support) focuses on maximising the production of food and fibre, small-scale livestock keepers value animals for other functions as well. Livestock provide inputs that can increase soil fertility and the productivity of cropping systems, they are sources of power and transportation and, in some places, play an important cultural role and provide the family with insurance in case of emergencies. Local breeds have been developed to meet these many functions and to be resilient in often harsh and varying local conditions, traits which may become more important if climate change predictions prove correct. This module discusses all of these issues and more, to stimulate greater appreciation of the valuable contributions of small-scale livestock systems to sustain ecosystems and livelihoods around the world.

Throughout the module, links are made to a variety of educational resources, including games and exercises, articles, videos, photos and ideas for field visits, in order to stimulate discussions and reflection on small-scale livestock systems.

http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/resources/pdfs/learning-agricultures-module-3-full

Module 3 describes different aspects of small-scale cropping systems, with particular attention to mixed cropping practices. It describes recent advances in the development of crop biotechnologies, such as genetic engineering and formal seed systems, which have had a tremendous impact on cropping practices around the world. How can small-scale farmers maintain their diversity-based cropping systems what with the opportunities and limitations these kinds of changes bring up?

This module provides some insights into how small-scale cropping systems can be intensified in ways that take on an ecosystems approach, such as that of Integrated pest management (or IPM). It also looks beyond farmers' practices by analysing governance issues that affect small-scale farmers around the world. Issues discussed include intellectual property rights over plant varieties, and the importance of including small-scale farmers in land-use planning and setting priorities in the development of plant genetic resources.

Throughout the module, links are made to a variety of educational resources, including games and exercises, articles, videos, photos and ideas for field visits, in order to stimulate discussions and reflection on cropping systems in small-scale farming.

No-Till Farming Systems and Soil Health - Dwayne Beck from SC-NRCS & ESRI-SC Partnership on Vimeo.

Conventional Tillage Systems and Soil Health - Ted Alme from SC-NRCS & ESRI-SC Partnership on Vimeo.

Two Cotton Fields from SC-NRCS & ESRI-SC Partnership on Vimeo.

똑같은 목화밭인데 토양 간리를 어떻게 하느냐에 따라서 차이가 난다는...

한쪽은 그냥 맨흙을 노출시켜 목화를 심고, 다른 한쪽은 덮개작물을 덮은 다음 심었더니 이런 차이가 난다.

토양 표면의 온도와 습도 등에 큰 차이를 준다고... 눈으로 확인하시라!

농수로를 정비하는 파키스탄의 농부. 

나 어릴적 살던 곳도 이러했다. 

그곳에서도 사진처럼 백로가 농부를 보고도 도망가지 않았다. 

오히려 쟁기질이라도 할라치면 뒤를 졸졸 따라다니며 먹을 걸 잡아먹던 그런 곳이었다.

지금은 농수로가 시멘트로 발라지고, 논에선 농기계의 소음이 가득한 곳이지만... 그래도 백로는 여전히 따라다니긴 하더라.

그래도 다양한 생물들이 어울려 살던 농지가 인간이 재배하는 작물만 존재하는 그런 곳으로 변한 것은 너무 안타깝다.

그런가 하면 식물공장에서는 작물만 자란다. 

농사는 단지 작물만 재배해서 수확하면 되는 일인가? 

LED로 햇빛을 대신하고, 양액으로 비와 흙을 대신해서 작물만 길러 먹으면 되는 일인가? 

근본적인 질문에 대한 답을 생각할 겨를도 없이 식물공장을 실험하고 짓는다. 그것이 결국 '돈'이 되기 때문이다.

그래도 괜찮은 것인지 나는 늘 의문이다. 

Earth는 흙이다.

흙은 땅이고, 그 땅이 곧 地球다.

지구가 바로 '둥근 땅'이란 뜻이다.

역시 근본은 흙이다.

모든 생명을 품어 키우는 흙.

농사의 성패는 '흙'에 달려 있다.

얼마나 건강하고 좋은 흙을 만드냐가 관건이다.

농사를 짓는다는 건 씨앗을 심어 작물을 돌보고 수확하는 데에만 국한되는 행위가 아니다.

농사를 짓는다는 건 흙을 돌보고 씨앗을 갈무리하고 땀흘려 일하는 게 우선이다.

그리고 나서 수확은 주어지는 만큼, 자연이 허락하는 만큼 받을 뿐이다.

헌데 그렇게 농사지어서는 굶지는 않아도 돈은 잘 벌기 어렵다는 것이 함정 아닌 함정이다. 그래도 좋아.