TrustAfrica and their partner Solidaridad West Africa launched the "Reclaim Sustainability! Programme" project on the 30th of July 2021 in Accra, Ghana, to promote inclusive and sustainable supply chains. The theme of the launch was promoting inclusive and sustainable supply chains in Ghana. The launch was a successful event widely reported by various media platforms, including newspapers , television stations, and radio, and was live-streamed on our social media platforms.  

TrustAfrica, together with their consortium partner Solidaridad West Africa will launch the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme in West Africa on the 30th of July 2021. The West Africa project launch will be held in Accra, Ghana from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm GMT.   

With this programme, we strive to foster genuine and inclusive sustainability in global value chains, where the voices of farmers, miners, workers, and citizens are represented in decision making, and civil society is strengthened. We advocate for sustainable use of natural resources, decent work, fair value distribution, gender and social inclusion, and sustainable consumption.   

Mawuse Hotor (middle) and her parents, Mary Ahotor and Gabriel, cocoa farmers in Ghana 

“Engaging with and raising the participation of impacted communities has been a continuous challenge in sustainability initiatives.”

                                                             Veronika Ratri, Business Watch Indonesia (BWI)

Solidaridad, Fairfood, TrustAfrica and Business Watch Indonesia (BWI) are excited to launch our new joint programme, RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! This five-year programme (2021-2025) will be implemented in strategic partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, within their Policy Framework Strengthening Civil Society. With this programme, we strive to foster genuine and inclusive sustainability in global value chains, where the voices of farmers, miners, workers and citizens are well represented in decision making, and civil society is strengthened. 

In recent years, sustainability has become something of a buzzword in international supply chains, the media, and consumer marketing. However, this has not yet created the desired impact, for there can be no genuine sustainability when the people who produce the products consumed by us all continue living in poverty; when natural resources are not managed sustainably, civic space in many countries is limited, and the working conditions of millions of producers are abject. Farmers, miners and workers are key players in tackling major challenges such as poverty and climate change, yet their voices are often unheard. The global COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation of millions of people worldwide.

“The pandemic is exaggerating existing inequalities in food supply chains. While we are all highly dependent on smallholder farmers and workers for our food, they find themselves in exceptionally vulnerable positions. We remain optimistic, as we recognise that the world is gaining momentum to actually build up better as we collectively hit rock bottom. With greatly improved awareness for sustainability from everyone involved in global supply chains – consumers, government and private sector – we can make change happen. Our joint programme taps into this momentum using smart innovations, thus heralding an era of truly inclusive supply chains, in which farmers and workers reclaim their rightful voice.”

                                                                                       Sander de Jong, Fairfood

The COVID-19 has brought an opportunity to learn and revisit how to build strong resilient African food systems and to safeguard food security and sovereignty. For the millions of small scale, peasant and family farmers who are self-employed and rely heavily on moving perishable and non-perishable goods from rural to urban mass markets and consumers, earning a daily wage, this has had disastrous consequences.

Par Bethule Myamambi

Dans le cadre de son Programme de Plaidoyer en faveur de l’Agriculture, TrustAfrica a convié les partenaires et d’autres parties prenantes à un dialogue pour l’élaboration de politiques et de stratégies.  Intitulée : « Mandat et responsabilité : Faire entendre la voix des citoyens et assurer leur participation au développement de l’agriculture en Afrique », cette réunion de deux jours, s’est tenue à Kigali, la capitale du Rwanda, du 2 au 3 avril 2019. Elle a enregistré la participation de plusieurs partenaires régionaux et stratégiques. Dans une optique prospective, les discussions ont porté sur les opportunités, les stratégies, les objectifs et les actions prioritaires aptes à promouvoir et à faire entendre la voix et à assurer la participation des citoyens à la transformation et au développement inclusifs de l’agriculture en Afrique.

10 mai 2019
Arusha (Tanzanie)

Avec le soutien de TrustAfrica, Oxfam Novib, ActionAid et d’autres partenaires, les petits exploitants agricoles et les organisations de la société civile de la région d’Afrique de l'Est organisent, le vendredi 10 mai 2019 à Arusha (Tanzanie), le 4ème Sommet de la CAE sur La budgétisation de l'agriculture.

Le Sommet sur la budgétisation de l’agriculture a pour objectif de catalyser la participation et l’inclusion dans le financement public et l’élaboration de politiques en faveur de l’agriculture dans la Communauté d’Afrique de l’Est (CAE), et de renforcer la responsabilité mutuelle au profit des petits exploitants, dont les femmes, de la région d’Afrique de l’Est.

En marge du Sommet, une réunion de consultation préalable, prévue le jeudi 9 mai 2019, réunira tous les délégués invités des six États partenaires de la CAE.

