The workshop that I helped facilitate was a great success. We held it on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week and we received tonnes of input from the participants. The goal of the meeting was to create a strategic direction for the Lobbying and Advocacy department that I am helping to create for the Farmers Union of Malawi. We invited agricultural stakeholders from across Malawi covering a broad spectrum including farmer organisations, financial institutions, farming input suppliers, government ministries and civil society groups (nongovernmental organisations or NGOs). I was pleasantly amazed that there was no lack of knowledge on what the issues in agriculture are or what possible strategies and actions may help alleviate them. The next step though is the big one, implementation. Once we have collated all the issues we will turn to our members (the actual farmers dealing with these issues) to determine what are the priorities as the list of issues is huge.
Last Friday I spent the day at a workshop dedicated to the interaction between agriculture, biodiversity and trade with the focus on how to make all three workable while respecting biodiversity, farmers rights and food security (making sure people have enough to eat). One of the big issues is the population density. For perspective Canada is 83 times larger than Malawi with a population of about 32 million, while by contrast Malawi has a population of about 12 million. Another way to look at it is that Malawi is only about 1.5 times or 50% bigger than Lake Superior. The land parcels available for agriculture are getting smaller and smaller and the forests are being cut down at an increasing rate. In Malawi forests are one of the only sources of fuel for the rural population. As well, Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa and eleventh largest in the world, is being rapidly overfished. The stories of the declining fish stocks sound much like our east coast fishery stories. I have to admit I came out of the workshop wondering how these problems can be solved. There are some ideas but it is hard to get action until it is too late, look how we handled the collapse of our cod fishery.
This week I will be meeting a Canadian regarding fair trade coffee markets for Malawian coffee in Canada. Fair trade is a concept where the buyer works out a fair price with the farmer rather than dictating the price to them regardless of their cost of production. That buyer can then sell their coffee at a higher price as they can market it as fair trade coffee, demanding a premium from those coffee purchasers who care about the farmers getting enough money to cover their costs.
As well I am starting to work with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on their "Harvest for the Future: Agriculture without Child Labour" program. This is exciting for me as I work for the Ministry of Labour back in Canada. I took part in an international conference with the ILO last year in Toronto so I am looking forward to working with them.
On a happy note, Regan has a clean bill of health. Her kidney is perfectly fine, there is no sign that there will be any reoccurence and it seems that it was just a bladder infection that spread due to the first two doctors we went to giving her an antibiotic that is now known (but I guess not known to the doctors) to be ineffective against bladder infections. Regan starts school again today after 2 weeks off of school. I can't remember if I stated it in another blog, but Regan did very well in school even though we arrived late in the term, receiving second place standing in her class. It is funny, they are really big on ranking here and actually announce your rank in front of the whole class. I really feel sorry for the ones at the bottom of the class as they have to stand as they are called out in front of everyone else. Janna is doing great, but continues to be busy with many trips for days at a time to all parts of Malawi as well as large amounts of office work on top of that. She has a lot of challenges with regard to resources that I don't have but thanks to WUSC (the ones who have sent us to Malawi) she has been given a laptop so that she can have a computer that works both in the office and for her multiple field trips.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Honourary Portuguese
It is funny, wherever I go I end up being an honourary Portuguese. Janna and I have been looking for a place to get some exercise and we found a place with a great pool, with a nice bar beside it that serves great food. The funny thing is that it is at the local Portuguese club. So we have joined the club, paid our initiation fees and I can proudly say that I am a member of the Portuguese club. I definitely never thought I would be able to say that during my year in Malawi. The club was formed in the 1980's after the mass exodus of Portuguese out of neighbouring Mozambique during its civil war. I don't think that there are many of them left but I have actually heard Portuguese spoken there.
On a side note when I was in Zambia we had to pay a ticket for not having a reflective sticker on our front bumper. The Zambian cop, after looking at my drivers license that I couldn't really be 35. I assumed he meant I didn't look old enough but he said I looked older because I have gray hairs in my sideburns. That was a first for me.
