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Declaration of Support for African Smallholder Farmers

Africa Trade Policy Working Group, Washington, DC -- 2001


Indigenous agriculture and biological resources are vitally important to the economies, cultures, environment, food security and livelihoods of sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular its small-holder farmers. A significant number of groups (NGO, civil society, labor and faith-based) within and without Africa are advocating to keep Africa’s bio-diversity, seeds, plants, biological resources and food security under the control of its sovereign states, local communities and small-holder farmers.

Public access to and communal prerogative over biological resources are rooted in basic social justice principles directly tied to certain rights. Those to food, land, secure livelihoods, cultural identity, environmental integrity and the protection of the common good are among the most important. Africa has taken a lead role - exemplified by the initiatives of the Africa Group at the World Trade Organization (WTO) - in resisting efforts to cede control of its biological and agricultural resources through privatization.

To this end, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) has developed African Model Legislation for the Protection of the Rights of Local Communities, Farmers and Breeders, and for the Regulation of Access to Biological Resources.

We, the undersigned, affirm the fundamental principles of the African Model Legislation and call on the U.S. Government to respect and support them in its trade, economic and development policies toward Africa and at the WTO, notably:

1. The rights of local communities over their biological resources, knowledge and technologies are of a collective nature and, therefore, are a priori rights, which take precedence over rights based on private interests.

2. African states and the people have the right to ensure the conservation, evaluation and sustainable use of biological resources, knowledge and technologies in order to maintain and improve their diversity as a means of safeguarding their natural support systems.

3. Local communities have the inalienable right to access, use, exchange or share their biological resources in sustaining their livelihood systems as regulated by their customary practices and laws.

4. African states and the people have the right to protect community intellectual rights and farmers’ rights according to customary practices and laws.

5. African states and the people have the right to regulate access to biological resources.

6. Because all forms of life are the basis for human survival, the patenting of life in any of its forms violates the fundamental human right to life.

Signed:

(Mr and Mrs) A. E. Cooper
Biscombe Hill Farm
UK

Andrew Mushita, Executive Director
Community Technology Development Trust
Zimbabwe

Andrew Taynton
Safe Food Coalition
South Africa

Sr. Angelika Laub, OP
USA

Association OGM dangers (GMO hazards)
France

Rev. Anthony Cussen, Coordinator
African-Europe Faith and Justice Network, UK (AEFJN-UK)

Sr. Barbara Porter
Coordinator of Social Justice Desk
Conference of Religious for England and Wales

Bernard Lindberg, Chairperson
Mankato Area Environmentalists (MN)
USA

Beth Burrows, Director
The Edmonds Institute
USA

Chris Keene
The Anti-Globalisation Network
USA

Comitato Scientifico Antivivisezionista
Italy

Community Information Association
Australia

Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras
Spain

Dar Darley
Oak Park, IL
USA

Dr. David Fig
Department of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand & Board Chairperson, Biowatch
South Africa

Devizes and Marlborough Friends of the Earth
UK

Diane McLoughlin, publisher
GE Free Canada

Ernst von Weizsaecker
Member of the German Parliament

Flavio Luiz Schieck Valente, Coordenador Geral
ÁGORA
Brazil

Fred Schneider
Ontario, Canada

Gladys Schmitz, SSND
Mankato, MN
USA

Glenn Ashton, Director
Ekogaia Foundation
South Africa

Indigenous Peoples’ Biodiversity Network (International)
Instituto Sindical de Trabajo, Ambiente y Salud
Spain

Julie Davids
Critical Path AIDS Project
Kechua-Aymara Association for Sustainable Livelihoods

Kevin Murray, Executive Director
Grassroots International
USA

Jaan Suurkula M.D., Chairman
Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology
Sweden

Jonathan King
Prof of Molecular Biology, MIT,
Board of Directors, Council for Responsible Genetics
USA

Joseph Ole Simel, National Co-ordinator
Mainyoito Pastoralist Integrated Development Organization
Kenya

Kate Macintosh, Chair
Architects and Engineers for Social Responsibility
UK

Konrad Knerr
Australian Ethical Investment and Superannuation Fund
Australia

Larry Halvey-Goodwin, Executive Director
Africa Faith & Justice Network
USA

(Revd. Dr.) Leon Spencer, Executive Director
Washington Office on Africa
USA

Linda Elswick
International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture
USA

Maheswar Ghimire
Ecological Services Centre
Nepal

Margo Bansda (South African)
Washington DC
USA

Mark Ritchie, President
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
USA

Mary C. LaFrance
Southgate, Michigan
USA

MASIPAG (Farmer Scientist Partnership for Development)
Philippines

Michael Sackin
UK

Miguel A. Altieri, Ph.D.,
Professor of Agro-ecology
University of California, Berkeley
USA

Peter J. Henriot, S.J.
Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Zambia

Peter Montague, Ph.D., Director
Environmental Research Foundation
USA

Peter Rutsch & Company - Attorneys
South Africa

Peter Stone
Rochester Food Not Bombs
USA

Phil Owen
Southern African Water Crisis
South Africa

Philip Stewart
Lecturer: Lands, Parks & Wildlife Management
School of Biological, Environmental & Chemical Sciences
Faculty of Science, IT & Education, Palmerston Campus
Northern Territory University
Australia

P. V. Satheesh
Director, Deccan Development Society;
India Coordinator, South Asian Network for Food, Ecology and Culture;
Convener, AP Coalition in Defence of Diversity
India

Robert Anderson, Member
Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Genetics

Ronnie Cummins
Organic Consumers Association
USA

Rory Short
South Africa

Seedgood Foundation (Stichting Zaadgoed)
The Netherlands

Silvia Rodriguez
Programa CAMBIOS
Universidad Nacional
Costa Rica

Sisters of Mercy
U.S. Province
Redlands, CA
USA

Sociedad Española de Agricultura Ecológica
Spain

Steven Stevenson
Collingwood, Victoria
Australia

Suzanne Hedrick
USA

Tom Campbell, Lecturer
Development Studies Centre
Ireland

Tom Forster
International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture
USA

Troels Dilling-Hansen
The Danish Association of Ecovillages, LØS.

VOICE (Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment)
Ireland

Wally Menne
The Indigenous Plant Network
South Africa

Wanjiru Kamau, Ed. D., President & CEO
African Immigrants Foundation
USA

Dr. William Fiebig
FAO Seed Security Officer
Italy

Wray Whyte
Zimbabwe

WTO Watch Qld
Australia

Wytze de Lange
XminY Solidarity Funds
The Netherlands