Lieu: Hotel Golden Tulip Canaan, Kampala.
Date : 6 - 10 mai 2019

TrustAfrica, en partenariat avec l'ambassade des Pays-Bas en Ouganda, prévoit d'organiser à l'intention des journalistes une formation sur la justice transitionnelle et la justice pénale internationale à Kampala, en Ouganda. Le but de la formation est de renforcer les capacités d'un certain nombre de professionnels des médias du Sud-Soudan et d'Ouganda pour qu'ils puissent rendre compte efficacement des débats publics constructifs sur l'évolution de la justice transitionnelle et de la justice pénale internationale aux niveaux local, national, régional et international. L’engagement des médias dans la création de débats publics constructifs sur la responsabilité permettra de faire en sorte que ces derniers soient stratégiquement placés pour faire avancer les processus de démocratisation au Sud-Soudan et en Ouganda

Dans le cadre de son Programme de Développement de l’Agriculture en Afrique, et en collaboration avec ses partenaires, TrustAfrica organise les 2 et 3 avril 2019 à Kigali au Rwanda, une conférence de dialogue politique sur le thème :« Agences et Responsabilité - Assurer la participation des citoyens au développement de l’agriculture en Afrique». Cette conférence qui réunira des partenaires et des institutions partageant les mêmes objectifs de renforcer l'engagement civique dans les espaces décisionnels relatifs à l'agriculture, à l'environnement et aux ressources naturelles, présentera le travail de plaidoyer de TrustAfrica pour une agriculture viable en Afrique. Elle va aussi mettre l’accent sur les propositions, les opportunités et les initiatives pour mieux aider la société civile à relever les défis urgents du secteur agricole africain. La rencontre servira de plate-forme pour renforcer les discussions et approfondir les débats autour des voix plus inclusives et plus durables de la participation des citoyens, au sein d’un vaste réseau d’acteurs non étatiques et avec les acteurs gouvernementaux pour faire face aux défis émergents et pressants du développement de l’Afrique.

TrustAfrica has co-organized the 1st ECOWAS People’s Agriculture Budget Summit The event, which was held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Wednesday, 12 December 2018, was organized in collaboration with the ECOWAS, ActionAid Global Secretariat, ActionAid Nigeria, Coalition of Non-State Actors on CAADP and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources of Nigeria. TrustAfrica was represented at the meeting by M. Chinedu Nwagwu, Project Director. The overall discussion of the meeting was centered around highlighting the current situation of agriculture investment and expenditure within member states, its effect and impact and how best to increase the quantity and quality of agriculture budget for 2019/2020 fiscal year to benefit women and smallholder farmers in the ECOWAS region. 

On behalf of TrustAfrica, Bethule Nyamambi was invited to contribute to the workshop convened by the African Risk Capacity Agency (ARC) and the African Union Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (AU-DREA) held at the African Union, in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, on 26 and 27 November 2018. 

Food systems are a global and immediate priority in the context of climate change, health and resilience. This 3-day conference focuses on the future of food systems in Africa. The conference will explore the complexity, diversity and nutritional value of African food systems and launch an action plan and declaration for change for better food systems geared towards the general public and policymaking bodies including the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities. The first two days will focus on five thematic areas. On the third day, the participants will join with the participants of an organic agriculture conference which follows the food systems event. The combined participants on the third day will number between 400 – 500.

Workshop participants group photo taken at Oceanic Bay Hotel, Bagamoyo Tanzania.

The TrustAfrica Agriculture Advocacy Program working with Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) held a workshop for livestock stakeholders to sharpen policy advocacy skills and to validate a strategic communication and advocacy plan, developed after several months of stakeholder consultations and research. The workshop was held from the 8th to the 11th of August, as a follow-up to the groundwork that saw the emergence of a loose network of livestock policy advocates upon seeing the need to come together to promote accountable, inclusive and equitable livestock policies and investments in Tanzania.

The network is made up of wide range of stakeholders from civil society organisations, pastoralists, research private organisations, farmers unions, private sector companies, development partners as well as government.

The workshop aimed to build the advocacy capacity of the livestock policy forum in targeted and strategic policy and budget advocacy for the implementation of key reforms in the sector. The workshop provided an opportunity to encourage deeper engagement, coordination and collaboration amongst the network members to work together on championing and advancing livestock sector development.

Dr Bethule Nyamambi, who leads the TrustAfrica Agriculture Advocacy Program highlighted that a strong, coordinated advocacy network of stakeholders was necessary to important in livestock policymaking and providing evidence to ensure strategic investments and problem-solving in small-scale livestock sector development. Noting that the Tanzania livestock sector, though significant due to its large livestock numbers, was still under developed and underperforming in terms of contribution to GDP, it was therefore important to engage government on investments and better policies. Opportunities presented in National development plans (FYDP 2015-2020) and Agriculture development plans, ASDP2 (2016-2021), Tanzania Livestock Modernisation Initiative and Livestock Master Plan should be leveraged to make a case for increased investment and solving challenges impeding the sector currently. 