I am excited as tomorrow is the first big event that I have specifically helped organize. The money was sourced by me through Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funds and it is a meeting with the already partially developed farming stakeholders in Malawi to begin the process of truly identifying the issues that are preventing Malawi from fully developing its agriculture sector so that an effective lobby and advocacy strategy can be developed. We have been able to get the highest civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries to agree to come, here in Malawi that post is called the Principal Secretary rather than Deputy Minister like it is at home. As well it will be our first chance to really meet with some of the large farmers in Malawi who we want to also become a member of the Farmers Union. Our mandate is to speak for all farmers regardless of their commodity or their size. Currently we have mostly groupings of smallholder farmers (less than 1 hectare usually). The benefit to bringing the larger farmers in is that there are many issues that are common across the board for all farmers. The larger farmers have some opportunities to raise the voice on some issues due to their greater agri-business sensibilities and larger resources. What the Farmers Union can offer them is the numbers (most farmers are smallholders) that are needed to influence politicians and public policy. As well many local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be present including OXFAM and Save the Children. It should be a productive two days.
On a side note when I was in Zambia we had to pay a ticket for not having a reflective sticker on our front bumper. The Zambian cop, after looking at my drivers license that I couldn't really be 35. I assumed he meant I didn't look old enough but he said I looked older because I have gray hairs in my sideburns. That was a first for me.
I am excited as tomorrow is the first big event that I have specifically helped organize. The money was sourced by me through Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funds and it is a meeting with the already partially developed farming stakeholders in Malawi to begin the process of truly identifying the issues that are preventing Malawi from fully developing its agriculture sector so that an effective lobby and advocacy strategy can be developed. We have been able to get the highest civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries to agree to come, here in Malawi that post is called the Principal Secretary rather than Deputy Minister like it is at home. As well it will be our first chance to really meet with some of the large farmers in Malawi who we want to also become a member of the Farmers Union. Our mandate is to speak for all farmers regardless of their commodity or their size. Currently we have mostly groupings of smallholder farmers (less than 1 hectare usually). The benefit to bringing the larger farmers in is that there are many issues that are common across the board for all farmers. The larger farmers have some opportunities to raise the voice on some issues due to their greater agri-business sensibilities and larger resources. What the Farmers Union can offer them is the numbers (most farmers are smallholders) that are needed to influence politicians and public policy. As well many local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be present including OXFAM and Save the Children. It should be a productive two days.
Safety First Malawian Style
My fellow health and safety inspectors in Canada will appreciate this story. The vehicle that we purchased (thanks to a loan from my parents) had to be taken in for its annual certificate of fitness which is what we call getting the car “safetied”. I showed up at Road Traffic and Safety and spent about 2 hours to discover that all their examiners go home by noon and that I would have to return tomorrow. I asked when they opened and they told me the gates open at 0730. So the next day I dutifully showed up at 0730. I was first in line and glad that I was going to get this done quickly and that I could then get to work. What I didn’t realize was that open gates doesn’t mean that the safety examiners have shown up. That didn’t happen until almost 0830. The actual safety procedure is a little comical and I kept having the feeling that I was on Candid Camera. While you sit in your vehicle with it turned off the safety examiner tells you to turn your left turn signal on, then your right, then your left, then your right, then your windshield wipers, then your left turn signal again, then your brake light, then your brake light, then your brake light, and then once again your break light. Next came the headlights, the highbeams and then a right turn signal thrown in again for good measure. I lost track of how many times I kept doing the same thing but if I wasn’t observing other vehicles being put through the same steps I would have thought I was being toyed with. Finally I seemed to have convinced them that everything was in fine working order. The last step was for the examiner to get in my vehicle and to accelerate quickly and then to brake, twice in a row. Since our vehicle actually stopped I thought great, I’ve passed, I can get my certificate and go. But that was my overly hasty Canadian thinking. The examiner took a long look at the outside of my car and then went inside to get another examiner. She came outside and the two of them gave my vehicle a long look. Then the examiner looked at me very seriously and stated that my car was a little dirty. I agreed and stated that I still had some road dust on it from my trip to Zambia. Now it was dusty but we aren’t even talking mud splatters here. Both examiners gave me a serious look and then told me that my vehicle could not receive its certificate of fitness as I had brought it in dirty. At first I thought they were joking but by the looks on their faces I realized that they were serious. I asked what they expected me to do, and they told me that I would have to have the car washed and then return to have my car’s safety evaluated. So with no other choice I left and went home and had the car washed. This took almost an hour and then I returned to Road Traffic and Safety. Of course by this time there was a line of cars that I had to wait behind while they went through the process. Finally it was my turn again and I was expecting to have to go through the whole process again, but once they saw that my car was clean they handed me my certificate of fitness. Things like this keep Malawi interesting.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Fair trade not aid can make a huge difference
Below is an excerpt from a book I just finished reading (thanks Melissa) that is very relevant to the work I am doing and part of the story of why we can keep giving aid to Africa but we find it difficult to see the results.
