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You are here: Home programs PROJECTS African smallholders in focus - a voice in EU trade policy
African smallholders in focus - a voice in EU trade policy
Right to Food of Tomato and Poultry Farmers, Ghana
African smallholders in focus - a voice in EU trade policy
Right to Food of Milk and Honey Farmers, Zambia
Ghana: Devastating Floods- Man Made
The Right to Food of Milk and Maize Farmers in Uganda
Three quarters of the world's hungry people live in rural areas, the majority of them are smallholder farmers. The situation is particularly difficult in Africa. An important reason for this problem is their marginalisation in both national and international agricultural and trade policies.
Already in the 1990s the deregulation policies of the IMF had a negative influence African smallholder farmers. At present the trade relations between the EU and most African countries are to be transfigured within "Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)" following the principles of WTO compatible deregulated trade systems, exposing African smallholder farmers to unfair competition by European agricultural exports. Known examples of destructive European exports are beef, poultry and tomatoes to West Africa. Destroying the political options of African states to protect their smallholder farmers can result in hunger and malnutrition of these farming communities.
Even though the decision-making processes related to the EPAs (and the agricultural negotiations in the WTO), are a sensitive area for these smallholders' human right to feed themselves, their views are inadequately reflected in the current negotiations. There are strong movements against EPAs and the current WTO negotiations in the many affected countries. Regional networks of smallholder farmers have been very active in developing their platforms. The campaign "African smallholders in focus - a voice in EU trade policy" wants to strengthen the voice of smallholders farmers in these contexts. The campaign was initiated by Germanwatch (www.germanwatch.org), Both Ends (www.bothends.org), FIAN International and FIAN Germany (www.fian.de), the UK Food Group (www.ukfg.org.uk) and farmers' organisations in Ghana, Uganda and Zambia.
The campaign carries out investigative missions to the threatened communities, exchange conferences and speakers' tours as well as photo exhibitions and public events on the impact of trade policy on African smallholder farmers.
See Conference Report "David gegen Goliath"
