Smallholder Farmers: Position and Memorandum on Post Malabo CAADP Agenda & Kampala Declaration

WE, THE SMALLHOLDER FARMERS from Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF), representing 5.5 million small-scale farmers in 17 countries in Africa (Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, eSwatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles. South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe).

WE, A COLLECTIVE OF SMALL-SCALE FARMERS, ADVOCATE for a united voice to ensure our concerns are addressed in policies and practices at all levels. Our strength lies in our numbers, representing 5.5 million small-scale farmers in 17 countries.

WE UNDERSCORE our 20 years’ experience and active collaboration in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) since 2005, collaborating with the PELUM Association, MVIWATA and later worked with different organisations such as OXFAM International, Bread for the World, EU, GREAT, Trust Africa, Southern African Trust, ActionAid, AFSA, ANSAF, CAADP NSA Group (CNG), SADC CAADP NSA Group, and PSA Alliance. Others are the EAC Directorate of Agriculture, EALA Parliament, SADC FANR Directorate, SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), AUC, IFAD and FAO.

AWARE THAT our recommendations are based on this 20-year engagement with CAADP, coupled with extensive on-theground experience and farmer leaders meeting held on Friday, 31 May 2024

STRONGLY CALLING THAT the next CAADP Kampala Declaration focuses on FOOD SYSTEMS and Food SOVEREIGNTY based on Territorial African Rural Transformation as centres of inclusive PARTICIPATION in decision-making of Smallholder Farmers which include women, youth and poor men who are the majority food crop growers, livestock keepers, fisherfolks and beekeepers.

COGNIZANT THAT game changer is financing Rural Development and Transformation to ensure available quality infrastructures like electricity, rural roads, ICT, irrigation schemes, warehouses, cold rooms as well as Social Services like water, education, health and good governance for improved safe agro-production and productivity, agro-processing, value addition, trade, wealth creation and happy dignified rural life.

ACKNOWLEDGE THAT food sovereignty and agroecology be mainstreamed in the next 10 years of CAADP implementation to ensure that Africa is not only food and nutrition secure but with promoted biodiversity and protected against the danger of food dependency or import sanctions.

WE BELIEVE THAT for the Kampala Declaration 2025-2035 to work, African countries should ratify the declaration and ensure its financing and implementation and monitoring by the people start from grassroots level, district, national, regional and AU level.

Download the Position here

Read the Position here: Smallholder Farmers Position Paper, Memorandum on CAADP Post Malabo Agenda & Kampala Declaration

Watch the video on the calls by smallholder farmers below;

Watch the video below;