Excerpt from The Fate of Africa
“Nor are Western governments inclined to amend their trade and agricultural policies for the sake of Africa’s revival. Determined to protect their own producers, industrialized countries operate a system of subsidies and tariff barriers that have a crippling effect on African producers. The total value of their agricultural subsidies amounts to 1 billion dollars a day -$370 billion dollars a year- a sum higher than the gross domestic product of the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union subsidy for each of its cows is about $900 a year – more than the average African income; the Japanese subsidy is $2,700 per cow. Western surpluses produced at a fraction of their real cost are then dumped on African markets, undermining domestic producers. Simultaneously, African products face tariff barriers imposed by industrialized countries, effectively shutting them out of Western markets.
The case of cotton illustrates the hurdles that Africa has to surmount. Africa is the world’s third largest producer, turning out high-quality cotton at competitive prices. In West Africa cotton provides a living for a million farmers. Cotton production in francophone West Africa has soared from 100,000 tons a year at independence in 1960 to 900,000 tons. In Benin, Burkhina Faso, Chad, Mali and Togo, cotton represents between 5 and 10 per cent of GDP, more than a third of export income and more than 60 per cent of agricultural export income. Production costs in West Africa are about 38 cents a pound. By comparison, production costs in the United States are more than twice as high. But the US provides its 25,000 cotton farmers with an annual subsidy of $4 billion – more than the value of the entire crop. US farmers have therefore been able to export cotton at one-third of what it costs them to produce. Over a period of fifteen years, they have gained nearly one-third of the world market. A study by OXFAM in 2002 calculated that, as a result of the US subsidy, the world price was 25 per cent lower than it would otherwise have been. It is estimated that the cost to Burkina Faso was 1 per cent of its GDP or 12 per cent of its exports; to Mali, 1.7 per cent of GDP or 8 per cent of exports; and to Benin, 1.4 per cent of GDP or 9 per cent of exports. According to OXFAM, the trade losses associated with US farm subsidies that West Africa’s eight main cotton exporters suffered outweighed the benefits they received from US aid.
In addition to US subsidies, the European Union supports its cotton producers with a subsidy amounting to about $1 billion a year. A World Bank study estimated that it would be three times cheaper for Europe to import cotton than to grow it in Spain or Greece, where the subsidy paid to farmers is far more than the market price of cotton. China spends more than $1 billion a year on cotton subsidies. The overall impact on world prices has been huge. Though West Africa cotton production rose by 14 per cent between 1998 and 2002, receipts fell by 31 per cent. The World Bank estimated that eliminating cotton subsidies altogether would raise West Africa’s export income by $250 million a year. In similar fashion, African farmers have struggled to compete against a wide range of other subsidized agricultural products – European sugar, Asian rice, Italian tomatoes, Dutch onions; many have been forced out of business.”
Meridith, Martin. The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence. Public Affairs, United States of America, 2005, p.684-685.
