by NECOFA North South Dialogue, Oct 7, 2004 | 20 Oct 2004
Network for Ecofarming in Africa and International Centre North South Dialogue
Background and introduction
Soil erosion, desertification, deforestation and famine have confronted African countries. Western agriculture has not been able to provide solutions to these problems. The setting in Africa is quite different from that of the West. In Africa people are poor, their countries are heavily indebted with fragile ecosystems.
Locally developed technologies are relevant to address these issues in the area of ecologically socially and sustainable farming. NECOFA was formed in Ethiopia in 1998 to address these issues.
NECOFA is designed for exchange of experience between small-scale farmers, agriculture experts both in government and non-government organizations in rural development, planning, research, education and extension.
Researchers, experts and local farmers cooperate to develop appropriate technologies that match the site specific ecological, social and cultural conditions.
Ecofarming incorporates indigenous farmers knowledge and their own ways of experimentation to achieve locally appropriate, sustainable and economically viable solutions adapted to their specific farming conditions.
The countries that form NECOFA as at now include Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanziania, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Benin, Malawi and Namibia.
The NECOFA Kumasi declaration
The participants of NECOFA follow-up workshop which took place in Kumasi Ghana (between September 26 to October 09 2004) under the theme Promotion of Ecofarm ing for Food Security, Protection of Natural resources, Health and Income Generation have critically analysed that Africans:
-Are not actively participating in development and policy issues
-Have inadequate access to food
-Are utilising their natural resources unwisely as a result of which desertification is expanding
-Are facing high rate of unemployment
-Indirectly forced to accept GMOs, which is the main cause of genetic erosion, and loss of biodiversity.
-Are threatened to face cultural identity by rejection of local practice and indigenous knowledge.
-Are suffering from poor/lack of infrastructural and information networks.
-Are threatened from unfair trade as a result of removal of subsidy from the African farmers whereas the farmers in developed countries are highly subsidized.
-Are under high certification fees and complex standards of organic products, which are monopolised by the multinationals certifiers.
-Are in short of rural macro finance programmes, which could assist them to generate extra income.
-Are suffering from infant and maternal food security as result of which infant mortality and diseases at the climax.
-Are under high levels of illiteracy.
-Are suffering from lack of good governance.
-Are facing serious HIV/AIDS cases, which is negatively affecting all sectors of production.
The participants believe that at this advanced technological era, Africa is overburdened by food insecurity and poverty. Wishing to work for the continents bright future, we strongly suggest that the situation should be reversed:
Thus, we the workshop participants declare that:
1. The rural poor in general should be given the right to participate actively in all issues concerning development and policy formulation.
2. Poverty reduction strategies should centre on the empowerment of the resource poor in particular women and youths.
3. There must be a moratorium on the commercialization of GMOs until
a) bio safety regulations and policies are in place.
b) all environmental and health risk issues are properly and adequately assessed by competent and independent commissions.
4. Africa should be empowered in the certification and inspection
5. The peculiarities of Africa must be given due consideration during the development and implementation of the Millennium Agenda .
6. There should be debt cancellation/forgiveness for Africa to move forwards.
7. Create an enabling environment for policy development towards good governance.
8. There should be environment assessment studies before initiation of any developmental projects in Africa.
The declaration was signed on the 07th of October 2004 at Kumasi, Ghana by the following country representatives and the international coordinator:
Country Representative
1. Cameroon, Anagho Richard Aba
2. Ethiopia, Asfaw Tihune
3. Ghana, Laurence Krampa
4. Kenya, Samuel Muhunyi
5. Nigeria, Edward Ogungbe
6. South Africa, Thembinkosi Mhlongo
7. Zambia, Given Sikasote
8. The Sudan, Fawzi Salih
9. Malawi, Victor Chipofya
10. Benin, Prosper Monde
11. Namibia, Frans Persendt
12. Uganda, Jolly Kabirizi
13. Tanzania, Idd S. Mdanku
International Coordinator Dr. Sahle Tesfai