2008 ANNUAL SMALL SCALE FARMERS FORUM

Posted Feb 24, 2009

On September 24 & 25, the Farmers Organization Support Programme (FOSUP) and Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA), with support from Concern WorldWide and MS Zambia, hosted the 2008 Annual Small Scale Farmers Forum at Barn Motel in Lusaka. This year’s theme was “Land Access and Control: Key to Household and National Food Security.” Over 70 people attended the Forum which was officiated by the Ministry of Lands Deputy Minister and Commissioner of Lands. Small scale farmers and traditional leaders have called on the Government to legalize the chief’s authority when it comes to customary land alienation. Also the chiefs need to be involved in the advocacy process. Most critically displaced persons should be fairly compensated for the land they were displaced from. Forum participants also recognized that Government must enhance networking arrangements with community members and all key stakeholders, as it is Government’s responsibility to inform its citizens on land laws and procedures. In addition, most participants felt the current land administration setup in the country was too cumbersome and time consuming. Therefore they urged government to decentralize issuance of title deeds to the districts and provinces so as to make administration and management accessible to majority Zambians. “On the whole, the Forum was a major success because small scale farmers and other land stakeholders were able to share experiences and discuss land issues in Zambia,” said FOSUP Executive Director Mike Muleba. “It’s very clear that there are uncoordinated interventions in land and a huge land information gap for ordinary citizens. Also small scale farmers lack control of the land they use for survival. It’s important for all stakeholders to realize that access to land is not a privilege; but a right.” The Farmers Forum participants suggested that land for biofuels should be limited so as to reserve land for food production. Also, attendees called for more research on both sides of the issue and that Government should regulate biofuels to ensure food security in the country remains constant. Finally, when it comes to the national draft Land Policy of October 2006, the Forum declared that the participation of all stakeholders in the process is to its future success. Most significantly the voice of those at grassroots level should be incorporated into the final version of the land policy before Cabinet approves it. “It’s clear by this Forum that we need to talk more and more about land issues,” said ZLA Executive Director Henry Machina. “In addition we must all, civil society and Government, work to improve land administration in the country so that every Zambian can obtain land in an efficient, transparent and cost-effective manner.” The Farmers Organisation Support Programme (FOSUP) is an organisation whose aim is to strengthen and build capacity of farmer organizations to become strong and functional membership-based institutions effectively supporting their affiliate members in making informed decisions and challenging the practices affecting farmers’ access to productive resources. The Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) is a network of civil society organisations advocating for fair land policies and laws that take into account the interests of the poor. For details contact: Farmers Organization Support Programme at 211-263693/261613 and Zambia Land Alliance at 211-222432.