Establishing Sustainable Food Production Communities of Practice: Nutrition Gardening and Pond Fish Farming in the Kolli Hills, India

Suraya Hudson,Gordon Gow,Mary Beckie,Naomi Krogman

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2019.084.006

Abstract

This study describes the formation of nutrition gardening and pond fish farming communities of practice (CoPs) among small-scale farmers of the Malayalis tribe living in the Kolli Hills region of Tamil Nadu, India. We examine the factors that have shaped the formation of these CoPs, their purpose and function, who is involved, what activities hold these communities together, and their role in strengthening sustainable food production and consumption practices. Data were obtained through participatory rural appraisals (PRAs), key stakeholder interviews, and participant observations during four months of fieldwork. The primary motivations that led the nutrition gardeners and pond fish farmers to become part of CoPs were to improve the health and nutrition of their families and to obtain expert advice in sustainable food production practices. Both CoPs are in the early stages of development and differ not only in the types of food they produce and the skills and tools needed for their success, but also in their structure; nutrition gardening takes place at the individual and/or household level, whereas pond fish farming operates at the group and/or community level. The ways in which members experience being in a community also differs. Nutrition gardeners rely on open-ended conversations and community creation through relationship building; in contrast, fish farmers find that group meetings and maintaining transparent record-keeping are most important. Sustainability of these practices and the CoPs depended on factors internal to the communities (e.g., leadership, knowledge mobilization) as well as external factors (e.g., rainfall and market potential). See the press release for this article.

Highlights

There is growing evidence that continued emphasis on agricultural industrialization, concentration of capital and resources, and globalized trade of a limited number of agricultural commodities is generating socio-economic disparities and ecological impacts that threaten global food security (Clapp, 2017; Foley et al, 2011; Garnett et al, 2013; Godfray, 2010; Thrupp, 2000)
As part of the APM program, we examined CoPs that formed around two food production practices—nutrition gardening and pond fish farming—established through the APM project among small-scale farmers of the Malayalis tribe in the Kolli Hills region of Tamil Nadu
Our study examines CoPs formed around two small-scale farming practices in the Kolli Hills region, which were introduced to increase farmers’ capacity to grow more nutritious and diverse food for local consumption, as opposed to the monocultures of cash crops grown for global markets

Summary

Introduction

There is growing evidence that continued emphasis on agricultural industrialization, concentration of capital and resources, and globalized trade of a limited number of agricultural commodities is generating socio-economic disparities and ecological impacts that threaten global food security (Clapp, 2017; Foley et al, 2011; Garnett et al, 2013; Godfray, 2010; Thrupp, 2000). In 2009, a six-year interdisciplinary research program entitled “Alleviating Poverty and Malnutrition in Agrobiodiversity Hotspots” (APM) was initiated in three regions of rural India to improve food security among small-scale farmers through improved access to information and knowledge exchange about sustainable food production. As part of the APM program, we examined CoPs that formed around two food production practices—nutrition gardening and pond fish farming—established through the APM project among small-scale farmers of the Malayalis tribe in the Kolli Hills region of Tamil Nadu. The introduction of each of these practices offered the opportunity for farmers to address nutrition deficiencies, save money by making fewer market purchases, and make money by selling excess produce These practices were selected because they build upon traditional practices of forest gardening and river fishing and are low-technology interventions that could be continued by local villagers once the program ended. Aside from footpaths that connect the Kolli Hills to the surrounding plains, there is only one road suitable for vehicles (Kumar-Range, 2001)

Literature Review

Methods

Ththandipatty Findings

Findings

Discussion and Conclusion