"African Forest Stakeholders Want Sustainable Forest Management"

African Forest stakeholders have pressed for the sustainable management of the continent’s forest.

       The African Forest actors were speaking in Accra, Ghana, during a five day regional workshop organized by the African Forest Forum, AFF, in collaboration with Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, FORIG.

     The workshop, which spanned from July 10 to 14, 2017 held under the theme: “Sharing knowledge and experiences on public and private sector development in forestry and response to climate change and trans-boundary forestry issues”.

   The African Forest Forum is a pan-African non-governmental organization with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

      It is an association of individuals who share the quest for and commitment to the sustainable management, use and conservation of the forest and tree resources of Africa for the socio- economic wellbeing of its people and for the stability and improvement of its environment.

    The purpose of AFF is to provide a platform and create an enabling environment for independent and objective analysis, advocacy and advice on relevant policy and technical issues pertaining to achieving sustainable management, use and conservation of Africa’s forest and tree resources as part of efforts to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, and economic and social development.

Through all its programmes and activities, AFF seeks to promote the empowerment of all marginalized groups particularly women who continue to be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and whose representation, priorities and needs are rarely adequately addressed in the forestry sector. AFF with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) is implementing two projects namely “African Forests, People and Climate Change” and “Strengthening Sustainable Forest Management in Africa” respectively.

     Both projects seek to generate and share knowledge and information through partnerships in ways that will provide inputs into policy options and capacity building efforts in order to improve forest management in a manner that better addresses poverty eradication and environmental protection in Africa. Notably, the public and private sector development in forest products industry and role of African forestry private sector in response to climate change remains critical. 

     In this regard more information and knowledge is needed to enable African governments design policies and programmes that would support and strengthen linkages and partnership between public and private sector in forestry.

     There is also need for information to guide African countries to promote integrated and cooperative management of trans-boundary forests, water resources, pests and disease surveillance and international trade in forest products. It is on this understanding that AFF commissioned 21 national studies on public and private sector development in forest products industry in Africa, covering the following countries: Niger,   Burkina Faso,  Senegal,  Nigeria, Ghana,  Kenya,  South  Africa,  Sudan,  Cameroon,  the  Democratic  Republic of   Congo,   Gabon, Uganda,   Mozambique,   Tanzania,   Zambia,   Zimbabwe,   Madagascar,   Rwanda, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire,   and the   Republic of Congo. The AFF workshop brought together over 80 participants drawn from private and public forest sector; governments, non-governmental organizations,  research,  academia,  media  institutions, youth and women based organizations on forestry and climate change in sub-Saharan Africa.

By TANDONG CALISTUS JONG in Accra, Ghana

African Leaders Exhorted for Stronger impact on agriculture!

African leaders have been called upon to assure more accountability on agriculture. The call was made at the 13th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform (PP) meeting organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and  the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) from May 31 –June 2, 2017 in Kampala, Uganda under the theme: ‘Strengthening Mutual Accountability to Achieve CAADP/Malabo Goals and Targets’. The meeting called for stronger accountability on continental commitments on agriculture,  and for the realization of the AU Malabo commitments on agriculture through mutual accountability for results and impact. Officially opening the 13th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform meeting, Ugandan State Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Christopher Kibanzanga assured the meeting, Uganda was committed to mutual accountability saying, “We are here for accountability, we are implementing the Malabo Declaration commitments and we are focused on agriculture to transform our country to a middle income economy. Speaking at the opening session, the AUC’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Josefa Sacko, said “With the awareness that the Malabo Declaration sounded a call for action towards delivery of results and impact, we should, jointly and as individual actors and as Member States, respond to this call through a focus on implementation of concrete actions on the ground and report on progress attained.” The AU Business Plan for CAADP-Malabo implementation, the AU Agribusiness Strategy and Country Agribusiness Partnership Framework, were further launched; as tools to support Member States to mobilize private sector investments in country agriculture, proposing the right coordination mechanisms of the key stakeholders and accounting for actions.