Opening the workshop, Dr S Mlote, Principal Economist M&E in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MALF) said “the forum was coming at the right time, when the Ministry is finalizing the Livestock Master Plan, to guide interventions and investments in the sub-sector”. She emphasized that it is time for stakeholders to work together, advocate for issues and policies that will enable Tanzania to benefit from the large number of livestock through significant economic contribution to the GDP, CAADP goals and even industrialization.

*Dr Mlote, Principal Economist M&E, MALF giving opening remarks

Tanzania livestock sector’s potential contribution to achieving many of the national development goals represents a unique opportunity for far-reaching transformation. However, the 60% of the rural population, that relies on livestock herding for income and food security, are marginalized. Whilst livestock production is a fast-growing sector globally, due in part to changing diets because of increasing disposable incomes, investment in small scale livestock and mobile livestock keeping is still minimal and not inclusive. There is recognition that small-scale livestock farming should be supported for its additional positive and sustainable effects on the environment.

The workshop took time to review the advocacy and communication strategy whose vision is to improve production and productivity of the sector. The plan is to advocate for interventions that address 4 specific challenges impeding; increased public and private investments; low access to feeds; better regulatory environment and reduction in prohibitive taxes, improved access to resources including finance, land, and equipment. This advocacy and communication strategy will serve as a roadmap for the forum’s advocacy and communication engagement to achieve these objectives. Post workshop, the strategy will be finalised and launched in September 2017.

Participants engaging in a facilitated discussion on the livestock policy-making processes

By the end of the workshop, participants acknowledged that they had gained new knowledge and improved their skills on analysing and identifying the policy issues and gaps, and developing alternate policy positions, tracking and monitoring budget allocations and public expenditure, understanding strategies to work with and deepen political will and interventions to increase the visibility of livestock sector initiatives.

TrustAfrica’s agriculture advocacy initiative, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative seeks to strengthen the policy advocacy capacities of unions, associations and intermediary organizations that represent the interests of smallholders. It currently focuses on six countries in West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso), East Africa (Tanzania and Uganda) and Southern Africa (Malawi) with a combined population of about 160 million people. TrustAfrica’s work on sustainable, inclusive and equitable agriculture development aims to help such groups as the livestock policy advocacy forum to build the capacity to engage more effectively for better policies. The initiative incorporates knowledge building, grant making and technical assistance, strengthening civil society’s capacity to engage in policy-making processes and advocacy for more inclusive platforms to formulate agricultural policies.

You can view the photos here

Download the report here

The reports summarizes the proceedings of a multinational convening organized under Trust Africa’s “Building an Advocacy Movement for Equitable and Sustainable Agriculture in Africa” project held on 24 to 26 November 2014 under the theme “Strengthening smallholder agriculture in Africa: Prospects for mobilization and advocacy”. The convening brought together stakeholders, partners, and researchers, program staff from TrustAfrica and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  

The convening provided a timely platform to reinvigorate discussions on how to sustain the agenda for a more inclusive and sustainable agriculture amongst a broad base of non-state actors with government actors. The convening was also used to launch the discussion on the second phase of TrustAfrica’s advocacy actions and movement building for sustainable agriculture project. The convening took the approach of setting the broader context and understanding the characteristic challenges and gaps of smallholder agriculture.

We are pleased to share On Africa’s Farms, an eBook that compiles articles published in the Mail & Guardian Africa. They are a result of TrustAfrica’s partnership with the Nairobi-based news organization which seeks to enhance coverage of development issues.

« Près de 240 millions d’Africains souffrent de malnutrition et bien que seulement un tiers des personnes exposées à la famine vivent en Afrique, le pourcentage des personnes souffrant de la faim dans ce continent est le plus élevé au monde » a déclaré M. Charles Abugre Akelyira, Directeur régional pour l’Afrique de la Campagne des Nations Unies sur les objectifs du Millénaire dont le siège se trouve à Nairobi. « Nous devons investir dans l’agriculture non seulement pour nourrir la génération actuelle, mais également pour nous préparer à nourrir plus de deux milliards personnes d’ici 2050. En particulier, nous devons investir dans l’agriculture à petite échelle, dans le cadre de notre stratégie mixte. Les petits exploitants assurent deux tiers de notre production  agricole, » a-t-il déclaré.

Date: March 14, 2011
Location: The Nation (Lilongwe, Malawi)

Malawi will from Monday host a five-day high level international meeting in the capital, Lilongwe, which is expected to pool together smallholder farmers and civil society leaders from seven countries across Africa.

Ghana News Agency
May 9, 2011

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), with support from TrustAfrica, an international donor organisation, has organised a day’s training workshop for leaders of small scale farms on budget process and advocacy.

The workshop, held in Accra over the weekend, was aimed at equipping the farmers with skills, which will enable them to take on their budget process effectively to ensure that their demands and interest were met in the annual national budgets.