Eliminate the hoe and replace with simple, accessible agricultural technologies. It has to be part of the “industrialisation” of Africa!- Graça Machel
“Women need to be at the forefront of agricultural industrialisation, at the decision-making table and throughout the value chain, including in the development of better farming technologies as African women are still using a farming hoe. In a world where there is new tech-savvy farming equipment easing the physical burden of farming and increasing productivity in other parts of the world”- Graça Machel.
These are the words, Mrs. Graça Machel echoed during this year’s African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) presidential summit that took place on the 11th September 2020. The summit was organised by the Government of Rwanda and the AGRF Partners Group. It aimed at addressing opportunities and challenges of food systems in reviving African economies during a time in which the continent is confronted with climate change, malnutrition, poverty, the emergence of pests and the COVID19 pandemic.
Photo: AGRF Presidential Summit -Mrs Graça Machel says Women need to be at the forefront of agricultural industrialisation.
As one of the worlds’ leading advocates for women’s rights, Mrs Graça Machel joined other leaders in emphasising the need to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable groups. Especially since COVID19 has already found Africa in a situation where millions of women and children are going to bed hungry. She said “Instead of only building resilience, we need to transform the hungry in our societies into producers. The poorest of the poor are the hungry in our society, they are in our rural areas, townships and cities, and these are the people with active possibilities of transforming themselves to become highly productive individuals who would contribute to not only to feed themselves but to feed our nations.”
Mrs Machel pointed at the drastic increase in numbers of people leaving the rural areas into urban areas due to a lack of basic services and infrastructure. She suggested women in rural areas need to be equipped with more knowledge and access to technology as they are crucial in food production. “We need to give them the tools to make them highly productive. We need to be intentional and focused and give women the tools that will transform them into highly productive people and using the techniques that are available in the 21st century,” she said.
“Women need to be in the forefront of agricultural industrialization, at the decision-making table and throughout the value chain, including in the development of better farming technologies as African women are still using a farming hoe. In a world where there is new tech-savvy farming equipment easing the physical burden of farming and increasing productivity in other parts of the world. Eliminate the hoe!”- Graça Machel.
To address rising hunger and malnutrition levels amongst our own people, Mrs Machel has appealed for a balance between reviving the rural areas so that they are more productive and transforming the unemployed youth in urban areas by giving them support to be able to use the technologies available today. She cited that this will enable the two social groups to be food producers and be part of the food distribution chain.
Photo: AGRF Presidential Summit session on Defining Food Systems for the Africa we Want
The Presidential meeting that sort to Define Food Systems for the Africa we Want was attended by H.E. Amb. Josefa Leonel Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Hon. Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, Canada Ms. Gerda Verburg, Assistant Secretary-General and Coordinator SUN Movement, United Nations H.E. Graça Machel, Chairperson, Graça Machel Trust Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Executive Chairman, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom. Watch here
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.