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Vol.6,3 |
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Capacity Building International, Germany ( Established through the merger of CDG II and DSE ) InWEnt gGmbH Rural and Agricultural Development, Development Management Division Wielinger Str. 52 D-82340 Feldafing Germany Tel: ++49 8157 / 938 - 0 Fax: ++49 8157 / 938 - 315 email: feldafing@inwent.org
and :
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International Centre North South Dialogue
P.O.Box 1361 D-37203 Witzenhausen Germany Tel: ++49 5542 / 502 - 9173 Fax: ++49 5542 / 502 - 9175 email: info@icnsd.org
Editors: Sahle Tesfai ( ICNSD ) Hartmut Gast ( InWEnt )
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The long awaited Workshop for Promotion of Ecofarming for food security, protection of Natural resources, Health and Income Generation has been succesfully concluded between the 27th September to the 09th October. 2004, in Kumasi - Ghana
Infact it was during the last NECOFA workshop 2002, in Uganda that the National Country Group NECOFA Ghana has kindly agreed to host the 2004 workshop.
13 Countries, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Malaw, Benin and the host country Ghana participated at the workshop.
The workshop was welcomed from different parties of the country. Besides from the Ministry of agricultural, the NGO’s and the country press, also from the key and most important city of Kumasi. The Major of Kumasi Mr. Maxwell K. Jumah expressed its satisfaction that Kumasi has been chosen as the venue of the international workshop and ensured his contribution in promoting Ecofarming and supports the activities of the Network for Ecofarming in Africa (NECOFA).
The Statement of the Major of Kumasi are given below in the Country Press of 8th.Oktober.04
The Workshop has critically analysed the de facto what Africa is really facing now and realized that African countries are being targeted by the biotech industry and its lobbyists; even food aid has been used to push GM into Africa. The Workshop adopted “The Declaration of Kumasi” and urged to say no to GMOs.
Below, in the press release of the International Follow-up Workshop is given the outcome of the gathering of the African countries.
S. Tesfai
Under the sponsorship of the Germany government, the Centre for Food, Rural Development and the Environment (ZEL) of the Germany Foundation for International Development (DSE), in cooperation with the International Centre North South Dialogue (ICNSD) and the National Uganda group of the Network for Ecofarming in Africa, (NECOFA), conducted an International Follow-up Workshop entitled “Promotion of Ecofarming for food security, protection of Natural resources, Health and Income Generation have critically analysed that Africa” 27th October to the 09th September, Kumasi – Ghana
Delegates from thirteen African nations participated in the two-week workshop which included visits to an agroforestry, Asare FarmsLTD, Kakum National Park and Elmina Historic Castle.
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Participants of the workshop in Ghana |
The workshop gathered 26 senior agricultural experts, coming from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Benin, Sudan, Malawi working in governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in rural development, planning, research, education and extension. Mr. Hartmut Gast of DSE and Dr. Sahle Tesfai. (International Coordinator of NECOFA), both from Germany facilitated the workshop.
Mr. Arnest Nabihamba, Environment Officer, in charge of Jinja Municipal Council, also substantially contributed to the workshop, highlighting some of the country's experiences in ecofarming during the opening session.
The Promotion of Ecofarming for food security, protection of Natural resources, Health and Income in Africa was a follow up event to a similar workshops held respectively in Ethiopia in November 1998, Cameroon in 2000 and in Ghana2002. In Ethiopia, the idea emerged of establishing an Africa- wide network of agricultural experts interested in promoting an ecological approach to agricultural development. The Network now called NECOFA, was subsequently established, and is now operating within nine national affiliates, and is attracting more and more applicants like Sudan, Berlin, Namibia and Malawi who have recently been registered.
The following key papers were presented during the workshop:
As part of NECOFA, during the 1998 workshop in Ethiopia and the follow-up workshop in Cameroon in 2000 and Uganda 2002 members have been experimenting with ecofarming technologies in their respective countries. In this process, they have discovered a number of important new technologies, as well as many opportunities and strategies applying to African agriculture as well as technologies previously validated in Latin America, Asia and other African nations. These experiments carried out by NECOFA members, proved that ecofarming technologies are at least as productive or more in Africa, than are those of conventional farming.
These successful experiences provided the primary technical information for the present workshop in Ghana - Kumansi. The so-called modern, or conventional farming, relies on a high level of increasingly expensive inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides. Ecofarming, in contrast, employs technologies based on local resources, such as plants that fertilize the soil or control weeds and natural products such as Neem tree leaves or cow urine that can control pests and diseases. These technologies which are locally appropriate, sustainable, economically viable, are based on intensive research work done worldwide in the last twenty years, in addition to farmers knowledge and their own way of experimenting.
