GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - A delegation of 75 small-scale farmers and producers from the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal gathered in Graaff-Reinet during the weekend of 15 to 17 October for the annual producers' platform under the theme "The Future of Food is in Our Hands."
The producers' platform is hosted annually by the Support Centre for Land Change (SCLC) with the support of Tshintsha Amakhaya (TA), an alliance of civil society organisations that supports local community struggles for agrarian transformation in South Africa.
It is commonly known that small-scale farmers and producers are not recognised as role-players in the current food system as their contribution to food security and the economy of the country continues to be disregarded by the state.
Their production capacity and ability to access markets are also impeded by challenges relating to access to land and resources for agricultural purposes.
The drought and Covid-19 pandemic exposed the inequality that exists in the South African food system and highlighted the importance of creating localised and sustainable food systems and markets.
The platform was, therefore, aimed at drawing lessons from the impact of the drought and Covid-19 on South Africa's highly concentrated food system towards developing a common understanding of the food crisis in the country and building a food system that recognises small-scale farmers and producers, values indigenous knowledge, and prioritises the protection of the environment.
The platform also highlighted the connection between the food crisis and the climate crisis and reflected on how agro-ecology is positioned as an alternative to the conventional model of agriculture and solution to the climate and food crises.
On Saturday 16 October the small-scale farmers and producers celebrated World Food Day and participated in a national campaign action spearheaded by civil society organisation members to the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign (SAFSC), demanding a response from the government about the adoption of the Climate Justice Charter.
The Climate Justice Charter, accompanied by a climate science document prepared by some of South Africa's leading climate scientists, was handed over during an online assembly with Parliament on 16 October 2020 with the demand for it to be adopted as per section 234 of the South African Constitution which provides for charters to be adopted.
To date, there has not been any positive response from the South African government in this regard irrespective of the fact that the climate crisis is worsening, and climate science is urging immediate decisive action.
Link to endorse the charter: https://cjcm.org.za/endorse
Some of the small-scale farmers who gathered in Graaff-Reinet last weekend for the annual producer's platform under the theme "The Future of Food is in Our Hands." Photo: Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren
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