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OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SADC PF STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOOD AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, HON. ANDREA LEON TUMBA

OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SADC PF STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOOD AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, HON. ANDREA LEON TUMBA AT THE JOINT MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES ON FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES; AND TRADE, INDUSTRY, FINANCE AND INVESTMENT HELD UNDER THE THEME ‘EXPANDING INVESTMENT IN AGROECOLOGY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION.’

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

SUNDAY, 1ST MAY, 2022

 

SALUTATIONS

  • Honourable Members of the SADC PF Standing Committee on Food Agriculture and Natural Resources;
  • The Secretary General of the SADC PF, Ms Boemo Sekgoma;
  • Ms Julie Middleton, Project Manager, Consortium for Partnership for Social Accountability;
  • Staff from the SADC PF Secretariat;
  • Our Distinguished Resource Persons;
  • Our Distinguished Participants; and
  • Ladies and Gentlemen.

 

Good afternoon Hon Members and Distinguished guests,

I am pleased to welcome you Honourable Members to this Joint Meeting of the SADC PF Standing Committees on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) and Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (FANR), which is being held under the theme, “Expanding Investment in Agroecology in Southern Africa for Sustainable Development and Climate Adaptation.”

 

Honourable Members, distinguished participants

Let me begin by stating that agriculture is the cornerstone of human society that provides not only food and nourishment but also employment for millions of people in the SADC region.  However, due to the rapidly evolving threats to food and farming systems as a result of climate shocks, it is becoming extremely difficult to be food secure as a region unless we adopt resilient agriculture processes.  I am sure that Hon Members can agree with me that the field of agroecology has not been given the primacy it deserves in the SADC region despite it being key in building sustainable food systems.  While most SADC Member States do appropriate from their national budgets specific funds towards the agriculture sector, this is not adequate.  Therefore, there is a need in our quest to promote agroecology in our region to make deliberate efforts to promote investments in agriculture in general and in particular in agroecology.

Arising from the foregoing, it is important to engage in discussions that encompass both themes of agriculture and investment.  Hence this meeting today that is bringing together two committees which are both critical to the subject under discussion.

Honourable Members, distinguished participants

You will agree with me that achieving food security in Southern Africa has remained an elusive goal to date. The SADC Synthesis Report on the State of Food and Nutrition Security and Vulnerability in the Southern Region, reports that up to 47.6 million people, approximately 13 percent of the total population, in SADC region are food insecure.

Even without the effects of climate change, our agricultural systems are not meeting the demands of large numbers of people. Climate change and its effects such as persistent droughts, flooding and pests, coupled with economic challenges, poverty and conflict, have exerted more pressure on already stressed food systems, thereby contributing to the food security crisis in the region.

Further, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity directly and indirectly.  The direct impact is linked to farms and food businesses that had to close down due to the pandemic.  On the other hand, indirect impacts are linked to lockdowns, border closures and restricted transportation and movement imposed by Governments to curb the spread of the pandemic.  Small-scale farmers, who produce most of the SADC region’s food, have been negatively impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking from a gender perspective, it is also worth noting that with the emergence of the COVID-19, the burden of unpaid care work increased for women and girls. In instances were family members were affected by the virus, women had to refocus their attention to look after the children and provide care for the sick. The time spent on care could have been used on farming activities such as food production or selling of farm produce.

Honourable Members, distinguished participants

Given the foregoing, there is a need to adopt innovative approaches that are climate smart and more resilient to severe shocks such as pandemics.

 

As you may be aware, as a region, several commitments have been made both at continental and regional levels to enhance agriculture. However, failure to implement these commitments remains a huge hindrance to actualising our agriculture vision. In many countries, agroecology is being proposed as a method of not only promoting food security but also significantly contributing to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals as well as the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

Honourable Members, distinguished participants

While agroecological systems draw on natural synergies and use locally-available resources, transitioning to this model entails some costs at the outset, and requires support. Meanwhile, smallholders, and particularly women, struggle to access the credit they would need to move beyond subsistence farming.  It is, therefore, imperative that investments that are channelled towards agriculture are accompanied by robust mechanisms to prevent any misuse of public resources and reach the intended beneficiaries, especially small-scale farmers.

In this regard, Honourable Members, we have a responsibility, both at national and regional level to ensure that we promote agroecological agricultural systems for sustainable food supply. Through our oversight function, we must interrogate our national budgets and foreign contributions to ensure that they are channeled towards agricultural development and climate change adaption. Further, we should provide effective checks and balances to the executive so that investment towards the sector yields the desired results.

Therefore, I am happy that this Joint meeting has been organised today so that we can interrogate these critical issues.

 

Honourable Members, distinguished participants

As I conclude, let me take this opportunity to thank our esteemed resource persons who have accepted to engage with us on this subject during our Committee session. I am positive that at the end of the meeting, we will all have a better understanding of agroecology and what we, as parliamentarians, need to do, both at national and regional level to promote agroecology for sustainable food systems. I, therefore, encourage Honourable Members to actively participate and engage our resource persons on these and any related issues in order for this session to be of maximum benefit to us and the SADC region as a whole.

With those few remarks, it is now my honour and privilege to declare this Joint meeting of the Standing Committees on FANR and TIFI officially opened.

I thank you

 

Opening remarks by the Chairperson of the SADC PF Standing Committee on Food Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Andrea Leon Tumba

À propos de nous

Le Forum parlementaire de la Communauté de développement de l'Afrique australe (SADC PF) a été créé en 1997 conformément à l'article 9 (2) du Traité de la SADC en tant qu'institution autonome de la SADC. Il s'agit d'un organe interparlementaire régional composé de treize (14) parlements représentant plus de 3500 parlementaires dans la région de la SADC.

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