Excerpt from The Fate of Africa
“Nor are Western governments inclined to amend their trade and agricultural policies for the sake of Africa’s revival. Determined to protect their own producers, industrialized countries operate a system of subsidies and tariff barriers that have a crippling effect on African producers. The total value of their agricultural subsidies amounts to 1 billion dollars a day -$370 billion dollars a year- a sum higher than the gross domestic product of the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union subsidy for each of its cows is about $900 a year – more than the average African income; the Japanese subsidy is $2,700 per cow. Western surpluses produced at a fraction of their real cost are then dumped on African markets, undermining domestic producers. Simultaneously, African products face tariff barriers imposed by industrialized countries, effectively shutting them out of Western markets.
The case of cotton illustrates the hurdles that Africa has to surmount. Africa is the world’s third largest producer, turning out high-quality cotton at competitive prices. In West Africa cotton provides a living for a million farmers. Cotton production in francophone West Africa has soared from 100,000 tons a year at independence in 1960 to 900,000 tons. In Benin, Burkhina Faso, Chad, Mali and Togo, cotton represents between 5 and 10 per cent of GDP, more than a third of export income and more than 60 per cent of agricultural export income. Production costs in West Africa are about 38 cents a pound. By comparison, production costs in the United States are more than twice as high. But the US provides its 25,000 cotton farmers with an annual subsidy of $4 billion – more than the value of the entire crop. US farmers have therefore been able to export cotton at one-third of what it costs them to produce. Over a period of fifteen years, they have gained nearly one-third of the world market. A study by OXFAM in 2002 calculated that, as a result of the US subsidy, the world price was 25 per cent lower than it would otherwise have been. It is estimated that the cost to Burkina Faso was 1 per cent of its GDP or 12 per cent of its exports; to Mali, 1.7 per cent of GDP or 8 per cent of exports; and to Benin, 1.4 per cent of GDP or 9 per cent of exports. According to OXFAM, the trade losses associated with US farm subsidies that West Africa’s eight main cotton exporters suffered outweighed the benefits they received from US aid.
In addition to US subsidies, the European Union supports its cotton producers with a subsidy amounting to about $1 billion a year. A World Bank study estimated that it would be three times cheaper for Europe to import cotton than to grow it in Spain or Greece, where the subsidy paid to farmers is far more than the market price of cotton. China spends more than $1 billion a year on cotton subsidies. The overall impact on world prices has been huge. Though West Africa cotton production rose by 14 per cent between 1998 and 2002, receipts fell by 31 per cent. The World Bank estimated that eliminating cotton subsidies altogether would raise West Africa’s export income by $250 million a year. In similar fashion, African farmers have struggled to compete against a wide range of other subsidized agricultural products – European sugar, Asian rice, Italian tomatoes, Dutch onions; many have been forced out of business.”
Meridith, Martin. The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence. Public Affairs, United States of America, 2005, p.684-685.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Another Article I have written
The World Farmers’ Charter
One of the roles of the Farmers’ Union of Malawi (FUM) is to ensure that not only is the voice of Malawian farmers heard in Malawi but also that our farmers are represented in regional and international forums. One important association that FUM is involved in is the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP). The farmers of the world, coming from every continent and working under very different conditions met from 13 to 20 May 2006 in Seoul, Korea on the occasion of the 37th IFAP World Farmer’s Congress. This Congress marked the 60th anniversary of IFAP. During that conference a Farmer’s Charter was declared including within it a declaration of principles for all farmers regardless of commodity or size. These principles are relevant to farmers worldwide but are especially important to farmers in the developing world and every farmer should consider the importance of these principles. These principles are statements directed towards government and others parties that interact with farmers. If the decision makers in society follow these principles many of the issues we lobby and advocate for would be solved. I have included these principles below.
