E NVIRONMENTAL
In a world already grappling with a changing climate, water shortages, famine and disputes over land usage, the future presents new and profound challenges for feeding a growing population. We are slowly reaching a tragic point as food demands are placed on already-strained farmers as well as the entire agriculture industry. Hunger arguably kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined in Africa. And the problem is only growing worse. Food production must double by 2050 to meet the population growth in developing countries.
CROPS
cooperated with regional organisations to
Organic production of crops is viewed as
develop the organic market, particularly
key to addressing environmental, social
the participatory guarantee system in
and economic challenges. It is known
Zimbabwe and Malawi.
to deliver more nutritious food products, which will help address the significantly
PELUM has been working with smallholder
high levels of malnutrition in Southern
farmers for more than two decades. The
Africa. Its adoption by smallholder
organisation has developed training
farmers would help to build resilience
manuals, delivered training and built
to the effects of climate change.
capacity within its member organisations, and cooperated with regional organisations
Organic production focuses on building
to develop the organic market, particularly
soil health, including its water-retention
the participatory guarantee system in
capacity, which helps mitigate the effects
Zimbabwe and Malawi.
of drought on production. South Africa, Namibia and Zambia have been subject to more frequent and severe droughts in the past few years. It also builds
SAOSO has brought together a fragmented organics sector in South Africa to develop a standard for organic production and
resilience to the emergence of new
processing. This standard has been
pest and disease vectors likely to
accepted by the International Federation
result from a changing climate.
of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). It will also, with funding from
Participatory Ecological Land Use
GIZ, establish a committee to drive the
Management (PELUM) has been
uptake of a participatory guarantee system
working with smallholder farmers for
in the country to help smallholder farmer’s
more than two decades. The organisation
access organic markets. SAOSO is leading
has developed training manuals,
a process to gain accreditation from
delivered training and built capacity
national qualification boards for an agro-
within its member organisations, and
ecological curriculum.
