(MENAFNEditorial) NAIROBI Kenya May 25 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- As we celebrate diverse cultures and traditions that unite us on this Africa day let's not forget our small holder farmers; those brave men and women who toil hard each day to ensure Africa has enough to feed itself.
Small holder farmers produce 70% of Africa's food using only a quarter of the Africa's land. Ultimately they are the ones who have become custodians of indigenous knowledge and varieties.Yet they lack support from governments and donors who chose to fund industrial Agriculture in the believe that it will address food insecurity and poverty eradication on the continent.
'Africa ought to unite and promote ecological farming because it ensures healthy farming and healthy food for today and tomorrow by protecting soil water and climate. It promotes biodiversity and does not contaminate the environment with chemical inputs.'said Greenpeace Africa's Executive Director Michael O'Brien Onyeka.
Between 2009 and 2011 East Africa received a combined USD $2.4 billion of agricultural development assistance averaging $811 million per year. Most of this agricultural aid money came from a small number of donors.
'There is need for greater investment into sustainable and climate resilient agricultural systems. Donors and governments can provide crucial financial technical capacity and network-building assistance to scale-up ecological farming initiatives.' continued Onyeka.
So on this day as we gather to celebrate Africa's beauty and cultural dynamics lets spare a thought for that small scale farmer and ask our governments and other stakeholders to support the very person that feeds the continent by committing to support them with sustainable ecological farming.
Greenpeace Africa calls on African leaders and funders to Increase overall financial research and technical support to ecological farming and to support the integration of local ecologically-grown crops into public food procurement systems.
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