In May, Africa Initiative for Rural Development (AiRD) was invited byFahamu, our partner in food sovereignty, agriculture and climate change program to participate in the Food Justice Festival in Muvuti, Machakos and in Gatundu North.
The Food Justice Festival was a way to celebrate the end of the sustainable crop care workshops that was facilitated by Fahamu for organic farmers in those areas for the past 2 months.
Odin Olaya, Sustainable Livelihood Advisor for AiRD delivered workshops on technologies for sustainable agriculture, composting, and treating drinking water using the Procter and Gamble water purifier, samples of which were given out to the participants.
Dinka Basuki, AiRD’s Communications and Social Media Strategies Advisor through her foodie workshop called Food Read More
IS THERE NO JUSTICE FOR MURDER, EVEN AFTER 36 YEARS? COMMISSION REPORT ISSUED ON ASSASSINATION OF DR. WALTER RODNEY. HOWEVER, THE GUYANA GOVERNMENT HAS REFUSED TO MAKE THE REPORT PUBLIC OR ACT ON THE COI RECOMMENDATIONS.
Justice for Walter Rodney!
Justice for His family, His brother and for People everywhere who are concerned about Human Rights and basic human dignity.
The Commission of Inquiry’s (COI) Report (Feb. 2016) found that the Guyana Government was directly involved in Walter Rodney’s assassination on June 13, 1980.
However, the Guyana Government has refused to make the report public or act on the COI findings.
Tell the Guyana Government – 36 years later – Enough is Enough! Demand justice NOW!
Sign Read More
A revolutionary idea is shaping up in Makueni County that has set tongues wagging. Governor Kivutha Kibwana’s novel model of “public participation” has confounded friends and foe as it begins to roll out barely a year before the next General Election.
In this the model, a six-tier process of engaging the people of Makueni in county decision-making and planning is being implemented by the county executive’s Department of Devolution and Public Service.
Although area leaders are sharply divided as to its value, it is unarguably the first of its kind in the country, perhaps even the continent.
“Essentially, the model targets to involve all Makueni residents in decision making on projects they Read More
The World Bank has lauded a model that allows local people in Makueni County decide which development project to embark on and then manage these projects once they are commissioned. It noted that Makueni’s model of public participation includes, not only identification of projects, but also the full involvement of residents during implementation. This novel model is recognised in a study commissioned by World Bank, ‘Kenya Accountable Devolution Programme.’
World Bank representative Annette Amolo acknowledged this novelty when she attended a forum in Wote town where public participation was documented. “Makueni is by far ahead of the others. They have excellent public participation structures from the village level upwards which also includes implementation of projects. Compared to others, that is a high level of participation which should be emulated by other counties,” she observed. The World Bank has been involved Read More
The West African Peasants’ Seeds Fair took place on 23-25 March,2016 at Djimini, a village in the southern part of Senegal. Fahamu’s We-Are-the-Solution Programme took part as exhibitor and participant via two Senegalese women groups. There were more than 350 participants from Senegal, Benin, Mali, Togo, Guinea, and Mauritania of which more than 75% were women and 85% were typical peasant farmers.
The participants discussed crop biodiversity, food systems and nutrition.
Peasants’ generosity was demonstrated once again with their willingness to share knowledge, practices, seeds and natural pesticides for both humans and animals.
The recommendations from the fair were :
– To strengthen vitality of West African Committee of Peasant’s seeds in the region
– To fight for the Read More
After three days of deliberations and considering questions of the heroes and heroines of the Pan African world, the Colloquium passed three resolutions: Commission of Inquiry into the death of Walter Rodney – Time to complete work; Resolution on the need for Robust intervention of the African Union in Burundi to stop genocidal violence and acts of genocide; and A Petition for the Government of the Dominican Republic to Stop Ethnic Cleansing Against Citizens of Haitian Descent.
1. Commission of Inquiry into the death of Walter Rodney – Time to complete work
The Colloquium calls upon the Government of Guyana to give the Commission of Inquiry into the unnatural death of Walter Rodney Read More
Nairobi, 19 DECEMBER
After extending for a final non-stop 24-hour negotiation between the major trading powers, the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded with a Ministerial Declaration that marks a turning point for the multilateral trade body according to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.
The EU describes it as a landmark deal that will improve the global conditions for trade and benefit developing countries in Africa and around the world by getting rid of trade distorting export subsidies in agriculture. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo hailed this as the “most significant outcome on agriculture” in the organization’s 20-year history.
Aside from decisions pertaining to export subsidies for farm exports, Read More
Another round of the annual circus game on climate talks is here with the COP 21!
At the end of the 21st session of the Conference of Parties in Paris on December 11, 2015, it is expected that an ‘ambitious’ agreement will be signed aimed at coming up with ‘solutions’ to the current climate change crisis.
It is now twenty-one (21) years since governments within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began discussing the impending climate crisis while frontline communities continue to bear aggravating impacts.
But how different will this conference be this time round? Will the agreement reached come up with strategies that address the root causes of Read More
Date: January 12- 15, 2016 | Venue: The University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados Organisers: The Department of History and philosophy and The Department of Government, Sociology and Social Work in collaboration with The Pan-African Strategic and Policy research Group (PANAFSTRAG) Nigeria and The Commission for Pan African Affairs Barbados present The Inaugural Pan African Colloquium heroines and heroes of the back to Africa movements, Pan Africanism, African Nationalism and Global Africanism: The philosophies, activities and legacies
For submissions and any clarifications, please refer to the following conference secretariat
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Conference Website: http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/fhe/histphil/panafconference/home.aspx
http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/fss/gssw
I attended the recent third assembly of the African Grantmakers Network (AGN) in Arusha, Tanzania. It was the first time I participated in an AGN assembly, and I had many expectations. In general, it is an excellent opportunity to meet with leading organizations in the field of philanthropy in Africa as well as other funding agencies working in Africa.
My reflection is on a session titled ‘Using Practice to Influence Policy: Rural Women’s Leadership for Equitable Food Systems, Social Justice, and Civic Mobilisation in East and West Africa’ that took place Thursday 2 July 2015.
This session was an opportunity for women from Burkina Faso and Tanzania to share their experiences Read More