FAIR engages in local advocacy based on the experiences of the Malawi programme. The main goal is to improve the capacity of communities and local organisations in Malawi to influence government policies.
The key areas of focus are:
• Influencing the current debate within Malawi on the most appropriate means to improve soil fertility:
Our growing body of evidence shows that a mix of composting practices results in more reliable yields and that the policy debate needs to move on from fertiliser subsidies.
• Promoting crop diversification and the protection of local agro-biodiversity:
Growing a greater range of crops gives people more options especially in years of unpredictable rains
• Influencing policy around sustainable wetland use:
The increasing need to extend the growing season is putting pressure on wetland areas. These are valuable assets to improve food security but need to be used sustainably, taking into account the whole catchment. Learning generated at our projects is being used to trigger national debate.
• Climate change and Disaster Risk Reduction:
Many of the SHA’s approaches help farmers to cope with increasingly unpredictable rains. Our experience is relevant to Malawi’s National Adaptation Programme.
In pursuing our advocacy objectives we are working with a range of our partners, but in particular:
• SHFFM (Smallholder Farmers Federation of Malawi) which is a recently established advocacy organisation campaigning for policy change which benefits smallholder farmers in Malawi. FAIR has provided training in advocacy and support to the steering committee.
• We are also working with CEPA (Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy), which has been involved in environmental and natural resource related advocacy, policy development and lobbying since 2002.
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