Inades-Formation Cameroun participated in the3rd Edition of the Cameroon Farmer Seed Fair (FOSPAC 3) which was held from 24 to 26 February in Esse.
The third edition of the Cameroon Farmers’ Seed Fair gathered a lot of people in the department of Mefou and Afamba, Central Region, more precisely at the town hall of Esse. Placed under the theme “Encouraging, guiding and promoting the realization of farmers’ rights on peasant seeds”, this fair was organized by the Network of Sustainable Development Actors (RADD), with the technical support of several partner organizations including Inades-Formation Cameroon.
The global objective of this event was to promote the peasant seed of quality and the peasant seed system, in order to guarantee as well the security, the agricultural and economic autonomy of the producer as the food and nutritional sovereignty.
Hundreds of farmers, researchers, political, administrative and religious authorities, leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and networks from several countries met to defend the rights of farmers to their seeds and biodiversity, and to share their experiences through exhibitions and thematic workshops open to the public. ” The fair allowed us to discover and acquire new seeds. We are going back to the East with knowledge not only about seed saving but also about farmers’ seed rights ,” said Lambert Mekamba, a participant from the East. For the promoter of the event, Mrs. Marie Crescence Ngobo: “The FOSPAC offers a rare opportunity for producers, researchers and decision makers to share experiences and learn from each other to improve the quantity and quality of farmer seed. ” The urgency is to create seed fields in all the agro-ecological zones of Cameroon in order to set up farmers’ seed banks, to make seeds available and accessible throughout the country,” she continued.
This organization, led by Marie Crescence Ngobo, is a member of the National Platform of Family Farming Actors of Cameroon, abbreviated PLANAFCAM, of which Inades-Formation Cameroon is the Executive Secretariat.
Aware of the problems related to the development and preservation of biodiversity encountered by people working in rural areas, Inades-Formation, through its Food for Sovereignty program, advocates a sufficient, healthy and sustainable food . This program, which promotes the production, processing and consumption of sovereignty food, has the general objective of contributing to the promotion of food systems based on family farming in several African countries, for a dignified life for all. The program also intends to promote agro-ecological transition, peasant seed entrepreneurship and financial solidarity for agricultural entrepreneurship.
Major actor at this fair, Inades-Formation Cameroon, through its advocacy officer, Mr. Raphaël MEIGNO and several other organizations present, pleaded with the government representatives for the concretization of peasant seed rights in Cameroon. To this end, a statement was drafted jointly by the representative of Inades-Formation and some of the organizations present at this fair. See you in 2024 for the fourth (4th) edition.
Marguerite MOMHA, Communication Inades-Formation Cameroon.
