Date: 28 July 2020
The Southern Africa Trust, Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI) and GraƧa Machel Trust invite members of the media and general public to join the Society Talks webinar. This is a public webinar series launched by Southern Africa Trust as a platform to inform, engage and develop solutions that address Food Insecurity emergencies that have been accentuated through COVID-19 crisis.
More than 60% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa are smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. The agriculture sector contributes about 23% percent of sub-Saharan Africaās GDP. FAO estimates that more than half (73 million) of the 135 million people in the world today that are facing crisis levels of acute food insecurity live in Africa. Countries in Southern Africa are facing chronic food and nutrition insecurity, and this is expected to be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic and. Border closures, quarantines, and market, supply chain and trade disruptions are restricting peopleās access to sufficient, diverse and nutritious sources of food.
Amongst the vulnerable groups most affected by the pandemic are small-scale farmers, who are hindered from working their land, caring for their livestock, or fishing. They also face challenges accessing markets to sell their products or buy essential inputs, or struggle due to higher food prices and limited purchasing power. Informal labourers have been hardest hit by job and income losses in harvesting and processing. Millions of children are already missing out on the school meals they have come to rely upon, as many of them have no formal access to social protection, including health insurance.
Women are most affected by the pandemic in this regard, as they are the backbone of African agriculture. Widely cited figures indicate that they produce 80% of the continentās food, contribute 60 ā 80% of the labour force in agriculture, and spend up to 60% of their time on agricultural activities.
The webinar will consider challenges specifically confronting smallholder farmers, particularly women in agribusiness in Southern Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and key policy interventions required for SADC to address the challenges.
Date: Wednesday 29 July 2020
Time: 16h00 ā 17h30
Topic: COVID-19 Impact on SADC Food Systems and Smallholder Agriculture, and Policy Options for a Women-inclusive Response
Channel: Southern Africa Trust YouTube channel
Moderator: Bronwyn Nielsen: Founder and CEO, The Nielsen Network
Speaker: Mrs GraƧa Machel: Founder, GraƧa Machel Trust; Chair, Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS)
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Panellists
- Domingos Gove: SADC Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Directorate
- Ruth Hall: Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)
- Elizabeth Swai: African Women in Agri-business
It is through the collaborative structure of the platform that participants are able to engage in Q&A.
To date, panellists have included thought leaders, researchers and subject matter experts in the policy as well as development sector across Southern Africa. These include Dr Tshilidzi Madzivhandila of FANRPAN, Andrew Odero of World Food Programme (WFP), Nancy Kachingwe and Isobel Frye of Inequality and Poverty Institute.
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For all media enquiries, contact Lethumusa Kulube on 074-713-5983 or Nnusi Gazi on 079-840-1880.
Email: comms@southernafricatrust.org
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