In an effort to uplift farmers right for possible inclusion in African governments’ national agricultural policies, Center for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA) in conjunction with The Global Forum on Agriculture Research (GFRA) and The Development Fund of Norway (DF) have teamed up to achieve sustainable food security in line with international treaties signed .
In 2001, African countries including Malawi committed themselves into signing a treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture which calls governments to adopt measures in promoting and protecting farmers rights to achieve food security.
Among these rights including gaining access to quality seeds of improved varieties that are suitable to local agronomic conditions, proper markets for produces, ability to learn and adopt modern agricultural technologies which contributes towards sustainable food security.
The three organization hosted a day-long national conference in the capital Lilongwe on Monday, June 1 aimed at discussing how national policies could recognize farmers’ rights and reflect on their co-existence and mutual supportiveness with Plant Breeders’ rights which generates critical issues for policy markers to be used in international negotiations relevant for farmers rights.
The conference which drew participants from smallholder farmers, academia, seed companies, media, famers organizations, local CSOs and global partners whose out put will complete the formulation of Malawi National Agricultural Policy which is expected to be ready in September this year, 2015.
In a joint press statement released on Monday evening which is available to The Maravi Post, the three organization have stressed the need for farmers’ rights inclusion in agricultural policy specifically on seed sector as it integral part in achieving sustainable food security in the country.
“Seeds are the most important inputs in agricultural production. Plant genetic resources are the raw materials indispensable for crop improvement, whether by means of farmers’ selection, conventional breeding or modern biotechnologies. The genetic resources base is also essential in adapting crops to unpredictable environmental changes and future human needs.
“However, gaining access to quality seeds of improved varieties that are suitable to local agronomic conditions has been remained a challenge for many small-scale farmers such that the motive for private seed industry is largely profit making as a result the focus has been only on hybrid maize and other commercial crops rather than food nutrition security crops such as cassava, millet, beans and sorghum.
“Therefore, we are calling the governments in Africa including Malawi not to ignore the informal seed sector especially the farmers sees system in the national policy and consider the implementation of farmers’ rights to ensure the rights to food for Malawian population”, appeals the statement.
Later in an interview with The Maravi Post, William Chadza, CEPA’s Executive Director stressed the need for the Malawi government to seriously considering farmers needs in their programming through various policy related saying for along time they have been subjected to poor seed technology access and markets which has contributed to their poverty despite their efforts to produce more food for consumption and commercial purposes.
Echoing on the same, Juanita Chaves Posada, GFAR representative noted that farmers in Africa were not benefiting a lot on their field work as national policies don’t support their effort hence the need to incorporate them in legal instruments to achieve the sustainable agricultural production.
In responding to the calls on farmers rights inclusion in agricultural policies, Dr Wilkson Makumba, Director of Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development assured the nation that government will consider all concerns raised especially on women farmers saying the national agricultural policy underway in formulation would be best of its kind which is to harmonise all agriculture related policies specifically to uplift farmers rights.
Malawi’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture with 80% of the population living in rural areas as smallholder farmers especially women play an important role in agriculture, conservation and transfer of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices to younger generations but are not fully supported towards their effort as they remain poorer.
