eBusiness Weekly
Tawanda Musarurwa
Zimbabwean Elizabeth Mpofu is among one of the three spokespersons for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the upcoming 31st Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Regional Conference to be held in Victoria Falls next month.
CSOs from across the continent were based in Harare over the past three days to discuss key topics pertinent around agriculture and food security, which will be delivered at the regional conference.
The elected representatives of the 2020 consultation to the FAO Regional Conference include Elizabeth Mpofu chairperson of the
Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF); Christiana Louwa of the World Forum of Fisher People (Kenya), and Hammadou Gordi of Réseau Des Organizations Paysannes e Producteurs Agricoles de l’Africa de l’Ouest (Niger).
Said Mrs Mpofu:
“Implementation is the key. It is up to us to make sure that recommendations of the meeting are fully implemented.
“We can give our Governments and FAO recommendations, but if we are not involved on the ground then we have done nothing.”
FAO assistant director-general Mr Abebe Haile-Gabriel said CSO are critical contributors to FAO’s discussions.
“You are indispensable partners as we continue work with small holder farmers; fishers and fish workers; pastoralists and herders; ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples; consumers; people who live on forest products, NGOs, women and youth.
“We plan to make this forthcoming Regional Conference in the region more inclusive and interactive by promoting and encouraging to exchange experiences across the continent in advancing our fight to eliminate hunger in Africa.”
Some of the issues that were topical during the consultation meeting include: food systems transformation, innovation and digitisation, agri-food trade and investments in rural and agricultural transformation, building resilient food and agriculture systems, and the United Nations (UN) Decade for Family Farming.
The key goal is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and small food producers in African countries.
And Government has committed itself to this agenda.
“The elimination of hunger for more than 750 million people in Africa anf responding to different structural challenges requires strong partnerships, collaborations and commitments between various stakeholders. The civil society is fundamentally pivotal in this endeavour,” said Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Dr Perrance Shiri during the opening ceremony.
21 African countries are participating at the Harare consultations, including Gambia, Senegal, Tunisia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Niger, Chad, Congo Brazzavile, Togo, Nigeria, Mozambique and Zambia.
The consultations were hosted by the Zimbabwean Government in partnership with FAO, the National Association of Non-Governmental Association (Nango) and ZIMSOFF.
