1.FAO, organic and food security - IFOAM
2.Only indigenous crops can end poverty - Margaret Muhanga (Member of Parliament in Uganda)
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1.FAO Shows Interest in Exploring the Potential of Organic Agriculture for Food Security
FAO to Hold International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security in 2007
IFOAM, 2 November 2006

Rome, Italy, November 2nd 2006 - From October 30th - November 4th, the Committee on World Food Security of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is meeting in Rome to discuss a host of issues, including the presentation of the Mid-Term Review of Achieving the World Food Summit Target, which concludes that practically no progress has been made since its establishment in 1992. Taking a solutions-oriented approach, a side event organized by IFOAM in the FAO Headquarters drew attention to the potential of Organic Agriculture for achieving global food security.

Mr. John Bosco Mugisha opened the side event by presenting the successful work of the Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa (EPOPA) project, which began in 1994 as a program of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

EPOPA aims to provide African smallholder farmers a better livelihood through the development of local and international organic markets. The increase in agricultural production benefits rural communities, and thus the farmers. Through the projects - that reaches more than 30,000 smallholder farmers - the agricultural sector, particularly in Tanzania and Uganda, is constantly exposed to innovative and environmentally sound organic farming techniques, leading to abundant local spin off developments.

Thomas Rath from the International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD) presented the evaluations IFAD has undertaken on the impact of organic agriculture on poverty alleviation. The evaluations show that Organic Agriculture is a promising alternative for small farmers, and that in almost all of the countries where the evaluations were carried out, small farmers needed only marginal improvements to their technologies to make the shift to organic production.

Ms. Patrizia Sentinelli, Italian vice-minister of foreign affairs explained her view on Organic Agriculture and local development in the international cooperation.

Mr. Alexander MÃ*ller, Assistant Director-General of FAO said that many countries request FAO's assistance to develop Organic Agriculture. He says that "there is a need to shed light on the contribution of Organic Agriculture to food security, so that FAO can provide objective and informed advice to its member countries. Thus, FAO plans to hold in 2007 an international conference on Organic Agriculture and food security." The conference aims to identify Organic Agricultures potential and limits to the food security challenge, including conditions required for its success. The report of the conference will be submitted to the 2007 Session of the Committee on World Food Security.

Mette Meldgaard, IFOAMs Vice President notes "The major constraints to achieving universal food security are found in social, economic and political conditions, more than in problems regarding agricultural productive capacity. One of the most important factors for poverty alleviation is Rural Development. Organic Agriculture, based on the Principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care, is the more advanced tool for Rural Development," and concerning the announcement of [the Assistant Director-General of FAO] said "We are glad that the planned FAO conference provides for an opportunity to show Organic Agricultures potential."

Contact at the FAO:
Louise Luttikholt
Strategic Relations Manager
Cell: +49-177-6472-579
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IFOAM is the international umbrella organization of organic agriculture movements worldwide.

IFOAMs mission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in its full diversity.

Our goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems that are based on the Principles of Organic Agriculture.

IFOAM Press Release, Responsible: Angela B. Caudle, Contact: Neil Sorensen
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2.Only indigenous crops can end poverty
By Margaret Muhanga
New Vision (Uganda), 24 October 2006
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/528356?highlight&q=indigenous

[The writer is the woman MP for Kabarole District]

ONE of the most crucial Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is poverty alleviation. The bulk of the Uganda's poor live in rural areas. They survive on less than one US dollar per day.

Uganda's development strategy now focuses on rural development; improving household incomes and people's quality of life.

However, the most critical question is why are rural people poorer than their counterparts in urban areas?

New development thinkers have realised that poverty is far more than mere absence of income. Social exclusion, lack of status in society and disempowerment are some of the other factors that can explain this phenomenon.

In African setup, many people thrive on social capital. Whether or not one has money they can at least eat, have shelter, clothing and perhaps live more a comfortable life than people in gainful employment who lack social capital. However, in Western societies social capital is not important. People live on their own and need cash or credit facilities to survive. This calls for a different approach to poverty alleviation in that setup.

Rural-urban migration in the developing countries is increasing very fast. The trend is worrying because, unlike the developed countries, there are few industries to absorb immigrants in towns.

People are attracted to urban centres because they assume they will get better housing, hospitals, schools, communications, consumer goods, jobs, higher salaries and career prospects. Rural-urban inequalities need to be sorted out because one does not necessarily become rich because they have moved to cities and towns. Some people's living conditions become when they arrive in the towns.

However, there is urgent need for poor countries to invest in the poorest segments of their population in terms of education, health and access to credit.

Part of the reasons we have lost focus on rural development is the perception that promotion of exotic knowledge as opposed to indigenous the way to go. No-one attempts to research on the indigenous knowledge. The Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) is one of the examples of the global trend of trying to imitate what cannot solve our immediate problems.

A colleague of mine calls PMA 'plan for malicing of agriculture'. He argues that African indigenous plants are tastier, grow wild, need no fertilisers, do not pollute the environment, and can multiply and preserve the quality of our soils. With the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), poor people are going to live like slaves. They will have to depend on Western rich countries for fertilisers and seeds, hence increasing the dependency syndrome. This is partly because some of the GMOs have no seeds and in order to multiply them, one has to depend on imported seeds that are very expensive for a local farmer.

Recently, I toured my constituency trying to learn how people earn a living, especially those in peri-urban centres with small land holdings. I realised that there is a new Matooke (banana) breed locally known as 'fear' which is a liability to the farmers. It yields a very big bunch, looks healthy but is not tasty. People have realised that its market is limited because no-one wants it for any purpose, whether food or juice.

The indigenous bananas are highly marketable, taste nice, conserve our soils, need no fertilisers, and so are the rest of our indigenous crops.

Livestock farming has followed a similar pattern. The carriers of modernity have advocated exotic cattle which need special care and are suited for temperate climate. The Bahima of Ankole stuck to their indigenous cattle which need little attention and have tastier products than the exotic ones. Those breeding exotic ones think the Bahima have a ‘cattle complex’ but in essence, they are better off than those with exotic breeds.

However, for those living on small land holdings, the rearing animals is limited to exotic cows because of the high milk yields. People in poetry have also realised that local chicken and eggs are tastier and more expensive. The exotic breeds are less tasty, take less time to cook and are sold in super markets. With the habit of consumerism among Ugandan middle class, no-one wants to venture into buying native chicken and go through the hassle of slaughtering it at home. This therefore means that rural poverty cannot be fought with 'imported' or exotic technology alone. We need to preserve our traditional ways of life. Preserving our indigenous crops and animals offers sustainable solutions to our needs as opposed to importing foreign ways which may never answer our problems.

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