. Lungu

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has been conferred with a Pro-poor Governance Award by small-scale farmers in Africa in recognition of his efforts to develop small-scale farming.
President Lungu was yesterday conferred with the award by small scale-farmers in recognition of his policies that are aimed at reducing poverty.
The award was given to him in absentia at the Regional Small Scale Farmers Symposium that was held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre hosted by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM).
The theme for the symposium was ‘The African agriculture mirror reflecting small-scale farmers’ image’.
PELUM association partners are Bread for the World, Christian Aid (UK), joint Country Programme (Norwegian Church Aid, Danish Church Aid and Christian Aid), African Development Bank, United Nations Environmental Programme, Global Green Grants Fund, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Oxfam Novi and the Ford Foundation.
Acting President Inonge Wina received the award on President Lungu’s behalf which was presented by a small-scale farmer Dorcas Shonga and Chieftainess Nkomeshya.
Ms Shonga said President Lungu was pushing for policies that promoted objectives of small-scale farmers.
Ms Wina said the Government was humbled by the award.
The Acting President cautioned chiefs in Zambia against illegally allocating land to large-scale developers and consequently denying small-scale farmers access to land.
She said chiefs should not use wrong methods and give land to investors at the expense of people, particularly the small-scale farmers in their area.
Ms Wina urged governments in Africa to stop land grabbing from small-scale farmers by investors.
PELUM chairperson Charles Nyakora said small-scale farmers needed to increase their production by 60 per cent in the next 50 years to meet the needs of the world.
Mr Nyakora said in order for farmers to do this, there was need for Africans to find African solutions to their problems like promoting local seeds.
“Small-scale farmers are constrained by chiefs taking shortcuts and giving land to investors at their expense. This is a trend that needs to be looked into,” Ms Wina said.
She urged the House of Chiefs led by Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II to look into the problem and help small-scale farmers.
Ms Wina said time had come to change the outlook of small-scale farmers in Africa from that of peasant and poor to that of high-tech and one with answers for poverty reduction.
She said small-scale farmers that were usually resident in rural areas faced many challenges such as low production, climate change, a lack of infrastructure, high transport costs and unreliable water supply.
Small-scale farmers and stakeholders like governments should develop strong partnerships to resolve such problems.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya said the Government should not give away land to investors and displace small-scale farmers.
The symposium will discuss the importance of using local seeds as compared to hybrid seeds, among other issues.