IFAP Press Release | African Farmers’ Organizations Want Stronger Involvement in Boosting Food Supplies

Press Release

African Farmers’ Organizations Want Stronger Involvement in Boosting Food Supplies: Promotion of Farmer-led Agriculture is the Key for Sustainable and Equitable Development

Cape Town, April 25, 2008 – Representatives from 18 farmers’ organizations in Africa called for farmers’ organizations to have a greater role in the promotion of agriculture. Farmers’ organizations are a valuable, underutilized resource in serving as a development counterpart to governments and international organizations.

One of the main conclusions of the World Development Report is that farmers’ organizations are key actors in the promotion of development and agriculture, and that their role as a counterpart to governments and international organisms should be strengthened. Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, IFAP’s African members agreed to work together with all African farmers’ organizations, including all sub-regional organizations, (ROPPA, SACAU, EAFF, PROPAC), and establish permanent liaisons and consultation with African institutions, including the African Union, NEPAD and others, to promote the stronger inclusion of farmers’ organization in the development of agriculture.

Participants were also concerned about the effects of the rise of food prices. They urged governments and the international community to support investment to increase productivity in a sustainable way, rather than bringing in controls on food prices and export supplies that would take away incentives of African farmers to produce.

Jacques Bonou, Chair of the IFAP African Committee, emphasized, “Food Aid is not a sustainable answer for this food shortage. The real solution lies in building up the agricultural infrastructure in African countries and increasing productive capacity.”

IFAP Vice-President Ajay Vashee noted, “IFAP will do everything it can to unify farmers’ organizations and international organizations working in Africa and to make sure the interests of farmers are being represented. Governments, however, need to step up and take action to work with farmers’ organizations and provide the resources that farmers demand to create food security in their country.”

African farmers will follow up on these proposals with their colleagues from other countries at IFAP’s 38th World Farmers’ Congress in Warsaw, Poland May 30 – June 6, 2008, along with messages from IFAP’s Regional Committees.

For further information contact:
Jacques Bonou
Chair IFAP African Committee
Vice-President ROPPA
E-mail: jacbonou@yahoo.fr
Tel: +229-9595-1810 or +229-9752-1741

Ajay Vashee
Vice-President IFAP
President SACAU
E Mail : vashee@coppernet.zm, vashee@coppernet.zm
Cell: +260-977-806-806
Telephone: +260-2-615-304/615-272

IFAP is the farmers' voice at the world level, and has been advocating farmers’ interests at the international level since 1946. IFAP’s mission is to develop farmers’ capacities to influence decisions that affect them at both the domestic and international levels.

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Neil SORENSEN

Communications Coordinator

Email:

neil.sorensen@ifap.org

Jessica GOODFELLOW

Communications Officer

E-mail:

jessica.goodfellow@ifap.org

Phone:+33 1 45 26 05 53 Fax: +33 1 48 74 72 12

IFAP is the world farmers’ organisation representing over 500 million farm families grouped in 100 national organisations in 70 countries.

It is a global network in which farmers from industrialised and developing countries exchange concerns and set common priorities.

IFAP advocates farmers’ interests at the international level since 1946 and has General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.