This CTV news clip of the press conference gives further highlights.

And Food Secure Canada has just put out a Press Release on it’s homepage and provides further information and context about The People’s Food Policy, which got high praise from de Schutter.

In 2011, de Schutter visited Mexico, Madagascar, and South Africa, subsequently publishing reports on each. While here, de Shutter and his team will look at several Canadian issues, including poverty, aboriginal peoples and the right to food, the organization of food supply chains, international development, and trade and investment.

Food Secure Canada has helped arrange several of de Schutter’s meetings with civil society organizations in Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. They believe Canada is long overdue for a national food policy. In fact, FSC spent two years canvassing Canadians coast to coast, producing the Peoples Food Policy last year.

For more information about de Schutter’s visit, see Food Secure Canada’s comprehensive overview, or read their press release on the Special Rapporteur’s visit.

Check out this article from four leading food and agriculture advocates; a reminder that food is fundamentally a justice issue, and until we reform structures and ways of doing things, we will remain stuck in the hunger game.

They also refer to some ignored but useful roadmaps that have already been produced: one in 2010 from the UN’s Rapporteur on the Right to Food (De Schutter 2010), and another from the International Assessment on Agriculture, Science, and Knowledge for Development (IAASTD 2008).

This ROB article is definitely worth the read. Comments welcome.

As a supporter of USC Canada’s work, I’m sure you may wondered whether or not your support has made a lasting difference in the lives of people overseas. What’s been the long term impact of your contributions?

Friederike visits with USC staff in Douentza, Mali. (December 2011)

As a long-time donor, current volunteer, and former USC staff member, these questions were very much on my mind when I purchased my plane ticket to Mali last Fall.

Click here to download a fuller version of Friederike’s report.

During my ten years working for USC (1991-2001), I visited Douentza, Mali twice, and I was always impressed with the progress I saw. Returning in 2011, I was very curious to experience the changes that more than a decade might bring to those same communities.

Imagine my surprise – as we drove northeast from the capital towards the road to the village of Gono – when I almost missed the village for the trees!

When I first visited Gono, there were very few trees, the village exposed to the burning sun – and now there were tall trees of different varieties on both sides of the road!

Schoolwork
Back then, the villagers approached USC to help them, quite literally, put a roof on their new school. USC agreed, but in exchange, we insisted the community establish an arboretum in the school yard.

I’m sure there was skepticism at the time, but the teacher, Mr Coulibaly, was on our side and insisted that each of the 58 different trees that were planted be designated the personal responsibility of an individual child. Each child was responsible for learning how to care for their own species of tree. And a local nursery was established to ensure enough trees were available for the children’s families to plant in their fields.

These two photos – the first I took in 1994, the second in 2011 – speak more than a thousand words. I was elated when I walked into this beautiful, small forest that now covers the formerly empty school yard. Looking at villagers, some of whom I remembered from earlier visits, I could see confidence and pride in their faces: their village is thriving in part thanks to the arboretum initiative, their own hard work.

A Change of Attitude
In the early ‘90s, for the villagers of Gono, trees were merely sources of firewood, sold by women along the roadside. But not anymore! Talking to the villagers now, they treasure their trees and have developed a profound understanding of their vital economic and environmental importance.

For example, the “ronier” palm tree (of the Borassus variety) is very popular now. It has many uses: the fruit is edible, as are the new shoots. The leaves are used for fibre and in construction, and the wood is termite-proof. Fruit trees (“jujube”), called “pommes de Sahel” locally, provide vitamin-rich nutrition and good economic value.

The village of Gono, and the other villages I visited in Mali on this trip, are good illustrations for the success of USC’s methodology. Some of the villages don’t need much financial support these days, while others require none. However, the villages continue to be committed to sharing what they learned with other villages in the Seed of Survival (SoS) network, a network that is growing every year. Villagers travel and share their knowledge, motivating others to participate in the SoS program.

Despite the recent upheaval in Mali, the positive work of the farmers continues. With the support of USC’s Mali staff, change is palpable in the region of Douentza!

Renew your support of farmers in Mali and around the world by donating today!

While there are currently no rebels based in Douentza, they do return every few days and have seized vehicles and supplies. Businesses in both Douentza and the nearest urban centre, Mopti (about 175 km west) are closed, and government officials have left Douentza. Generally the situation in and around Douentza is tense but calm.

