News Archive - 2010
New report showcases practical approaches to improve livelihoods for Africa’s smallholder farmers
On the back of recent international initiatives to improve global food security, a new report released by the African Smallholder Farmers’ Group (ASFG) focuses attention on ways to increase food security in Africa by improving the livelihoods of Africa’s largely neglected smallholder farmers.
The report, Africa’s Smallholder Farmers: Approaches that Work for Viable Livelihoods, presents nine case studies of successful approaches from across Africa which have increased access to decision-making, assets, markets, science, knowledge and technology for smallholder farmers.
It illustrates how historical donor neglect has marginalised smallholder farmers, describes how the food and climate crises have spurred on new initiatives to address the needs of these communities and assesses how these initiatives can transform the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa.
The report recommends the need for the UK Government to make a commitment to increase the amount of aid for African smallholders, and to focus agricultural aid allocations on areas with the greatest potential to support small-scale farming systems. These areas include soil and water conservation, climate and disaster risk reduction, strengthening extension systems, and research that can address the needs of vulnerable farmers.
The report also highlights the need for increased provision of support for agriculture across all UK Department for International Development (DFID) country programmes.
Dr. Darren Evans, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Concern Worldwide UK said:
“With the flurry of international political and institutional activity around the food crises of 2008 it is so easy to forget the people at the frontline - smallholder farmers, often women-headed households. This report shows us that with the right support, smallholder farmers have the potential to be highly productive, which can help solve the food and economic needs of their families and their local community.”
Dr. Christie Peacock, CEO of FARM-Africa said, “It looks like the donor community and national governments have given up on smallholders- there's no hope and it's pointless investing in them. What we're saying is this is not true.”
Dr. Dan Taylor, Director, Find Your Feet said, “With the new UK Government’s publicly stated commitment to international development, this report provides a timely reminder of the critical role of agriculture in reducing poverty and hunger, and the importance of listening to the voices of African smallholder farmers.”
Andrew Scott, Director, Policy and Programmes, Practical Action added, "This report is a timely reminder that investment in African agriculture is vital. But in order to provide long-term, sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty, the right kind of support is required. Africa’s main food providers, smallholder farmers, need to be at the heart of African agricultural development."
Ray Jordan, CEO, Self Help Africa commented, “This report is an excellent example of collaboration between NGOs - it brings together our collective experience and illustrates with practical examples ways to tackle hunger. The African Smallholder Farmers Group provides a platform to draw attention to the challenges and opportunities that rural African farmers face.”
Finally, Martin Geake, CEO, Send a Cow said, “This report makes a timely and unequivocal case for the importance of agriculture in poverty and hunger reduction. With the right help and support, we know that poor rural farmers in Africa can be empowered to grow food, protect their land against a challenging climate and develop viable livelihoods. The time is right for the new coalition government to change the face of agricultural aid and enable successful programmes to be scaled up.”
The report is available to download here
Notes
The African Smallholder Farmers Group is a network of NGOs who are committed to creating an enabling environment for marginalised farmers across Africa.
Members of The African Smallholder Farmers Group include:
Action Aid, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, FARM-Africa, Find Your Feet, Practical Action, Self Help Africa and Send a Cow.
Comments
This is an excellent publication. I would like to get in touch with ASFG to seek their interest and ability to prepare and present a paper or series of papers to an International Symposium being organized by FAO that can provide evidence that expanding and diversifying food supplies and promoting better care and feeding practices can make a difference in dietary intakes and nutritional status. Please contact me for more details.
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