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Participants of the workshop in Ghana |
Ecofarming allows rural people to maintain their natural resources in good condition, while also improving soil fertility. Applying ecofarming technologies, even Africa's large areas of wasteland can be brought back into intensive production at surprisingly low costs.
Ecofarming technologies include the use of animal manure and green manures (plants that fertilize the soil and do many other things), cover crops (plants that control weeds) and conserve moisture in the soil crop rotations and mixtures, contour live barriers that prevent soil erosion, natural products made from local sources to control pests, water catchments to help irrigate crops, and simple improvements in village and farming systems.
Ecofarming also advocates extension approaches, such as farmer-to-farmer training and participatory technology development, by which village farmers experiment and develop their own technological innovations.
The success of the experiences from Esari Farms, as well as those of the participants in their respective nations, have supplied more and more evidence to substantiate the already ample evidence that ecofarming constitutes a viable and extremely important possibility for considerably increasing Africa's food production, at costs well within the reach of traditional farmers. The participants of the ecofarming workshop, armed with this additional technological information and approaches, will continue through NECOFA, to promote this important alternative for Africa throughout the continent.
Based on their own experiences in their farms and organizations, and joint findings elaborated at the end of the workshop, participants are convinced that ecofarming is the most modern, convenient, and sustainable way of farming, supporting food security at a high level, with fewer risks and costs involved.
The outputs of the workshop included the sensitization of participants on ecofarming concepts, the identification and integration of ecofarming components within existing farming systems and operational strategies and methods for the application/extension of ecofarming technologies in Africa.
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:
The participants believe that at this advanced technological era, Africa is overburdened by food insecurity and poverty. Wishing to work for the continent’s bright future, we strongly suggest that the situation should be reversed:
Thus, we the workshop participants declare that:
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Representative |
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1. Cameroon |
Anagho Richard Aba |
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2. Ethiopia |
Asfaw Tihune |
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3. Ghana |
Laurence Krampa |
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4. Kenya |
Samuel Muhunyi |
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5. Nigeria |
Edward Ogungbe |
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6. South Africa |
Thembinkosi Mhlongo |
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7. Zambia |
Given Sikasote |
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8. The Sudan |
Fawzi Salih |
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9. Malawi |
Victor Chipofya |
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10. Benin |
Prosper Monde |
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11. Nambia |
Frans Persendt |
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12. Uganda |
Jolly Kabirizi |
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13. Tanzania |
Idd S. Mdanku |
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International Coordinator |
Dr. Sahle Tesfai |
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By GM WATCH
address: c/o 26 Pottergate, Norwich, UK, NR2 1DX,
tel: +44 (0)1603 624021 (ask for Jonathan Matthews)
e-mail: nginATgmwatch.org
A key part of the US-industry campaign involves locking African countries into weak biosafety regimes like that introduced under the old apartheid regime in South Africa, a country where the uptake of GM crops has been amongst the most rapid anywhere in the world and where the line between corporate lobbyists and regulators often seems hard to draw.
Among those involved in pushing GM in Africa, or claiming to speak for the people of Africa:
Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International - AHBFI
Kenya based lobby group targeting Africa and projecting strong support for GM crops in Africa to the outside world. Chief Executive: Florence Wambugu. Has office in Washington DC. AHBFI is supported by CropLife International - an organisation led by companies such as BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta.
South Africa based lobby group with strong regulatory influence. According to an article in the science journal Nature, 'AfricaBio, along with agribiotech companies and other pro-biotech campaigners, is now fighting tooth and nail, often by somewhat controversial methods, to spread the word about GM crops'. Has strong industry backing. Works closely with Florence Wambugu AHBFI.
African Agricultural Technology Foundation - AATF
Kenya based initiative to help transfer GM crops into the African market place. It has the formal endorsement of the US as well as backing from USAID, DfID,, Rockefeller, Monsanto, Dupont, Dow and Syngenta. The projects it's working with include the Syngenta Foundation's Insect Resistant Maize for Africa.
African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum - ABSF
Kenya based intiative spun off by the industry-backed ISAAA under its then director Florence Wambugu
AgBioWorld
US based pro-GM lobby group headed by CS Prakash who works in close coordination with the biotech industry, particularly Monsanto, and with USAID and other US government agencies, as well as corporate lobbyists, most notably the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Agricultural Biotechnology Support Program - ABSP/ABSP II
USAID funded project managed originally by the Michigan State University and more recently by Cornell (ABSP II). Its partners have included Asgrow, Monsanto, and Pioneer Hi-Bred. See Muffy Koch and SARB.
Executive Director ofSyngenta Foundation . Previously Director of Rural Livelihoods and Environment for the UK government's Department for International Development (DfID).
