Concern launches Unheard Voices report in Parliament
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Concern's Unheard Voices report, which states the case for supporting marginal farmers, was launched last week at the Houses of Parliament.
At the launch, there were inspiring presentations from the Mr Mahlathi Moyo, Chair of the Mongu District Farmers’ Association in Zambia; Colin Poulton, Research Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies and a member of the Future Agricultures Consortium; and Ruchi Tripathi, Head of Policy and Campaigns for Concern in the UK.
Mr Moyo outlined the challenges and constraints faced by small-holder farmers in Zambia. Colin Poulton put forward the case for supporting agriculture, explaining why investing in smallholder farming makes good social and economic sense. Ruchi Tripathi underlined Concern’s commitment to listening to and supporting marginal farmers for whom agriculture is a way of life, or their only option.
Voices of Ugandan farmers
The voices of poor Ugandan farmers were also heard in a powerful and moving film by documentary maker Paul Welsh who recently traveled to Uganda with Concern’s UK Head of Communications Sarah Molloy where they recorded the voices of poor farmers with whom Concern works in the district of Rakai. Their message was powerful and clear: they desperately need support in the form of seeds, fertiliser and tools if they are to have any hope of escaping the desperate poverty and hunger they are facing. They have small plots of land that they can farm but they do not have enough tools, seeds or financial support to make this land productive, so they and their children are going hungry. They fear their situation will not change because no-one listens to them, they receive no support and their voices and needs are not taken into account. To view the film click here.
Concern calls for action
Lyndall Stein, Concern UK’s CEO commented: "It is our duty to ensure that the voices of these Ugandan farmers and other poor farmers around the world are heard by those that can make a difference. Concern is calling on the UK’s Department for International Development to listen to the voices of poor farmers and to ensure that their needs are taken into account when reviewing their agricultural policy in 2008. Please join Concern in urging policy makers to listen to the unheard voices of the 400 million poor and hungry farmers who depend on the land for their survival"
- To sign up to Concern's Unheard Voices campaign or for more information click here
- To download report click here
