Second African Organic Conference

UNCTAD's Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Petko Draganov,
together with the H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Chenda,
Zambian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock,
and representatives of IFOAM, the African Union and the FAO,
the first President of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda,
a fervent supporter of organic agriculture, participated 
in the opening session of the conference.

2-4 May 2012. Lusaka, Zambia. The Second African Organic Conference concluded with the adoption of The Lusaka Declaration on Mainstreaming Organic Agriculture into the African Development Agenda, which urges the African Union (AU), including the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), to implement the African Organic Action Plan.

The Conference aimed to showcase the role of organic agriculture in ensuring food security and poverty alleviation. More than 300 participants from 40 countries are in attendance. The Conference was held under the theme "Mainstreaming organic agriculture into the African development agenda," with support from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The conference stressed that shifting agriculture towards organic practices leads to farming methodologies that rely on local resources, thus shielding farmers from external price shocks as well as encouraging local job creation and preserving arable farm land.

 [The Lusaka Declaration on Mainstreaming Organic Agriculture into the African Development Agenda] [UN Press Release] [2nd African Organic Conference Website]

Announcement: Curriculum Development for postgraduate Organic Agriculture Research and Training in West Africa

The “Institutional Capacity Building for Organic Agriculture in West Africa” project is a West African Network for Organic Research and Training. It is financed by the European Union and Implemented by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Secretariat under the EDUKINK programme. The partners in this network share their expertise and resources to enhance the prospects for a successful organic agriculture sector in the wider West African region.

Specifically the network partners train graduates, farmers, extension officers and civil society organisations to develop a viable organic agriculture sector. The project partners also facilitate and undertake research that underpins organic production, embed organic agriculture into the curriculum in West African universities and develop locally appropriate standards, regulations and technologies for West African organic production. The composition of the partnership reflects the different stages of development of organic agriculture in West Africa and deliberately includes both Francophone and Anglophone countries.

DVC (A), Prof. Toyin Arowolo (2nd Right) receiving
Dr. Missiako Kindomihou (Standing), Miss Koura Tatiana
(Left) and the Coordinator (WANOART), Prof. Isaac
Aiyelaagbe in his office.

A workshop and training session on curriculum development will be held in Nigeria 6 -13 March 2012at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). This will involve partners, participants from other HEIs and other important stakeholders, such as future employers of organic agriculture graduates, government agencies for higher education, and government agencies in the agricultural sector. An outcome of the workshop is expected to be an outline common curriculum for organic agriculture in tertiary institutions in West Africa, which will facilitate further teaching collaboration and exchanges. In addition, teaching materials including posters, slides, DVDs, and monographs will be developed. Access to markets will be a major issue in sustainability of organic agriculture in West Africa.

The Role of Organic Agriculture in Uganda

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have put together this short video highlighting the important contribution that organic farming is making to rural livelihoods in Uganda.

Uganda has an organic certification program that offers local and international certification services for a variety of fruits and vegetables. The program was developed by the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU), a body that works across the nation to promote organic agriculture and the export of organic products around the world. And the organization hasn’t forgotten about the importance of staying local, working to sell the produce in cities around the country as well.

Chief executive officer of NOGAMU, Musa K. Muwanga, says forty seconds into the video that the “green economy” is important for Uganda because it allows different actors, such as small farmers and traders, to create wealth in a way that is more sustainable and protects the environment. Ultimately, this holds promise not just for Uganda but other developing countries as well. As the narrator mentions at the beginning, “Organic means many things to many people, but for organic farmer[s in Uganda]… organic simply means a better life.”