Sustainability is focus of African outreach By Reg Weiss, Executive Committee member, International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, South Africa South African agriculturists and scientists are reaching out to their fellow farmers elsewhere in Africa, not merely to broaden trade relationships but, more importantly, to achieve greater stability and sustainability of food production in countries frequently scourged by food shortages and health problems. Of interest to the IFAJ are the efforts being made to publish journals of interest to farmers elsewhere in Africa, the latest being a quarterly publication launched by the South African dairy industry. Low literacy levels, distribution problems and lack of advertising support have been the biggest bugbears up to now, that is if one excludes the armed conflict still raging in many parts of Africa. There is, nonetheless, an increasing demand for more positive news from all parts of this vast continent. The South African Broadcasting Corporation has been servicing the continent with specialized television and radio broadcasts for many years and publications, such as Business Day, now have their own correspondents stationed in countries like Nigeria. One was present at the Green Week this year as a guest of the German Government. The South African Government remains the initiator and the driving force behind NEPAD, the new development initiative aimed at finding African solutions to African problems. Even if agriculture still ranks as a poor second to politics among journalists in many African countries, the realization that there is no substitute for a free Press is growing. What is needed is more news focussed on the basic issues of food security, housing, health and the conservation of natural resources, particularly water. Inquiries are received regularly from African journalists about the possibility of joining IFAJ but none progress much beyond the inquiry stage. Mostly the inquirers appear to be seeking free funding or sponsorships. Very few, if any, societies cater specifically for agricultural journalists and freedom of the Press is not a priority in most countries to the north. The SA Government is, nevertheless, taking long-term sustainability of natural resources very seriously, particularly in the light of global warming. It has called on the Sustainability Institute (SI) near Stellenbosch to assist in putting together a sustainable development strategy for promoting sustainable lifestyles in Africa. Core funding for the institute was provided initially by the Ford Foundation and it now operates in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch, drawing post-graduate students from all over the world specialising in social, natural and applied sciences. The institute, headed by Professor Mark Swilling and Eve Anneke, offers both Masters and Doctorate degree programs to equip students with the relevant knowledge to deal with global issues and challenges in the field of sustainability. Its Lynedoch EcoVillage is the first ecologically-designed socially-mixed community in South Africa, also accommodating some 35 children from nearby farms, apart from running a primary school for 475 children. Its primary objectives are social, economic and ecological sustainability, as well as poverty alleviation and local economic growth. More big news from Africa’s oldest agricultural faculty (at the University of Stellenbosch) is that two five-year contracts have been signed for projects aimed at relieving food shortages in Africa. The University hopes to bring its vast experience in African agricultural problems to bear on one of the most pressing problems now afflicting a continent regularly plagued with crop failures often attributed to but not necessarily always caused by drought. Both projects are being financed by USAID to the tune of half a million dollars and researchers at Stellenbosch will be collaborating with the Agricultural Centre at the Louisiana State University. The intention is to provide practical support for the food industries within the Southern African region, predominantly meat, poultry and seafood. Both projects form part of the Partnership for Food Industry Development (PFID), embracing partnerships in Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. The university’s Department of Forestry and Timber Science is also doing pioneering work in Zambia and Malawi, where local women are being taught to make advantageous use of indigenous plant and tree fruits to augment their diet. Training sessions teach women how to process their own jams and juice from fruit of wild loquat and baobab trees. TOP