The video talks about enabling the poor rural people to overcome poverty through revitalizing of agriculture.Agriculture is the main economic activity of the rural society.70% of the people in the rural area depend directly on agriculture,for example most people benefit directly from agriculture,while 13% depend indirectly from agriculture and the rest depend on commercial activities and government jobs.
The International Fund for Agriculture Development(IFAD),a specialized agency of the United nations was established in 1977 to serve as a financial institution for agricultural sector after 1974 world food conference.This specialized agency is used to assist farmers financially all over the word.Most farmers lack finances to buy farm inputs such as fertilizers,chemicals ,seeds and even improved animal feeds.The agency is used to assist such farmers to gain access to such important agricultural inputs (Munyua, 2000).
The 1974 conference was held due to the emergency of food crises which was as a result of rural poverty.It was realized that notable food shortage causes was due the structural problems relating to poverty which is dense in the rural areas.This is due to the fact that most of the poor populations are living in rural areas.
Though there is high provision of labour in rural areas,these labour is useless if the finances for purchasing of farm inputs is not provided.This problem has been solved by the initiation of Inernational Fund for Agriculture Development(IFAD),as it now provides finances to those farmers.The farmers in turn use that finances to purchase farm inputs such as fertilizers,chemicals and even seeds.
The finances are also used in the cultivation of land through modern methods such as mechanization.When farmers apply these methods,agricultural productivity is enhanced.We see IFAD mobilizing farmers to form groups in which they will be easy get funds unlike when they are individuals.These agency also use such groups to provide extension services to farmers and thus farmers can acces and learn new ways of agricultural production.
Poverty eradication through revitalizing of agriculture is a very important tool to both men and women in the rural areas.This is because most of the people living in the rural area are small scale farmers who lack finances to engage in productive agriculture and thus providing both men and women finances will make them to turn small scale agriculture into agribusiness.
The most affected group especially in the third world countries are women as most of the women engage directly in agriculture.Women provide a lot of labour especially in planting,weeding harvesting and marketing of the agricultural crops while on the other hand men only take advantage of their male chauvinism and those take away the money from the sold crops living women poor and unsatisfied (Munyua, 2000).
Although these men take little part in crop production and animal rearing,this initiative of IFAD from united nations will affect them as they are decision makers and thus the introduction of new methods of production will reach them first before reaching women.Farm mechanization will benefit women most as they provide a lot of labour and this labour will be substituted by the use of machines.Their efforts will be used in other productive activities such as taking care of the animals for high and quality production.When farm mechanization is applied women can now get opportunity to go to school (Munyua, 2000).On the other hand men also get such opportunity to go to school and these improve their decision skills on agricultural production.
Revitalizing rural agriculture is important to the society in many ways.When finances are provided to the rural society people will use improved ways of agricultural production.People will use satisfied seeds,apply fertilizers and chemicals and also use mechanization.This in turn will lead to high and quality agricultural yields.Poverty will be eradicated in the society and people will have improved standard of living.They will be having enough food to eat and thus malnutrition will not be a problem in the society again.
People will live healthy lives and mortality rate will be minimized.Child mortality rate will also be minimized as children who are vulnerable to malnutrition will get balanced diet.Such children will go to school and the ignorance in the society will be eradicated.When agricultural yields increase people will get surplus which they will sell (Munyua, 2000).Money from such surpluses will be used in meeting other needs such as cloths,medicine, improving the houses and even payment of school fees.
When people satisfy their needs social crimes such as stealing will decrease.This is because satisfied people engage in meaningful activities.Thus insecurity in society will be minimized.When agriculture has been changed into agribusiness,other activities such as trading will come into the society.People will now get what they did not have through exchange of their surpluses.
Revitilizing of agriculture also will provide employment to the people in the society both directly and indirectly.Direct employment is provided when the farmers engage directly in the farm level in production of agricultural commodities,for example through crop production and animal husbandry.On the other hand indirect employment is provided when people engage indirectly in facilitating agricultural activities (Munyua, 2000).Such employment is found in value addition of agricultural produce for example through transportation and selling of such commodities.Another example of indirect employment provided to those who sell agricultural inputs and in the agricultural related financial institutions.
Reference
Munyua, H. (2000). Information and communication technologies for rural development and food security: Lessons from field experiences in developing countries. Sustainable Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). Posted November.
