Strengthening Agro-biodiversity in Southern Africa

Proyecto terminado

The project promotes seed diversity and agro-ecological practices through an inclusive, evidence-based dialogue with governments at regional and country levels by empowered farmer’s and farmer support organizations ensuring that their experiences are taken into account in the development of policies and programmes in agriculture. This will thus strengthen food security in Southern Africa.

Región/País Tema Período Presupuesto
Comunidad para el Desarrollo del África Austral (SADC)
Agricultura y seguridad alimentaria
Governance
Estado de derecho - democracia - derechos humanos
Política agrícola
Descentralización
01.09.2016 - 31.08.2019
CHF  1’050’000
Contexto

Agro-biodiversity and healthy agro-ecological systems are vital for livelihoods: together they enhance food security, strengthen social cohesion, and build climate resilience. This is relevant in most countries of Africa in general, and more specifically southern Africa where a majority of the resource-poor population is practicing subsistence farming.

In Southern Africa, national governments and their constituencies often do not master the terms of the debate that many call for around issues of biodiversity, farmers’rights and trade issues in relation to plant genetic resources for food.

In the rare event consultative processes are organized, government representatives, small-scale farmers and farmer support organizations are frequently denied a voice. Yet, the impact that pieces of legislation currently on the drafting board are likely to have on small-scale farmers and the economies they support is a matter of concern.

Objetivos

To promote seed diversity and agro-ecological practices in order to strengthen food security in Southern Africa

Grupos destinarios

The project tragets the following groups:

  • Small-scale farmer organizations and farmer support associations in the SADC region
  • National governments in the regional as well as regional entities (SADC, EAC, COMESA)
  • Resource-poor farmers, particularly women and youth
Efectos a medio plazo

The project has three outcomes:

  1. Biosafety is secured in Southern Africa;
  2. Agricultural biodiversity is secured in Southern Africa; and
  3. Alternatives to corporate expansion in Southern African agriculture are available to smallholder farmers.

 

Resultados

Resultados previstos:  

Southern African CSOs have responded effectively to seed laws and policies;

Participatory research and learning to build evidence and advocate for farmer-managed seed systems (FMSS) is operational; and

Policies and programmes that protect, support and strengthen FMSS are in place or on government agenda.


Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

The key results from the previous phase include:

  • Building awareness among CSOs in the region on seed laws, intellectual property and farmers’ rights and supporting their participation to policy processes
  • Participating and challenging the SADC draft plant variety protection protocol that finally recognized farmers’ rights by inserting a clause on disclosure of origin;
  • Establishing a seed platform in Zimbabwe that works on strengthening community based seed systems
  • Construction of enduring country-level field research partnerships, which will be pivotal in the participatory research planned for in this current phase; and
  • Facilitating information sharing and movement building on the continent on the issues of seed, agro-ecology and biosafety.


Dirección / Officina Federal responsable COSUDE
Crédito Cooperación al desarrollo
Contrapartes del proyecto Contraparte del contrato
ONG internacional o extranjera


Coordinación con otros proyectos y actores

Bioversity International, International Institute for Sustainable Development, AFSA (Africa), ESAFF (East and Southern Africa), CTDT (Zimbabwe), MVIWATA (Tanzania), NASFAM (Malawi), UNAC (Mozambique), Biowatch (South Africa)

Presupuesto Fase en curso Presupuesto suizo CHF    1’050’000 Presupuesto actual suizo ya emitido CHF    1’097’714
Fases del proyecto Fase 3 01.09.2019 - 30.06.2024   (Fase en curso)

Fase 2 01.09.2016 - 31.08.2019   (Completed)

Fase 1 01.07.2013 - 31.08.2016   (Completed)