Commissioner Sacko urged all stakeholders to support AU Members States to produce credible biennial review reports, on the basis of which the continental report will be produced, emphasizing that, “Renewed partnerships built on mutual accountability will help governments, the private sector, civil society, farmers and farmers organizations as well as development partners to deliver on results and impact for a transformed Agriculture to reach the targets set by the Malabo Declaration. In addition, the AUC’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) Director , Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa emphasized that, The continental biennial report will be based on validated country reports by all stakeholders, including governments, civil society, the private sector and development partners. The theme of this year’s CAADP PP speaks volumes. We are noting with satisfaction that for the first time in history, African leaders have set themselves up for checks and balances to be instituted in Africa’s collective agricultural development efforts, through the Malabo Declaration. Indeed, calling for a Biennial Review mechanism to be put in place to track performance and report progress, both by countries and collectively as a Continent, gives us cause for hope for a better future of governance in Africa,” said Mrs. Estherine Fotabong, NEPAD Director of Programmes. Giving a keynote presentation during the opening session, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), underscored the role of agriculture in driving inclusive economic growth. “Agriculture is Africa’s surest path to prosperity. Achieving meaningful agriculture transformation requires strong coordination between partners in a countries-led process,” she said. “AGRA is delighted to work with the AUC and the NEPAD Agency in supporting countries to meet their Malabo Declaration commitments which are key to the success of the transformation push,” she added.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world population will reach 9.1 billion by 2050, and to feed that number of people, global food production will need to grow by 70%. For Africa, which is projected to be home to about 2 billion people by then, farm productivity must accelerate at a faster rate than the global average to avoid continued mass hunger. African governments and other stakeholders have been urged to encourage the youth to embrace agriculture and to let them understand that they could make money from the sector and its value-chains. It should be recalled that the Malabo Declaration requests the African Union Commission (AUC) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) in collaboration with partner institutions to:   develop mechanisms that will enhance Africa’s capacity for knowledge and data generation and management, to strengthen evidence based planning and implementation; institutionalize a system for peer review that encourages good performance on achievement of progress made in implementing the provisions of the Declaration and recognize, biennially, exemplary performance through awards;   conduct, on a biennial basis (beginning in 2017), an Agricultural Review Process and, furthermore, launch a process of reporting on progress made, to the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government with the Inaugural Biennial Report expected at the January 2018 Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The 13^th CAADP PP, brought together over 400 leaders from African Governments, including parliamentarians from AU Member States, leaders from international organizations, development partners, private agribusiness firms, farmers, NGOs and civil society organizations.

BY TANDONG CALISTUS JONG

Kampala, Uganda.

The ADFNS provides a platform at national, regional and continental levels to share experiences, knowledge and mutual learning, as well as measure progress in assuring food and nutrition security for all by governments and multi-stakeholder partners. More than ever before, it is time to move from business as usual to undertake sustained and effective action to end hunger and malnutrition on the continent. 

"The main purpose of the ADFNS is to serve as a rallying point in intensifying commitments at all levels to address the challenges of food and nutrition insecurity and malnutrition in Africa".

The Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Special Fund Launched to Fight Climate Change.

The Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Special Fund Launched to Fight Climate Change.

