INOFO Represents Farmers at the IFAD African Farmers' Forums
Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organisations (INOFO) representatives actively participated in two IFAD Regional Farmers' Forums - West and Central Africa (WCA) and East and Southern Africa (ESA) - that were held in November 2022.
The meeting was attended by IFAD officials and representatives of networks of organisations. These networks included agricultural producers, breeders, pastoralists, fishermen and food processors from West and Central African countries.
In their declaration, they called on IFAD and governments to "implement policies and public programmes designed with farmers', pastoralists' and fisherfolk organisations to strengthen the resilience of family farms to multiple crises and to ensure sustainable incomes for women and young people" and to "ensure the sustainability of projects by paying particular attention to strengthening the organisational and institutional capacities of farmers' organisations".
IFAD was also called upon to give more support to farmers' organisation programmes to strengthen agroecological systems and agro-food processing promoted by rural women and youth.
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The WCA Regional Farmers' Forum was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from 16 to 18 November and INOFO was represented by Nana Kwaw Adams from Ghana. One week later, the IFAD ESA Farmers' Forum was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 23 - 25 November. INOFO was represented by four participants from four countries - Charles Mubanga (Zambia), Julie Matovu (Uganda), Mercy Ambani (Kenya) and Janet Gracie (South Africa) - and an additional participant, Anatory Gabriel from the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM), who is directly involved in locally mobilising organic farmers' organisations for the INOFO network in Tanzania.
The meeting was attended by around 100 participants, including delegates from farmers' organisations, IFAD representatives, government officials and the local press.
INOFO, whose representatives advocated during the meeting for direct support to organic farmers' organisations in the region, has gained visibility and recognition within the Food and Agriculture Organisation and is currently a member of the Regional Steering Committee.
This is one of the Regional Farmers’ Forums that is taking place in different regions of the world up until January 2023 to strengthen impact at the country level.
