Reactions for Volume 23 No. 2 (2023)
From: John Lupien
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2023 6:30 PM
To: ruthajfand@outlook.com ruthajfand@outlook.com
Subject: Announcing AJFAND Volume 23 No. 2 (2023)
Dear Ruth,
Great issue.
I particularly like your intro note, I was a small farmer in rocky Massachusetts when I was a boy, my father had 2 hectares that we farmed for the family of 7, and used most of the land or one cash crop, maize or squash, and used manure from neighbouring cow or poultry farms for fertilizer. All labor was family, no problems with child labor, and my mother was one of the most hard working participants while my father worked in a local factory and the five children were at school. Before and after school we did all of the weeding and I spent time in the very early morning in the late spring shooting at crows that were trying to eat the seedling corn. Never hit a crow but they got the idea and stayed away after a few days of my shooting at them. We had a big enough veggie garden for the family, the rest of the land was for the cash crop. My mother canned a lot of the produce so we had food from the garden through the winter months, next spring we did it all over again. We also had chickens for eggs and meat, some pigs and geese and the farm made a profit cutting down on spending at the store, and on the cash crop when it could be sold.
Your Kenyan and Ugandan small farmers sound similar to my experience, ready to work hard and learn to adapt to changes is weather, seeds, adapt to new crops, keep the family involved and improve education, housing and income, as well as nutrition and well-being.
Good luck in your endeavours in the region. And keep up the success with AFJAND.
All the best, John
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John R. Lupien
Via Aventina, 30
00153 Rome, Italy
From: Prakash Vish
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2023 6:36 PM
To: ruthajfand@outlook.com ruthajfand@outlook.com
Subject: Announcing AJFAND Volume 23 No. 2 (2023). Wonderful Editorial Ruth.
Thanks Ruth. The Editor's note is wonderful. Congratulations.
This is exactly how the Milk Cooperative is working in India run by Women force for Production, Productivity and Profit sharing. India tops World's Milk Production for 22nd successive year and right now the 2022 calendar year Productivity is 205 Million Tonnes of Milk from India in spite of the biggest economies pulling down India that Cow breathes out methane and so contributing to global Warming even though five times that cows are there in US alone and those cows I guess breath out Oxygen like trees!! India is winning from all angles with the COOPERATIVE Movement by sharing and caring and all Foods are self-sufficient and is a net exporter. Marginal farmers are also doing well and have market access for their self grown crops three times a year through Cooperatives and working together through Panchayats (farmers Group) in a particular Village (who network beyond agriculture and value addition to many non agri products through and also have a voice in local banks and sustainable livelihood through village and Cottage Industries for coir from palm, honey etc.
From that Context I liked your Editor's note and needs to be read to all Farmers in African Countries who are marginal farmers and also large scale holders widely broadcast in local languages.
My best wishes Ruth.
Warm regards
Prakash