This new initiative will help finance efforts to harness information to fight climate change in Africa. The Africa Development Bank (AfDB) has launched a fund drive worth €33 million to be used for building regional capacities in climate information gathering and dissemination in order to overcome challenges posed by climate change in Africa.
The ClimDev-Africa special fund, launched on the sidelines of CCDA-IV in the city of Marrakech-Morocco, will be managed by the Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme, an initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and AfDB.
Public and private sector institutions and organizations in Africa are now expected to submit proposals to ClimDev-Africa to enable them access the financing which is intended to build viable, reliable and regular climate change information sources in Africa.
During the launching in Marrakech on the 09th of October 2014, the coordinator for special initiative at the AfDB, Mr. Ken Johm, expressed his optimism that despite the fact that the fund may not be enough to meet the entirety of Africa’s climate information needs, it will be demonstrative enough that others can also benefit and learn from such experiences. Climate Change has become a major drive for poverty in our African counties, especially among indigenous smallholder farmers who are increasingly becoming vulnerable with about 37% of the continent at risk desertification.
The AfDB has committed to support countries adapt to the negative effects of climate change, ensure food security and support good land, water and forestry management good practices. Climate information services enable better integration of the water, energy and land nexus, which are critical along the entire agricultural commodity value chain, Says Dr. Fatima Denton, coordinator of the Africa Climate Policy Center (ACPC).
Our deepest conviction is that climate change remains a double-edged sword, she said. It constitutes the greatest challenge of our times, but it is also Africa’s greatest opportunity to widen out ripples of prosperity across our mother continent. ClimDev-Africa is entrusted with a mandate to improve climate information services in support of African development agenda. Consolidating the potential for agriculture, using climate information services, will have a multiplier effect in catering for our youth, shared prosperity, and providing food, water and energy security, observed Dr. Denton.
“By Tandong CALISTUS Jong in  Marrakech”

THE DANGERS OF AFLATOXINS IN MAIZE, GROUNDNUTS UNDER REVIEW.

“Aflatoxins constitutes a significant threat to food and economic security”

By TandongCalistus Jong and MononoYawa,

It undermines poverty eradication in Africa. It is a major cause of post-harvest loss that further constrains the quantum of food reaching our markets and households across the continent.

It poses a major public health challenge to consumers all over the continent and can result in foregone revenues and profit from domestic and regional commerce and international trade.

What are aflatoxins

Aflatoxin is a poison naturally produced by strains of the fungus Aspergillusflavus and related species. Although aflatoxin contamination poses a global problem, the impact of the problem is higher in tropical climatic regions, between 40° North and 40° South of the equator, including the entire African continent. Aflatoxin contamination commonly occurs in maize and groundnut and crops of regional importance in West Africa such as melon seed and yams. According to IITA, contamination frequency in the tune of 10 – 60% of maize and groundnuts is encountered.

Human risks with aflatoxin

Aflatoxin can damage the liver and may lead to liver cancer. Evidence abounds that aflatoxin ingestion is frequent through contaminated foodstuffs and is one of the major etiological factors in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China and sub-Saharan Africa. About 25% cases of up to 600,000 new HCC cases reported annually in the world may be attributable to aflatoxin exposure (Liu and Wu, 2010). Aflatoxin is also associated with stunting in children and immune-suppression. Studies carried out in Benin and Togo (Gong et. al., 2002, 2003, 2004), and also the Gambia (Turner et. al., 2003, 2007) have shown that elevated levels of aflatoxin in blood are associated with stunting and children being underweight for their age. Exposure to potentially harmful levels of aflatoxins begins in the womb and continues through breastfeeding, through baby weaning foods and beyond. Children under 5 remain particularly vulnerable to aflatoxin exposure significantly hindering children's growth and development while damaging their immunity. In several ECOWAS member countries (e.g., Ghana, The Gambia, Benin, Togo), more than 95% mothers and children have aflatoxin adducts in blood demonstrating high exposure to aflatoxins. In Sierra Leone, nearly 90% mothers had aflatoxin in breast milk, showing that not only the mothers but also the babies are at risk.

A review of aflatoxin contamination in foods in ECOWAS member states documents levels well above the internationally recommended maximum limits. For instance, studies found that 40 to 90% groundnut samples in farmers' stores in Mali had unsafe levels of aflatoxin. The economic impact of aflatoxin extends beyond crop production and utilization and significantly hampers the profitability of the livestock industry; for instance 62% of commercial poultry feed sold in Nigerian markets were found to be unsafe, greatly impacting productivity, increasing mortality and contaminating the gizzards of chickens commonly consumed as a local delicacy.

