| | |  | | Smallholder farmers have vital role in food security challenge | A new report that seeks to refocus attention on the key role that smallholder farmers have to play in increasing food security in Africa was launched at the Houses of Parliament in London, this week.
|  | 'Africa’s Smallholder Farmers: Approaches that Work for Viable Livelihoods presents nine accounts of successful approaches from across Africa which have increased access to decision-making, assets, markets, science, knowledge and technology for smallholder farmers.
The publication is the work of the African Smallholder Farmers’ Group (ASFG), of which Self Help Africa is a member, and has been launched in a bid to refocus the attention of policymakers on the vital importance of investment in smallholder farmer.
The new report raises questions around how historical donor neglect has marginalised small farmers and how the food and climate crises have spurred on new initiatives to address the needs of smallholder farmers and their impact on their livelihoods. |
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The publication calls on the Government to make a commitment to increase the amount of aid for African smallholders, and to focus agricultural aid allocations on areas with greatest potential to support smallholder farmers. These include soil and water conservation, climate and disaster risk reduction, strengthening extension systems, research including vulnerable farmers and empowering local farming communities.
'This report is an excellent example of collaboration between NGOs - bringing together our collective experience and giving practical examples of ways to tackle hunger', Ray Jordan, CEO of Self Help Africa said.
The ASFG recommends that official development aid for agriculture, targeted at the specific needs of smallholder farmers, must be scaped up, to reverse the impact of years of under-investment. Even more importantly, it states, the focus of aid for agriculture policy and practical interventions must change.
'Aid for agriculture policies should integrate approaches that build resilience of vulnerable farmers to sudden onset weather and economic shocks, and also help them to adapt their farming practices to the impacts of slow onset climate change'.
It asks that the new UK government, through the Dept for International Development, should:
| | |  | Commit to increasing the relative and total amount of aid targeted at the needs of vulnerable farmers in Africa. |
| | | | Focus agriculture aid allocations and policy dialogue on safeguarding natural resources, integrating climate risk analysis and strategies, promoting innovative approaches and systems to scale up existing sustainable technologies, delivery of agricultural marketing services, encouraging research into drought tolerant crops, and facilitating the self mobilisation of local farming communities. |
| | | | Provide increased support for agriculture across all DFID supported countries.
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| | | | Pursue a sector based approach to agricultural development.
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| | | | Encourage a joined up response to the challenge - ensuring a balance of support between governments, and civil society organisations such as community and farmers' organisations, and NGOs.
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| | | | Effectively influence international aid policy. |
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| | |  | | | Zungrana Awaya is a 38 year old smallholder farmer in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
She produces tomatos, chilli peppers and other vegetables on an irrigated allotment that she shares with more than 40 other members of a farmers group in the village of Dassui. | | |  | Africa's Smallholder Farmers: Approaches that Work for Viable Livelihoods |
| | | | | | | African Smallholder Farmers' Group |
| | | The African Smallholder Farmers Group is a consortium of agencies whose aim is to promote effective support to smallholder farmers in Africa by sharing lessons and information, collecting evidence of what works and highlighting the important of smallholder farmers to developing country and donor governments.
The members of the group include: Self Help Africa, Action Aid, FARM-Africa, Christian Aid, Find Your Feet, Send a Cow, Concern Worldwide and Practical Action. |
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| | | | Self Help Africa - UK
Second Floor, Westgate House,Dickens Court,
Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, SY1 1QU
Tel. +44 (0) 1743 277170 |
| Self Help Africa - Ireland
Kingsbridge House, 17-22 Parkgate Street,
Dublin 8, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Tel. +353 (0)1 6778880 |
| Self Help Africa Inc.
41 Union Square West, Suite 631
New York, NY 10003, USA
Tel. +1 212 206 0847 |
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| | Self Help Africa is an international charity registered in Ireland and the United Kingdom Registered charity number: 6663 (Ireland), and 298830 (UK)
Self Help Africa is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organisation in the United States. | | | | | | Powered by go2web
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