African farmers have embarked on a journey of sharing knowledge on systems put in place to address different challenges imposed by climate change.
The pledge was made on Friday October 22 during the launch of the General assembly of Panafrican Farmers’ Organization (PAFO), a summit that brings together African farmers from across the continent.
The summit happening in Kigali brought together delegates from 28 African countries present physically and 40 countries participating virtually.
Elizabeth Nsimadala, President of PAFO said that as much as Africa has been hit by climate change, but it is not so diverse like other continents and through collective efforts as farmers they can fight it.
“As we all know most of our farmers in Africa depend on rain for plantation, but with the increase of climate change it is getting harder for most of them, these days we have seen extreme dry and wet shocks and when you go to the fields most of them are dry when it is supposed to be a rainy season,”
Nsimadala noted that through exchange of information between farmers from across the continent and learning from each other the methods that are being used then they can address the challenges.
“For example in Rwanda where the government has taken a step further in terms of small and medium irrigation technology, then as a farmers organizations we can learn from them , access and share different information on agricultural techniques, and share different varieties of seeds that can survive drought, which will increase food production while fighting climate change,” she added.
Joseph Gafaranga, Secretary General of Rwanda Farmers Organization ‘Imbaraga’, stressed the importance of sharing useful information between African farmers because it will help find solutions to the common challenges the continent face in agriculture like climate change.
“As farmers it is a duty to feed our countries, and do it responsibly while preserving our environment for the next generation, but as farmers in Rwanda we cannot say we know everything or that our methods are the best, but through working together we can learn from countries like Maroc, Egypt, or Israel present here, because we have seen that every country has something to share and it is an opportunity to learn new farming technologies,” he said.
Nomioni Naura, Tunisian farmer and president of Maghrebian and North African Farmers Union (UMNAGRI) said: “I am glad I got to meet farmers from the across the continent and learn how to do things and exchange different cultural information, for instance Tunisia is a mountainous country but we have a project of restoring endangered plants, which is something we as continent can learn and am sure I will learn more from them as well.”