Regulation on Aflatoxin

Because of the serious food safety risks, human exposure to aflatoxins is limited by regulations. Regulatory limits for aflatoxins exist in only 15 African countries and the regulations vary widely among these countries. The maximum concentrations of aflatoxin permitted in food for humans are less than 20 ppb in the U.S., and less than 4 ppb in the EU. Contamination therefore presents a barrier to cross-border trade and economic growth as the presence of excessive aflatoxin levels causes grain exports to be rejected by importing countries. For example, Senegal and Nigeria, among the major exporters of groundnut in the 1970s, have seen their market share dwindle to almost a standstill due to difficulty of meeting aflatoxin regulations. If all countries were to adopt EU standards on aflatoxins, then global trade would decline by $3 billion (Dohlman, 2008). According to WHO (2011), aflatoxin contamination leads to 64% reduction in food quality in Africa.

Seeking solutions

The aflatoxin problem is so complex that it straddles the agriculture and food security, trade and health sectors. Cognisant of these, in March 2011 at the 7^th CAADP Partnership Platform, the African Union Commission was urged to oversee the establishment of a Continental SPS Working Group to mainstream sanitary/phytosanitary matters in the CAADP framework and establish an Africa-led Partnership for Aflatoxin Control.  Through this call, the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) was established.

PACA aims to provide consistent coordination and coherent leadership to the continental efforts on aflatoxin control. It aims at supporting adoption of proven solutions, and identify new ones, that will work to mitigate the impacts of aflatoxin on food security and agriculture, trade, and health in Africa. Many actors are involved in developing comprehensive solutions to control aflatoxin along the value chain, from crop production through processing and food preparation to consumption. Many measures can be taken to reduce aflatoxin exposure to local consumers and improve opportunities to sell aflatoxin-safe crops to markets, but some options need to be supported by appropriate policy and regulatory actions. It is expected that comprehensive and feasible solutions being developed for the African context will also be useful for other regions where aflatoxin is a problem. Combating aflatoxin will also contribute to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and PACA will look for ways to contribute to the MDGs and the post 2015 development agenda.

Through the leadership of the African Union Commission (AUC), and with participation from African and other governments, Regional Economic Communities, the private sector, farmers’ organizations, and civil society leaders from across Africa, PACA is establishing a comprehensive, Africa-wide approach to mitigate the agriculture and food security, trade, and health impacts of aflatoxin. In this context, regional workshops will further sensitize key stakeholders about comprehensive solutions to control aflatoxin that are appropriate to the region based on priorities identified by stakeholders themselves.

All this was reviewed during a three day workshop that held in Accra – Ghana last November 2013  jointly organized by African Union, ECOWAS, Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), FARA, CORAF, USAID, IITA, and World Bank.

                                      

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FARMING IN SOUTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON : A CASE OF THE WABANE SUB DIVISION.

By TANDONG Calistus JONG

INTRODUCTION

Impact of climate change on farming in Cameroon rural areas constitutes a major challenge

especially to small scale farmers who constitute the poor and vulnerable group. The changes

have led to reactive and autonomous adaptive measures such as planting early yielding varieties

of crops, planting along banks of rivers and crop substitution. Whilst planting along banks of

rivers has environmental implications, crop substitution has income implication because profits

would be short term instead of long term from tree crops which are annual and last for few years.

The sustainable use of land and environmental resources is an issue of major concern for the

government of Cameroon .In the past, agricultural approaches used to employ high external inputs 

such as equipment and infrastructures, neglecting the blending of indigenous knowledge. 

This inevitably leads to the numerous lope holes found in many developments oriented projects. 

The process of poor people lifting themselves out of poverty using agriculture in the Wabane sub 

division has not been smooth, because of lack of access to

information, absence of farm to market roads; Poor farming practices and Out-dated agricultural

techniques. Therefore, there is urgent need for Sustainable Farming and climate change

education in Cameroon’s rural communities.

