1 min
This is a familiar discussion for many organizations working with smallholder farmers whose purpose is to increase productivity and food safety. Many times, the farmers go back to their age-long practices because there is little or no incentive that reinforces the adoption of GAPs (which in the real sense is a new behaviour). It is important for stakeholders to know that adopting GAPs by smallholder farmers must be intentional and must be able to follow through the process using various behavioural change strategies.
A one-off training or demonstration is not sufficient to change behaviour or habits that have been repeated over the years and acceptable by many people. Such training or demonstration would have little or no impact on the majority of the farmers. Beyond this, there is a need to develop an efficient system of rewarding this new behaviour (adoption of GAPs) as evident in the implementation of sustainability certifications where certified farms are paid a premium for adhering to certain requirements and readily available markets for their produce also. Therefore, farmers would only adopt GAPs when it provides economic, social and environmental benefits (in that direct order), but from experience economic benefits trump all (the more the economic benefits, the likelihood the farmers would adopt).
It is important for farmers to understand the opportunities in adopting GAPs throughout the production cycle, and at the same time stakeholders need to create more values to spur their interests and reinforce the practices of GAPs. The more farmers are adopting this new behaviour, the healthier the environment, safer the food, higher the productivity and more prosperity is shared amongst the farmers. Therefore, GAPs shouldn't end in a training programme but we need to develop strategies that help reinforce new behaviour because achieving food security is also a behaviour.
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
It is important for farmers to understand the opportunities in adopting GAPs throughout the production cycle, and at the same time stakeholders need to create more values to spur their interests and reinforce the practices of GAPs. The more farmers are adopting this new behaviour, the healthier the environment, safer the food, higher the productivity and more prosperity is shared amongst the farmers. Therefore, GAPs shouldn't end in a training programme but we need to develop strategies that help reinforce new behaviour because achieving food security is also a behaviour.
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
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