Cllr David Chappell hosts mtg on Sustainable Development in Africa

Sustainable Agriculture in Africa came to Bury St Edmunds on 24th March when David Chappell, in his role as Chairman of the local branch of the United Nations Association, hosted a meeting at the Friends Meeting House in St John's Street.

Bruce Liggitt, Africa Programme Coordinator for Fauna and Flora International based in Cambridge, was asked to address the question 'whether Sustainable Agriculture was good for the environment or perpetuated poverty in Africa.' Bruce was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Zambia and Malawi. He studied agriculture in Pietermaritzburg at the University of Natal, following which he worked at the Institute of Natural Resources on a number of projects involved with natural resource management and became interested in the human side of development. He then moved to Zambia where he farmed for a few years and became involved in social and economic development in that country. Later he developed a sustainable agriculture programme for small scale farmers at the William Masetlha Foundation, a Baha'i'i inspired organization. In 2003 Bruce did an MSc in Environment and Development at the University of East Anglia.

After a presentation by Bruce members of the public raised several issues of concern to them, which were answered by Bruce and also by David, who has worked in Africa, and been involved in policy discussions within the Liberal Democrats on the subject of International Aid.

The importance of understanding local needs as well as the local environment were emphasised along with other issues such as existing markets for farmers and the availability of transport, as well as the issue of foreign countries leasing land displacing local population is order to grow food for export back to their own country.

David raised the issue of whether commercial farming in Africa had to be considered as 'sustainable' bearing in mind the collapse of food production in Zimbabwe following the farm seizures there, which had also led to a collapse in foreign earnings and government tax revenue. In South Africa the programme to legally buy up white farms for redistribution to Africans has been suspended following government concern over lost food production, and falling tax revenue.

We need food grown in Africa, not least as its production is far less energy intensive, even after the air miles than western agricultural produce, but we also need to ensure a fair deal and price for local Africans to encourage greater and more sustainable production.