African governments could be treading dangerously by rushing into the production of biofuels while food insecurity still stalks the continent. This could result in failing to meet the targets for biofuels, and at the same time jeopardising food security.

A number of initiatives are already under way in several African countries to produce bio-diesel and ethanol from jatropha, sugarcane and palm. Vast tracts of land have already been set aside for the production of these plants for biofuels.

Improved seeds are key to increasing farmers’ yields and profits, but the seeds sold by multinational seed companies cannot be replanted the next year. This is fine for the companies bottom lines, but farmers who must buy new seeds every year are vulnerable.

Lameck Samson, a farmer from Thyolo District in South Malawi cycled for two hours to sell his recently harvested two bags of maize.

When he finally reached the rural Luchenza Trading Centre trading – there was only one buyer.

It was climate change that killed 10 people in Sierra Leone.
The culprit was the rain that would not stop.

Small scale farmers across Zambia have had to stand by and helplessly watch their crops and livestock being destroyed because of the effects of climate change.

Most of the 60,000 small scale farmers belonging to Rodger Phiri’s association know exactly what climate change means – many have experienced it first hand.

South African biotechnology expert Wynand van der Walt headlined a panel promoting biotechnology as a solution to raising Africa’s agricultural productivity. The audience was not entirely convinced.

“Biotechnology is not a super solution to every problem in agricultural production,” Van der Walt told delegates to FANRPAN’s regional policy dialogue, but Africa faces a food security crisis and genetically engineered crops offer a way out.

Eighty-year-old Cecilia Makota is blessed amongst women. She is one of the few in her district who can afford seeds from a stockist in Lusaka.

It is good news that for the first time Africa has a united voice when it comes to climate change. But this means nothing if the continent lacks skilled negotiators to represent their standpoint at an upcoming global policy conference.

When the United Nations conference on climate change takes place this December the world will gather to finalise the way forward in tackling this issue. But because many African countries are too poor to pay for skilled negotiators…

Climate change is no longer just about changing temperatures and rainfall patterns: it is also about human rights.

Until now, climate change has been discussed within the domains of mining; agriculture; the environment; and industry – among others. But the effects climate change has had on people’s human rights have been ignored.

”Climate change is not purely an environmental issue; it is also not purely an agricultural policy issue…

Climate change was centre stage as the chair of the Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), Sindiso Ngwenya, opened the network’s annual regional dialogue in Maputo, declaring, “there should be no deal without agriculture.”

Ngwenya, also the chair of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, urged over 200 delegates from 18 African countries, and the UK, U.S., Germany, the Philippines and Trinidad & Tobago…