Biotechnology Outreach Society of Zambia
Aims to provide an 'aggressive awareness campaign' in support of GM in order to make Zambian government policy less 'negative' towards GM crops - see Luke Mumba
TJ Buthelezi
South African farmer who has been flown around the world to support biotech industry and US lobbying for GMOs.
Congress of Racial Equality - CORE
African American lobby group that claims it is seeking to bring justice to the Third World by opposing restrictions on GM crops, DDT, etc. CORE has been described as 'a tin cup outstretched to every Hard Right political campaign or cause that finds it convenient - or a sick joke - to hire Black cheerleaders'.
DfID - Department for International Development (UK)
The UK government's overseas aid dept which has quietly been funding a £13m plus programme to create a new generation of GM animals, crops and drugs throughout the Third World (see Andrew Bennet). Helps fund AATF.
An initiative of the US based Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, in cooperation with the Congress of Racial Equality, 'dedicated to correcting prevalent environmental myths and misguided policies that help perpetuate poverty, misery, disease and early death in developing countries.'
A Monsanto-linked PR front which promotes itself as 'the web's most complete source of news and information about global food security concerns'. Its 'African director' is Dr Michael Mbwille.
Golden Genomics
South African based biosafety consultancy of GM lobbyist Muffy Koch.
International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Situated in the Nigerian city of Ibadan, IITA is part of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) which has Syngenta Foundation on its board. IITA is part of CGIAR's Harvest Plus Plan involving research on GM crops. USAID has agreement with IITA to heavily invest in 'agricultural biotechnology'.
ISAAA - International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications
ISAAA is a U.S.-centered, GM promotion and ‘technology transfer’ agency with multi-million dollar funding by AgrEvo, Bayer, Cargill, Dow, Monsanto, Novartis, Pioneer, Syngenta, in addition to foundations and Western governmental funding agencies. Board of Directors has contained leading biotech industry executives. Its Kenya-based AfriCenter originally headed by Florence Wambugu who went on to establish her own biotech advocacy outfit - African Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International. ISAAA has also spun off a number of other pro-GM NGOs, like the African Biotechnology Stakeholders' Forum. It also served as model for the more recent AATF - both have similar backers and work on 'technology transfer', but AATF has been given a more African face.
This UK based plant biotech research institute has a significant number of GM projects aimed at developing countries funded, for example, by DfID - the Department for International Development (see Andrew Bennet.)
Along with TJ Buthelezi, Jocelyn Webster and Jennifer Thompson, Muffy Koch is one of the key pro-GM lobbyists operating out of South Africa. See also Golden Genomics and SARB .
Zambian scientist and interim Chairman of the Biotechnology Outreach Society of Zambia which aims to make the Zambian government more positive towards GM crops.
Head of USAID. Has aggressively attacked those opposing GM crops.
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
UK based committee responsible for highly controversial reports promoting GM crops for the developing world.
US based advisor to USAID and 'principal investigator' of a USAID -funded project 'to promote biotechnology awareness in Africa'. Director of AgBioWorld .
The very rapid uptake of GM crops in South Africa is principally due to the South African Committee on Genetic Experimentation (SAGENE). Established as a regulatory body under South Africa's apartheid regime, SAGENE continued to be the driving force behind GMO releases long after the defeat of apartheid. See SAGENE members Muffy Koch and Jennifer Thompson.
SARB - Southern Africa Regional Biosafety
South Africa based project to push weak bio-safety regimes regionally. Sub-project of the USAID backed Agricultural Biotechnology Support Program. See Muffy Koch.
One of a number of South African farmers used to promote GM crops. See also TJ Buthelezi
Sustainable Development Network
London based pro-GM free market lobby group that lists as part of its coalition: AgBioWorld, Africa Fighting Malaria (South Africa), Free Market Foundation (South Africa), Inter-Region Economic Network (Kenya) and Institute for Public Policy Analysis (Nigeria).
An offshoot of the world's largest biotech corporation which aims to provide GM crops to resource poor farmers. Its main project is Insect Resistant Maize for Africa - IRMA - a showcase project aimed at Kenya. Executive Director: Andrew Bennet.
Jennifer Thompson
This South African GM scientist-lobbyist is a key figure in AfricaBio, SAGENE, AATF, and ISAAA.
USAID - U.S. Agency for International Development
USAID has launched a $100m programme for bringing GM to developing countries. Its 'training' and 'awareness raising programmes' will, its website reveals, provide companies such as 'Syngenta, Pioneer Hi-Bred and Monsanto' with opportunities for "technology transfer". Monsanto, in turn, providesfinancial support for USAID. Head: Andrew Natsios
Chief Executive of African Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International (AHFBI). Kenyan scientist trained by Monsanto for its GM sweet potato project. Post-Monsanto Wambugu became the first Director of the AfriCentre of the ISAAA . Wambugu and ISAAA spun off a number of pro-GM fronts, e.g. African Biotechnology Stakeholders’ Forum (ABSF), of which she is the Vice Chair, and the African Biotechnology Trust.