MNLA exploited the coup launched by members of the Mali military on March 22 in the capital, Bamako, and used the confusion to escalate their offensive. The military junta agreed last week to step down, under pressure from the international community. An interim president was sworn and the interim government will now organize elections. The interim president rejects any possibility of negotiating the partition of Mali, a position unanimously supported by the international community.

Impact on our Program
While Canada’s government suspended aid to Mali involving direct payments to the Malian government during this crisis, programs like ours – that provide assistance to the Malian people through local organizations and NGOs – were to continue as long as the security situation allowed. Given the latest developments:

• The USC office in Douentza has been closed.
• Some program activities in Douentza continue with support from a group of farmer representatives from different parts of the district; a group we had been working with to take a leadership role in coordinating the program.
• The director of our program in Douentza is in regular contact by cell phone with staff and the farmer coordination group.
• Our partner in Bamako, CAB Demeso, is able to operate normally and is continuing to support work in Safo, just outside the capital.

We’re continuing to look into how we might sustain operations in Douentza, but while we’re hopeful the political situation will be sorted in the coming weeks, the situation in the North is complex a quick resolution seems less likely. We are monitoring the situation closely.

With support from our partner APN Sahel – in land rehabilitation, community seed banking, and market gardening – many families have actually been able to boost food production. But as you’ll see from the photos below, taken late in 2011 by our Program Manager Sarah Dalle (pictured, right), there are still vulnerabilities.

Supply of Food: 4 Months

Assane Gani and Fatoumata Goral head a family of 10, farming two hectares of relatively degraded land. One of the most food-insecure families in the village of Diguetao, they have not been involved in APN-supported rehabilitation work. In 2010, the three family members active in farming produced enough cereal to last only four months. In 2011, they faced more trouble from insufficient rainfall and too many birds eating their crops. They’ve seen their neighbours benefit, however, and have started to get involved with APN, contributing to the community seed bank.

Supply of Food: 6 Months

Sadou Alaye (left) helps manage the seed bank, and is very active with APN Sahel. His household also has three people involved in food production, yet in 2010 he produced enough cereal to last two additional months (6 in total). With APN support, he has built a compost pit, obtained and planted tree seedlings, and has access to agricultural equipment. His main constraint is limited labour due to the size of his family, but in 2011 he had a modest harvest. He planted pearl millet early enough to harvest before the birds arrived.

Supply of Food: 12 Months

Amnatou Tamboura (Centre) and her husband Moussa Hamadoum (not shown) have a large household – 17 members, 11 of whom are active in production. In 2010 they produced enough grain to cover their needs for the entire year. The family has long invested in rehabilitating degraded soils with APN support, and they now plant five hectares! While they lost part of their harvest to birds in 2011, they still produced enough grain to meet most of their needs.

The Best Laid Plans

While food security among whose who invested in land rehabilitation has improved, poor harvests were a reality for everyone in 2011. “This young man, in the village of Filifili, was adamant about showing us his crop of pearl millet, damaged by birds,” says Sarah. In some cases, nearly the entire harvest was eaten by birds, leaving only stalks and leaves – great for livestock feed, but not for family nutrition.

Seed Banks vs. Cereal Banks

Community seed banks like this one in Filifili have already been established in all 10 villages where APN works, and will help ensure families have seed to plant in 2012 despite the poor harvests in 2011. Farmers have shown interest in setting up cereal banks – to help provide access to affordable grain as a source of food if family supplies run low. We’ve had success with cereal banks in nearby Mali. “In the meantime,” says Sarah, “USC and APN Sahel are currently helping families access government emergency grain stocks at subsidized prices.”

An Important Alternative

While cereals store well and are an important dietary staple, the farmers USC supports use market gardens to continue and diversify food production as they brace fro food shortages during the long dry season. Here Aisseta Tamboura stops to show a young girl, Aminata Tamboura, how to transplant onion seedlings in her market garden. Sarah says “A small dam built by local government has provided easy access to water, and all families were working hard together to produce vegetable crops for the dry season – both for nutritious food and for income.”

Adapting to Change

Following the failure of major field crops like pearl millet, many farmers planted maize among their vegetable crops in 2011. Here Amadoum Tamboura, shows how he has intercropped maize with okra. “After the maize has been harvested, I’ll be able to continue to harvest the okra as many as four or five times,” says Amadoun.

