AICM: Farming Systems and Rural Livelihoods

The farming systems and rural livelihoods course seeks to promote sustainable, equitable, decentralized agricultural food systems based on local diversity and participatory democracy, thereby contributing to improved livelihoods and entitlements, poverty reduction, and long-term ecological and economic sustainability. Processes of environmental, economic, and social change from the global, regional and local perspectives; Emergence of new forms of production, exchange, consumption, and governance; Impacts of these global and regional trends and changes on food and agriculture. Trends affecting the structure and dynamics of agri-food systems: i) trade liberalisation; ii) deregulation of foreign investment; iii) withdrawal of state from active agriculture; iv) privatisation of standards and establishment of new rules which raise barriers to entry (technology, management) to trade in agricultural products in certain commodity chains; and v) ascendance of regional and global retailers even in small and relatively poor economies, which is restructuring the governance and operation of agri-food supply and value chains and driving consolidation of food processing and manufacturing. National Growth and Innovation Systems -Commercial best bets in agriculture; Foresight Process-an understanding of long-term trends and an economic vision for the country; National Growth and innovation strategy and economic goals; National budgets, projects, short-term goals, and performance.