Declaration of principles
1- Recognize the importance of agriculture
and the central role of farmers
2- Involve farmers’ organisations as essential
partners
3- Create opportunities for farmers to earn a
fair income
4- Provide equal treatment for rural
communities and urban areas
5- Promote diversity and sustainability in
agriculture
6- Eliminate hunger, malnutrition and rural
poverty
7- Establish fair and equitable rules for
agricultural trade
8- Balance power in the agri-food chain, and
ensure that markets work competitively
9- Address the special needs of women farmers
and young farmers
10- Promote International Cooperation
Source: http://www.ifap.org/en/publications/documents/WorldFarmersCharter_Eng.pdf
Written by Jules Arntz-Gray
One of the roles of the Farmers’ Union of Malawi (FUM) is to ensure that not only is the voice of Malawian farmers heard in Malawi but also that our farmers are represented in regional and international forums. One important association that FUM is involved in is the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP). The farmers of the world, coming from every continent and working under very different conditions met from 13 to 20 May 2006 in Seoul, Korea on the occasion of the 37th IFAP World Farmer’s Congress. This Congress marked the 60th anniversary of IFAP. During that conference a Farmer’s Charter was declared including within it a declaration of principles for all farmers regardless of commodity or size. These principles are relevant to farmers worldwide but are especially important to farmers in the developing world and every farmer should consider the importance of these principles. These principles are statements directed towards government and others parties that interact with farmers. If the decision makers in society follow these principles many of the issues we lobby and advocate for would be solved. I have included these principles below.
Declaration of principles
1- Recognize the importance of agriculture
and the central role of farmers
2- Involve farmers’ organisations as essential
partners
3- Create opportunities for farmers to earn a
fair income
4- Provide equal treatment for rural
communities and urban areas
5- Promote diversity and sustainability in
agriculture
6- Eliminate hunger, malnutrition and rural
poverty
7- Establish fair and equitable rules for
agricultural trade
8- Balance power in the agri-food chain, and
ensure that markets work competitively
9- Address the special needs of women farmers
and young farmers
10- Promote International Cooperation
Source: http://www.ifap.org/en/publications/documents/WorldFarmersCharter_Eng.pdf
Written by Jules Arntz-Gray
What is it that I do?
For those of you who have wanted more information on what I do I am pasting in an article I had to write describing the department that I am helping to set up for the Farmers Union of Malawi. Work days are long here with the day going from 8 till 5 with a one hour lunch but no breaks. Janna has to work even longer as she has to work from 7:30 to 5 every day. I am lucky that I have competant Malawian counterparts to work with who will be able to continue the work I am doing once I am gone. Janna is in a much different situation. She is the sole person responsible for monitoring and evaluating all of the programs that the Catholic Church in Malawi is doing, especially with regard to disaster assistance. Right now she is working on a program helping people in the south part of Malawi who have lost their homes due to flooding. Current estimates are that 100 000 people have lost their homes and Janna is integral to coordinating the response. One thing that I have learnt here in Malawi is that development work is in some ways different than I thought. Labour is not a problem here, there are plenty of people willing and able to do whatever work is necessary. For instance, there is no need for people to come from the Western world to do things like building schools or to teach simple skills, that expetise is already here in the people and they are already desparate to be hired. What is needed is expertise and management ability at higher levels, some of that exists here but more is needed. Anyways, below you will find a description of my department (which is me and one other person).
Farmers Union of Malawi is Raising the Voice of Farmers
The Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM), just like many other farmers’ unions, was formed to perform the functions of advocacy, lobbying and representation of farmers. During the 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) the executive structure was revised resulting in, among other things, the creation of a Lobbying and Advocacy Standing Committee. Part of the duties of this committee shall be to cooperate with the President of FUM in activities involving lobbying and advocacy. The overall objective is to ensure that farmers effectively and meaningfully participate in the design, formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of policies, strategies, programs and plans aimed at improving their livelihoods in Malawi.
