Access to Information and Farmer's Market Choice: The Case of Potato in Highland Bolivia

Potato incomes are critical determinants of Andean farmers' household well-being. Efforts to improve incomes of producers should recognize the role of access to market information. In highland Bolivia, market information has entered the digital age. Cell phones are ubiquitous, and networks lubricated by cellular technologies are affecting traditional means of gathering information. Andean markets are characterized by the heavy involvement of women. Lower information costs could change market choices and roles of men and women. This study explores the effects of information access on market choice near Cochabamba. It diagnoses the roles of men and women and investigates decision-making and changes in it. The research confirms the importance of gender and cell phones to market access. Market decisions are made jointly by men and women, but women take a leading role in marketing. Women dominate marketing by negotiating favorable prices with buyers who are also women. Marketing networks have not changed substantially since the introduction of new information technologies. While cellular technology has broadened access to information and quickened its flow, it has not fundamentally changed network structures. The study provides recommendations about improving competitiveness of small-scale potato producers: (1) increasing access to information by expanding the information content of existing networks; (2) expanding cell phones access; (3) consideration of the important roles intermediaries play; and (4) more technical support for market and information access

Local solutions for sustainable food systems: The contribution of orphan crops and wild edible species

Calls for a global food system transformation and finding more sustainable ways of producing healthier, safe and nutritious food for all have spurred production approaches such as sustainable intensification and biofortification with limited consideration of the copious amounts of orphan crops, traditional varieties and wild edible species readily available in many countries, mostly in and around smallholder farmers’ fields. This paper explores the potential role of locally available; affordable and climate-resilient orphan crops, traditional varieties and wild edible species to support local food system transformation. Evidence from Brazil, Kenya, Guatemala, India, Mali, Sri Lanka and Turkey is used to showcase a three-pronged approach that aims to: (i) increase evidence of the nutritional value and biocultural importance of these foods, (ii) better link research to policy to ensure these foods are considered in national food and nutrition security strategies and actions, and (iii) improve consumer awareness of the desirability of these alternative foods so that they may more easily be incorporated in diets, food systems and markets. In the seven countries, this approach has brought about positive changes around increasing community dietary diversity and increasing market opportunities for smallholder growers, as well as increased attention to biodiversity conservation