Farmers' Dialogue Platform - Essential to Land Policy in Africa

4 September 2014
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United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa)
press release

Addis Ababa — The Capacity Development Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Land Policy Initiative (LPI) supported the organization of a workshop bringing together representatives of continental and regional farmers' organizations, to establish a platform that would ensure farmers' continued and systematic engagement in support of the implementation of the African Union Declaration on Land Challenges and Issues in Africa. The workshop is being held at the AphroditeHotel in Addis Ababa, from 4 to 5 September 2014.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Philip Kiriro, vice-president of the Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO), assured the tripartite partners of the LPI - the African Union Commission, ECA, and the African Development Bank - of the support of the organization and of its regional and national member organizations in the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land. Mr. Kiriro noted that land-related challenges continue to hamper investments especially by smallholder producers towards the transformation of African agriculture.

Mr. Abderahmane Khecha, on behalf of the African Union Commission, noted that the development of land policies in Africa requires the interaction of various stakeholders. He lauded farmers' implication in the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land, and assured the meeting of the AUC support to the process.

Mr. Stephen Karingi, the Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD) of the ECA, noted that the LPI developed a Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (F&G), with the involvement of farmers' organizations, and highlighted their critical role in ensuring its application to improve the land policy environment. In this regard, he noted that a farmers' dialogue platform on land policy is an appropriate response for the systematic engagement of farmers in the implementation of the AU agenda on land.

It is expected that the workshop participants will reach consensus on the key priority themes to be examined and addressed by the platform, a related work plan, and concrete working modalities. The workshop will also draft a concept note to guide partnerships and resource mobilization in support of farmers' engagement in the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land.

The participants include representatives from the continental and regional farmers' organizations.

The Land Policy Initiative is a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Its mandate is to facilitate the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.

Read the original article on UNECA.

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