To assist this committee the FUM Secretariat has created a Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy department. We are very excited about this new department as it is fully aligned with the core function of the union. In January we were happy to have Cindy Kacherenga join our team as the department head of the Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy department. For one year she will be assisted by Jules Arntz-Gray, a volunteer on a one year leave of absence from the Ministry of Labour in Ontario, Canada. This component provides FUM with an opportunity to identify and implement pro-poor research and policy analysis activities in order to galvanise the view of farmers countrywide and to solicit a new perspective on agricultural development issues / processes that affect the livelihoods of farmers. FUM also engages in processes that offer farmers an opportunity to contribute to the development agenda enabling them to create a pathway out of poverty.
FUM networks beyond its immediate membership by encompassing the general public, the private sector, civil society, the donor community and other stakeholders. In addition, the department engages in empowering farmer organisations through training in lobbying and advocacy to collectively speak out and to lobby and advocate for favourable policies that benefit them. Some of the past lobbying activities that have occurred include involvement in agriculture policy platforms conducted with government, civil society and private sector in collaboration with CISANET; representation of farmers in government projects such as the Farm Income Diversification Program (FIDP); and participation in key policy formulation processes including the Food and Nutrition Policy and the recent Agricultural Development Program.
In the last few months our department has been very busy. In February we held our 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) where we were intimately involved in preparing all policy related items including the speeches given. Importantly this included the drafting of a speech for His Excellency Bingu Wa Mutharika, the guest of honour who officially opened the AGM for FUM. In March we were involved in budget consultations with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) where we were invited to make a presentation. We successfully lobbied the government to use the population census to facilitate the National Identity Programme, which will lead to an improved and more equitable administration of the Input Subsidy Program (ISP). Currently the ISP will continue to focus on food security issues but the government agreed to consider other commodities as well in future in response to our proposal. Additionally the MOF has agreed to consider increasing the funding available for extension services and research after our request for a review of the budget allocation for these very important services.
Recently we participated in the newly established Network on Science and Technology.
On April 15 and 16, 2008 we are holding a stakeholder lobbying and advocacy session which will bring together members, civil society, government and other interested parties to a brainstorming session with the goal of creating a strategic plan for our department. Later in the year we plan to hold training sessions in understanding policy and in lobbying and advocacy for our members. All of this activity is in line with FUM’s strategic objectives especially the objective to ensure that FUM and its members have adequate capacity to lobby for a conducive policy and legal framework for agricultural production, marketing and fair trade agreements. Working from a five year plan we will pursue the following specific objectives; to identify and evaluate areas for lobbying and advocacy; to ensure FUM has the capacity to understand, analyze and respond to policy and legal frameworks and trade agreements, and using this to develop a lobbying and advocacy strategy.
Farmers are said to be empowered when they have access and control over structures and processes that transform their natural resource assets into outcomes that they desire. Poverty in Malawi could be defined by the poor people themselves as not only “a situation of perpetual need for the daily necessities of life…” but also “a feeling of powerlessness to influence the things around them”. It is this second aspect of poverty that the Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy Department is focused.
The time has past where farmers are just on the receiving end of policy decisions. FUM is committed to increasing the capacity of farmers in lobbying for the policies that affect them. FUM believes that farmers can and want to be involved in the decisions that affect their livelihood if they are provided with the tools to do so. We look forward to working with our partners and our members.
Written by Jules Arntz-Gray
Farmers Union of Malawi is Raising the Voice of Farmers
The Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM), just like many other farmers’ unions, was formed to perform the functions of advocacy, lobbying and representation of farmers. During the 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) the executive structure was revised resulting in, among other things, the creation of a Lobbying and Advocacy Standing Committee. Part of the duties of this committee shall be to cooperate with the President of FUM in activities involving lobbying and advocacy. The overall objective is to ensure that farmers effectively and meaningfully participate in the design, formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of policies, strategies, programs and plans aimed at improving their livelihoods in Malawi.