The services of NGOs, Government bodies, academic and research institutions in order to meet

up with demand in small-scale agriculture and climate change are imperative.

Small-scale farmers in Wabane sub division continuously adapt their practices to modern

innovation and local knowhow as a result of their observations, collaboration and experimental

activities which all contribute to their body of knowledge. Researchers argue that the generation

of knowledge is a process which is, and needs to be ongoing, and that further steps also need to

be taken to exchange, make the knowledge available to all, and most importantly, to act on this

knowledge in Wabane sub division. Climatic variations and changes are serious affecting the

small scale farmers of the Wabane sub division. The seriousness of this threat can be noted in the

rate of environmental degradation, socio-economy and livelihood of marginalized farmers of the

Cameroon’s rural areas. Current natural and environmental occurrences such as Landslides, low

agricultural productivity and floods can be attributed to climate change. All those involved with

the development and daily implementation of climate change and agricultural endeavours in

Wabane sub division are continuously seeking new and better ways to improve farm production

and livelihoods. Research has a lot to contribute to agricultural development in Wabane sub

division: farmers are eager to learn new options and solutions to their problems, but in many

cases do not have information about or access to them. For research to contribute to climate

change, poverty reduction and guarantee livelihood security in Wabane sub division, the

emphasis must be on the application of appropriate knowledge, rather than merely developing it.

In Wabane sub division today, small-scale farming has evolved faster than ever, the competition

for resources is increasing and local adaption is not enough to keep pace with these changes. In

these situations, there is a need to constantly improve on the knowledge of these communities,

gain access to new information and use these to adapt to local conditions, and deal with the

changing world. By broadening the availability of knowledge and empowering the Wabane

communities to participate in their development, small-scale farmers will benefit through having

options and information available, which will empower them to ask the right questions, make

sound decisions and create and develop their own pool of knowledge. The present paper aims to

discuss climate change innovations and practices, with more emphasis on the possibility of their

integration in small-scale farming geared toward sustainable and participatory development in

the Wabane sub division. Even though there are general difficulties with the word “innovation”,

but the results may be surprising.

Geography

Wabane Sub Division, Lebialem Division of the South West Region of Cameroon, with an

estimated population of 80.000 inhabitants. It is situated between latitudes 50 11” and 50 45” and

longitudes 90 50” and 100 00” with altitudinal range of 180m-2550m with an annual rainfall of

2000mm-3000mm.

OBSERVATION

In Wabane sub division, there is still a gap between accepted theory and current practices.

Although there have been improvements in roads networks, communications and infrastructure

Wabane sub

Division

faced by small-scale farmers but it difficulties in relation to research priorities, access to

information, knowledge generation, validation and sharing is shill pending.

Effective research and development approaches for low external input agriculture in Wabane sub

division should be based on effective use of indigenous knowledge, optimal use of local

resources, linking and working together as organisations in order to access other resources and

types of knowledge.

In practice, there are still many difficulties and gaps, especially when considering the complex

relationships between all the developmental actors involved in research and development

processes in Wabane sub division. This shows that participation can be a complex issue, but that

it is essential at many levels and stages in the development and scaling up process in Wabane sub

division. I believe that farmer’s innovation needs to be basic cornerstone of any research and

extension system. But how do we go on from here? How can knowledge be built in this context?

That is now the challenge, and the one that we are committed to struggle with.

Deforestation and forest clearing for agriculture in Wabane sub division.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Some environmental problems identified by the inhabitants of these communities include but not

united to:

1) Constant erosion of the top fertile soil resulting from inappropriate farming methods.

2) Landslides - Due to its hilly topography Wabane sub division has for the past years been

affected by landslides during the raining reasons. The most devastating being that of 2003

in which serious losses were incurred both in human and material resources.

