African farmers favour non-genetically modified foods, sustainable systems, crop rotation and full on agroecology. This is the view of the Alliance for food sovereignty in Africa (AFSA).
At a Press Conference held on the 30th August 2023, AFSA, who are also the largest civil society network in Africa, invited their members to affirm their position, in support of small farmers.
Titled “no decision about us, without us!” A shared sentiment at the meeting, was how small farmers are sidelined in favour of profits and programmes.
“Where are the farmers? They are clearly excluded in the coming 2023 AGRF meeting in Tanzania, a country with more than 70 per cent of its population engaged in agriculture,” said
farmer leader Juma Shabani.
“A chunk of our hard-earned GDP in Kenya goes to subsidising synthetic fertiliser, destroying soil fertility and our environment”, said Anne Maina of Kenya’s Biodiversity and Biosafety Association (BIBA Kenya).
In a statement, AFSA asserts that investment in Africa’s agriculture must be democratic, grassroots-oriented, and led by the true stakeholders of agriculture – the farmers.
Concentrated power and profit in the hands of a few corporations is not the way forward for a sustainable and inclusive African agricultural future.
Comments from the audience were mainly supportive. ” There is no way we can continue with chemical fertilizers and herbicides. We are in a transformation of the food system, which begins with the food maintenance, which begins with soil maintence” said Elizabeth Mpofu.
In contrast, Mercy Jepkosgei said ” the agroecology model is a dead theory. As a young farmer and business person, I believe agriculture needs modernization in tools and assets. When Fall army worms come, there is no way you can say farmers should not use fertilizers and pesticides. So, when you talk of limiting synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, you are putting millions of farmers, who earn their daily bread from farming, into poverty.”
Tim (surname unknown) said” AFSA is not ignoring the complex causes of hunger in the continent…They are recognizing that the Green Revolution’s corporate driven, technology-based strategy for rural upliftment, has proven unfit to help small-scale farmers to cope with challenges.”
Elias Chulu said “what most African countries need is seed that will provide high yield for the next season, as most do farming not for survival as food but also for sake, to help them move. “
We have requested comment from the initiators of the Green Revolution Movement (AGRA), and will publish that upon receipt.
Picture: Safi Research