To assist this committee the FUM Secretariat has created a Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy department. We are very excited about this new department as it is fully aligned with the core function of the union. In January we were happy to have Cindy Kacherenga join our team as the department head of the Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy department. For one year she will be assisted by Jules Arntz-Gray, a volunteer on a one year leave of absence from the Ministry of Labour in Ontario, Canada. This component provides FUM with an opportunity to identify and implement pro-poor research and policy analysis activities in order to galvanise the view of farmers countrywide and to solicit a new perspective on agricultural development issues / processes that affect the livelihoods of farmers. FUM also engages in processes that offer farmers an opportunity to contribute to the development agenda enabling them to create a pathway out of poverty.
FUM networks beyond its immediate membership by encompassing the general public, the private sector, civil society, the donor community and other stakeholders. In addition, the department engages in empowering farmer organisations through training in lobbying and advocacy to collectively speak out and to lobby and advocate for favourable policies that benefit them. Some of the past lobbying activities that have occurred include involvement in agriculture policy platforms conducted with government, civil society and private sector in collaboration with CISANET; representation of farmers in government projects such as the Farm Income Diversification Program (FIDP); and participation in key policy formulation processes including the Food and Nutrition Policy and the recent Agricultural Development Program.
In the last few months our department has been very busy. In February we held our 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) where we were intimately involved in preparing all policy related items including the speeches given. Importantly this included the drafting of a speech for His Excellency Bingu Wa Mutharika, the guest of honour who officially opened the AGM for FUM. In March we were involved in budget consultations with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) where we were invited to make a presentation. We successfully lobbied the government to use the population census to facilitate the National Identity Programme, which will lead to an improved and more equitable administration of the Input Subsidy Program (ISP). Currently the ISP will continue to focus on food security issues but the government agreed to consider other commodities as well in future in response to our proposal. Additionally the MOF has agreed to consider increasing the funding available for extension services and research after our request for a review of the budget allocation for these very important services.
Recently we participated in the newly established Network on Science and Technology.
On April 15 and 16, 2008 we are holding a stakeholder lobbying and advocacy session which will bring together members, civil society, government and other interested parties to a brainstorming session with the goal of creating a strategic plan for our department. Later in the year we plan to hold training sessions in understanding policy and in lobbying and advocacy for our members. All of this activity is in line with FUM’s strategic objectives especially the objective to ensure that FUM and its members have adequate capacity to lobby for a conducive policy and legal framework for agricultural production, marketing and fair trade agreements. Working from a five year plan we will pursue the following specific objectives; to identify and evaluate areas for lobbying and advocacy; to ensure FUM has the capacity to understand, analyze and respond to policy and legal frameworks and trade agreements, and using this to develop a lobbying and advocacy strategy.
Farmers are said to be empowered when they have access and control over structures and processes that transform their natural resource assets into outcomes that they desire. Poverty in Malawi could be defined by the poor people themselves as not only “a situation of perpetual need for the daily necessities of life…” but also “a feeling of powerlessness to influence the things around them”. It is this second aspect of poverty that the Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy Department is focused.
The time has past where farmers are just on the receiving end of policy decisions. FUM is committed to increasing the capacity of farmers in lobbying for the policies that affect them. FUM believes that farmers can and want to be involved in the decisions that affect their livelihood if they are provided with the tools to do so. We look forward to working with our partners and our members.
Written by Jules Arntz-Gray
Regan is on the mend
Well, as some of you are aware from Janna's blog we have recently returned from Zambia where we saw Victoria Falls. Regan got a kidney infection somewhere along the line (in Malawi before we left) and had to spend up to 7 hours on intravenous for three days in a row. She seems to be fine now but we are going to be aggressively monitoring the situation. WUSC (the group who has sent us here) has a great support system for medical emergencies including airlifting people out to South Africa for necessary care or even home to Canada. That was not needed in this situation but it is nice to know that it is there. Janna, as she always does, rises to the challenge especially when Regan is sick and she ensured that Regan had the best care possible. I don't think that doctors and nurses were used to so many questions and queries regarding treatment and the current medical situation. There is a huge culture of deference here and people often do not question authority figures. If you are ever sick in Africa make sure you have Janna with you because she will ensure that you receive the best care.
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