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DCL
Every year, a food security policy dialogue is held in southern Africa—this year, the focus has largely been on food independence in Africa. The keynote address by an agricultural economist highlighted the need for home-grown solutions to the region's lack of food security.
He spoke about Africa's need not for food aid, but help, IPS writes, "that allows itself deal with challenges such as achieving food security at both household and national levels."
The conference, held in Namibia, comes to an end today, with some enthusiastic attendees who are proactively involved in discussions about food and agriculture.
The president of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union told IPS, "Whether we are invited or not, we jump in. Because whatever is being talked about affects us as farmers. The business of farming is changing and things such as new technological methods and climate change cannot be taken lightly, unless we want to go out of business."
This understanding—of the effects of climate change on farming—seems to be increasing. And as the search for solutions intensifies, promising ones are found: like solar-powered irrigation, conservation farming and other ideas that will help the continent boost sustainable agriculture and farmers' ability to adapt to the effects climate change is already having on their land.