3) Increasing soil infertility, which has led to a considerable drop in harvest as compared to

the previous years in Wabane sub division, As a result which the people have to trek for

several kilometer to enable them acquire fertile land to cultivate.

The People of Banteng trying to reconstruct a local bridge over river Massan after the former was carried away

by landslide.

The small-scale farmers in Bamumbu village with their local baskets on their way to harvest food crop from

their far-distant farms (estimated to be about 20 kilo meters)

Most areas in Wabane sub division have always experienced climate change, and farmers have

not been coping up with the degree of uncertainty climate change. Detailed observations reveal

that, many of the effects attributed to climate change is a fact result of deforestation or soil

erosion, or take place because most people in Wabane sub division live in disaster-prone areas.

But there is no doubt that farmers are facing changes with rainfall and temperature. This is

already having a very strong impact, but however farmers perceive and deal with these changes

‘While climate change is a global phenomenon’, those living in Wabane tropics areas face

greater risks. This is mainly due to changes in land use patterns: intensified agriculture, coupled

with deforestation, soil degradation and erosion. It is expected that climate change will further

accelerate the ongoing degradation processes, in many cases leading to a complete collapse in

Wabane. Sustainable agriculture practices can help soils retain higher quantities of water for

example, help withstand periods of drought. Most small-scale farmers have to deal with

insufficient resources, and many are trying to grow crops in soils which are less fertile, or deal

with recurrent pests and diseases. Deforestation and soil erosion result in considerable quantities

of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, complemented by the production and use

of fertilizers. At the same time, farmers can help sequester carbon by restoring the natural

vegetation where this is possible, avoiding deforestation and efficiently managing their soils.

Most important is that all these efforts have many additional advantages, reflecting a truly winwin

situation.

Some proposed remedies are:

1) The practice of contour ploughing especially in farms that is along the slopes to prevent

soil erosion.

2) Re-forestation i.e. encouraged the planting of useful local species of trees. For example,

cola-nut, bamboo, cypress, mango, palm orange, apple and guava trees etc. As a measure

against erosion and landslides.

3) Should be advice to avoid construction of houses and other infrastructure along

riverbanks, and on marshy areas.

CONCLUSION

Adapting climate change in Small-scale agricultural Knowledge is a critical factor for sustainable

development in Wabane. Empowerment of local communities is a prerequisite for the integration

of small-scale farming in the development process. The integration of appropriate small-scale

farming systems into development programs has already proved to contribute to efficiency,

effectiveness and sustainable development impact. And there is obviously a gap between the

experts and the smallholder farmers in Wabane. We need to observe more closely what farmers

are doing in developing their own innovations in climate change, and what type of information

they seek from others to continue their own process of agricultural development. This requires

major investment in both management and infrastructural development. Cameroon needs to work

internally and with international partners to address these issues so that small-scale agriculture

can reach their full potential in contributing to the country’s development.

RECOMMENDATIONS

a) Government should empower these small-scale farmers on natural resource

Management and climate change.

b) A need for refresher courses for small-scale farmers on climate change and new

agricultural techniques and financial empowerment.

c) A need for farm to market roads, electrification and good communication networks.

d) There is a need for more collaboration involving international bodies, academic and

research institutions in order to cope up with demand in terms of technical expertise and

finance.

e) Encourage the use of fertilizers, practice of crop rotation and the use of local manure like

animal dungs as a measure against soil infertility.

f) Small-scale farmers should be encouraged to form local small groups through which they

can share experiences and cooperate with other groups both nationally and

internationally.

g) Should be encouraged to practice sustainable agriculture as well as inform them of

existing market situations of various crops like large-scale production and yielding crops.

h) Agro forestry should be promoted in Wabane sub division in order to fight deforestation

and climate change.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to the Wabane communities and local authorities for their facilitation in the field

survey.

Contact Information

tandongcalistus@yahoo.com

(00237)96862960/77497040