USC Canada’s program offices in Bamako and Douentza have been shut down in order to ensure the staff’s safety, but we have been informed that, remarkably, farmers are continuing program work in their fields and communities. USC Canada has 12 local staff in Mali. Those in potential problem areas have been evacuated to safer places.

Although internet communication with our Mali colleagues has been less reliable, USC Mali leadership is also maintaining connections with the Canadian embassy in Bamako.

With this situation, the Canadian government has suspended its aid to Mali involving direct payments to the Malian government. Programs like ours, however, that provide assistance to the Malian people through local organizations and NGOs, will continue as long as the security situation allows.

We hope a peaceful solution to this crisis will be found quickly. We will keep you updated as needed. The following two new reports provide some of the latest insights into recent developments:

• This Oxfam UK report indicates impacts of instability in Mali on food crisis.
• This article from The National newspaper, based in the United Arab Emirates, has good geo-political analysis of the links between the Arab spring and instability in southern bordering Saharan states, including Mali.

The Co-founder of our award-winning Seeds of Survival program, Dr. Melaku Worede, has once again clearly articulated the critical role of small farmers. Check out his interview in the most recent issue of D+C, the well-respected German journal on development and cooperation.

Born in Ethiopia in 1936, Dr. Melaku earned his PhD in Agronomy (Genetics and Breeding) in the US. After returning to Ethiopia, he helped plan the Plant Genetic Resources Centre in Addis Ababa, one of the world’s most significant seed conservation centres. He served as Director from 1979 until his retirement in 1993 when he co-founded the Seeds of Survival Program in Ethiopia, with USC support. He continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the Program.

“Plant genetic resources are seldom raw materials; they are the expression of the current wisdom of farmers who have played a highly significant role in the building up of the world’s genetic resource base.”

Melaku was the first Chair of the African Committee for Plant and Genetic Resources and has been instrumental in the setting up of the African Biodiversity Network. He has served as Chair of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Commission on Plant Genetic Resources and still advises several national (Ethiopian) and international organizations.

But organic farming has many other benefits. Here are a few highlights of the benefits Cuban farmers have reported since the program began. Text and photos by Eduardo Calves (INCA).

Rediscovering Lost Diversity

Strengthening and diversifying local seed systems has been the aim of the program since the outset in 2000. With every farmer actively taking part in biodiversity fairs and seed exchanges across the country, it wasn’t long before farmers like Felo Chavéz (pictured) had access to many traditional varieties. In fact, through farmer-scientist research, Felo developed the adapted maize variety shown here – also named “Felo,” after him. These traditional and adapted varieties are the ones that work best for him in his own community of San Antonio de los Baños. “This is something we didn’t have before.”

Success Breeds Success

Word of mouth has spread and, in just over a decade, farmers are clamouring to be part of this program. From humble beginnings in just three provinces, the work has spread to ten, involving more than 50,000 farmers, scientists, researchers – all committed to food sovereignty. Here, farmers in the municipality of Sancti Spíritus evaluate 45 varieties of fasiolus (beans) as part of a field trial, to determine which varieties they might like to plant themselves.

Like a Family

Jorge Medina (centre) and Maria Luisa García (Right) are a farming couple in Mayabeque province. They work in collaboration with agricultural scientists and other farmers, building connections. “That’s why we trust what Rubén recommends, why we plant the seeds Chaveco gives us. Our farmer-scientist collaboration is like a family,” says Medina. Through faithful collaboration with scientists and researchers, like Isabel Cánovas (left), farmers like Medina and Luisa are sharing years of traditional knowledge, strengthening that research.

Learning Partnership

With exchanges between knowledge systems – between the formal learning offered by scientists and the traditional, local knowledge of farmers – the two can achieve things in agriculture that neither can alone. Here, Jerónimo (right), a farmer from Sancti Spíritus, explains to municipal leaders, farmers, and university professors, some of the economic and environmental benefits of agricultural biodiversity.

Gender Equality

In the PIAL program, women farmers like Mercedes Bernal (left) from the community of Pretiles, are taking their rightful place in production systems. Some women are presidents of cooperatives even where most other members are men. Yuly González (right), a young university professor, says, “Those members respect women for their knowledge and contributions. It allows us to exchange ideas, opinions, and knowledge and lets us focus together on healthy food production – our ultimate goal.”