Jocelyn Webster
Executive Director, AfricaBio.
African countries urged to say no to GMOs
Kumasi, Oct 8, GNA - Participants at an international workshop on eco-farming have called on African countries to reject Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) that destroyed the livelihoods and biodiversity in Africa.
They claim Africans were being forced indirectly to accept GMOs, which was the main cause of genetic erosion and loss of biodiversity on the continent.
These were contained in a declaration adopted at the end of a two-week workshop in Kumasi on Thursday. The workshop, which was organised by the Network for Ecofarming in Africa (NECOFA), a non-governmental organisation, was under the theme, "Promotion of Ecofarming for Food Security, protection of Natural Resources, Health and Income-Generation".
The workshop which was sponsored by the German Government, the Centre for Food, Rural Development and the Environment (ZEL) of the German Foundation for International Development (DSE) was attended by participants from Cameroun, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Benin, Sudan and Malawi, attended.
The participants called for an end to the deliberate neutralisation of African cultural identity by recognising Africans as certifying bodies of organic produce.
They also called for the rural poor to be given the right to participate actively in all issues concerning development and policy formulation, adding that, all poverty reduction strategies should centre on the empowerment of the rural poor, particularly women and youth.
Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the introduction of agro chemicals had led to the neglect of basic African traditional farming practices.
He called for the reintroduction of ecofarming towards food security in Africa and charged the participants to use the knowledge acquired to the system of farming in their respective countries.
Mrs Philomena Boakye Appiah, acting Ashanti Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, urged the participants to lobby and advocate for policies that could enhance ecofarming in their respective countries.
Source: GNA
In the name of the International Coordination and the Advisory Body wish to congratulate the NECOFA Ghana Team for the fantastic and wonderful organisation of the 4th NECOFA Workshop, dealing with de facto what Africa is really facing now the:
“Promotion of Ecofarming for Food Security, Protection of Natural Resources, Health and Income Generation”
Thanks again the Ghana team for arranging this important Workshop.
In this occasion I want also to congratulate all members, friends and external supporters of NECOFA on the successful achievement of five year of existence of the network at the national as well international level.
We are glad to say that within the past years of the organisation existence, several national network bodies have been set up. To the already existing founding members, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Sudan the countries, Namibia, Malawi and Benin has joined NECOFA, their Mama Africa.
As I am acquainted from some Network members, I am quite happy to realise that the activities at the country level are also developing well.
In fact, focusing at the activities and reports of some countries representatives, is indeed very encouraging to experience, that country Network members are doing very well in organising and mobilising wide-ranging regional activities in order to meet the NECOFA goals. Special attention goes to those country members who have already conducted Seminars/Workshops in Ecofarming at the regional level. According to the submitted reports these activities were very successful.
NECOFA, congratulates them and passes its appreciation.
So far, some of the objectives for which this organisation was set up ,are systematically and successfully realised and some are on the road of their utmost implementation.
We appreciate the effort made by members to sensitise policy makers, government functionaries, researchers, teachers, farmers etc. in their various countries towards realising the goals of NECOFA.
However, we acknowledge the fact that all these activities were not met without some problems, especially as it affects finance and logistics.
The achievements so far made by members in their respective countries is a solid foundation upon which further efforts could be intensified. Ecofarming technologies should be developed, promoted and further adapted under specific local conditions in a participatory process, where farmers, extensionists and researchers work together to find joint solutions for still many unsolved problems. Ecofarming should reach the poorest farmer in the most remote village. Grass root level projects should be strengthened
We entered the millennium, with high hopes and expectations. Ecofarming should be popularised as the most promising approach of sustainable agricultural management.
Ecofarming is more than production and resource management. Ecofarming takes direct responsibility for the welfare of the farmers and rural communities a well urban population. For that task, NECOFA and its national groups need the cooperation and advice of all kind of specialists for example in plant protection, marketing of agricultural products and promotion of self-help organizations in order to combat and eradicate all illness which still in the year 2004 are existing in Africa.
Its really miserable and I was totally embarrassed to see in the today’s morning television news, that Mr. Tony Blayer is now in Addis Abeba to talk with the Africans how to set up instruments and help Africa to alleviate poverty and hunger.
I think the instruments should come from Africa so that whatever problems are, can be properly solved from Africans . And I am quite sure that doing some efforts and promoting the sustainable Ecofarming can be defeated the poverty and hunger in Africa.
In this regard the Workshop of 2 weeks, after analysing profoundly the de facto situation in Africa, came with actual and concrete results, and has adopted a declaration, the “Manifesto of Kumasi” which will be presented to the world community.
May “ the Manifesto of Kumasi” speak for itself!!
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