(Issue Monday June 28, 2016)
A
three-day West Africa Food Security Network (WAFSN) Regional planning meeting
recently ended at the Lemon Creek Hotel in Bijilo.
Held
on theme: “promoting regional partnership to strengthen food sovereignty and
sustainability,” the three-day forum was hosted by the National Alliance for
Food Security (NAFS), and the International Food Security Network (IFSN). It
brought participants from the IFSN international secretariat, Senegal, Ghana,
Burkina Faso and The Gambia.
The
objective of the regional meeting was to share lessons learnt from the
activities implemented in 2015, and to develop and finalise plans for IFSN West
Africa country programme.
Speaking
at the meeting, the regional agricultural director for the West Coast Region,
Kady Bojang Saidy, said the need to strength and improve women’s rights to land
in Africa has ignited a lot of complex debates over the years, with women
activists calling for women’s increased access to land and other productive
resources.
Women produce more than 80 per cent of food in
Africa, yet own only 1 per cent of the land, she said, adding that improving
women’s access to and control over land is seen by many as crucial to enhancing
food security and reducing poverty.
Having
control over land would also strengthen women’s position at the household level
and promote their economic and social rights, she said, adding that despite
supportive laws in various countries women often face discrimination,
especially when divorced or widowed.
She
said The Gambia was no exception to most of what obtains in other African
countries, particularly those in the sub Saharan region.
“This
paper looks at the challenges and identification of new models of partnership
in facilitating women’s access to land in The Gambia.”
She
also spoke on legal policy issues relating to women’s land rights in The
Gambia.
According
to him, several countries in Africa have either instituted their policies or
are in the process of doing so.
She
noted that it is quite evidence that international cooperation and development
has increased over the past several years in trying to promote women’s rights
to land and property.
National
Alliance for Food Security (NAFS) is no
exception in carrying out projects with regard to women’s empowerment, capacity
building, women’s land rights, to name a few; all aimed at reducing poverty and
ensuring food security, she continued.
The
Jahaly- Pacharr smallholder rice project of the 1980s had proven the need for
the involvement of women in such projects, and ensuring their full rights in
terms of land ownership.
Momodou Wuri Jallow, programme specialist for
food rights and the IFSN focal point, explained that the WAFSN is an integral
part of the IFSN, which is a global project seeking to leverage civil society
groups’ influence on advocating for pro-poor food security policies at local,
national and international levels.
According
to him, it is a policy advocacy and networking project co-founded by the
European Commission and ActionAid.
Since
its inception in 2009, IFSN successfully combines the voices of more than 1400
small and national level organizations, working on food security in about 30
countries and spread in the five continents with more than a million people.
Mr Jallow also said in The Gambia, ActionAid
is the focal point and works with the National Alliance for Food Security as
the implementing agency.
He
added that NAFS is constituted by 11 food security-based organizations that
work in all regions of The Gambia.
AAITG
and NAFS have over the years engaged in advocacy through community
capacity-building and information sharing on key issues related to food
security.
Mr
Jallow said the meeting was expected to help in reviewing the programme and
activities, as well as facilitate in outlining the next steps towards the end
of the project in the four country programmes in West Africa namely, Senegal,
Ghana, Burkina Faso and The Gambia.
Zakaria
Sambakhe, of ActionAid Senegal, said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss
about the future of West Africa as a region with real engagement of farmers’
organizations representative CNCR, Roppa, CSO, National Alliance for Food
Security, youth associations, Activista and women farmers associations.
According
to him, with this strong engagement food security and sovereignty, as well as
food rights could be achieved in West Africa.
He
added that West Africa remains one of the poorest regions in the world, representing
approximately 35 per cent of the regions GDP and 60 per cent of the active
labour force, the agriculture sector is committed to achieving food security
and broad-based economic growth in West Africa.
He
also stated that access to food by sub-Saharan households has been undermined
by the inability of countries to generate the resources required to import
food, a high and increasing level of poverty.
He
also mentioned that despite these challenges, the West Africa region is well
positioned to advance economic growth and resilience with stability.
He added that this meeting came on time since
various stakeholders from the Gambia, Ghana, Senegal; Bangladesh would agree on
how best to promote food security and the right to food for all.
