"IFAD is an important institution working in all member countries of ROPPA and which also has an international mandate to fight poverty by funding projects that can directly benefit to the poorest populations. It is essential to strengthen capacities of organizations struggling against poverty. There was, therefore, room for possible partnership between IFAD and ROPPA." - Mmadou Cissokho

In this interview Mr Mmadou Cissokho, Honorary President of West African Network of Peasant Organizations and Producers (ROPPA) talks about the main outcomes from the General Assembly of ROPPA and about this organization's work with IFAD.

What are the main discussions and recommendations of the Assembly General of ROPPA that took place on 11 to 14 February, 2004?

Since its creation three years ago, ROPPA has had the sole mandate to create all the favourable conditions to develop the farmers' and rural people's productive capacities of the West African region. The main tool to this end is the National Platform. It is through national platforms that we attempt to fulfil this mandate in each of the 10 countries dealing with ROPPA. The organizational level is obviously different in each country, but the principle remains the same. The regional platforms have also fought to be recognized and are just as involved within their country.

At the creation of ROPPA in 2000, the key element of its convention was to take another look at the major challenges of the Peasant Movement of the sub-region. These challenges have been substantiated. The first challenge came from the fact that in all West African countries, 80 to 90 percent of agro-forest-pastoral and halieutic production was carried out by family businesses. It is therefore essential to create the conditions to improve the quality of life at the family level, which is both a place of solidarity and an economic, social and cultural space. We have also re-examined the constraints that have impeded these families from achieving their wellbeing, namely, their dignity, good nutrition, education and health. The constraints always stay the same - the State's overly weak involvement in public funding needed to create a favourable environment for good nutrition, infrastructures, social and cultural issues, and to support agro-forest-pastoral and fishing activities such as mastering the use of certified seeds, the tools that allow for conservation, storage and commercialization. All of this is still very weak in West African countries.

We regret to point out that there is a strong importation of foreign food products that continue to accelerate changes in our food habits. Unfortunately, our countries are not capable today nor will be in the future of producing foods such as wheat, soya and sunflower. The decrease in our local foods from year to year is therefore to the detriment of our traditional production. Even the farmers have begun to change their food habits. In the most remote villages, you can find milk powder and bread. This is a real danger. Unemployment grows at the same time because if one produces food without being able to sell it, the traditional producers are forced to stop their activities.

We cannot speak of sustainable development in countries where most people who live in rural environments depend on food from outside sources, threatened by growing unemployment. We have also noted that there have not been many efforts in the struggle against the poor management of natural resources. The political will still remains very weak. There is a flagrant waste of natural resources- forests, flora and fauna; we have less available than in the past for cultivation. Lowlands, rivers and streams also lose their capacity because they have been invaded by sand. This causes a loss of great productive resources.

How do farmers' organizations react to these facts?

Farmers' organizations and their members have begun their involvement by defining and carrying out policies, but the process is still slow. To effect positive changes in all of these facts, we need to quickly strengthen the producer and farmers' organizations in order for them to call upon their governments. It is up to us to fight and yell, "stop". Nothing will change if we do not unite our voices with national platforms to express our disapproval.

We have therefore made a meaningful step forward by creating a women's ROPPA in order to make women more visible within the organization. During this Assembly two groups were proposed - one for youth and one for elders. We proceeded finally in renewing the Executive Committee authorities.

In sum, the main conclusions of our meeting indicated that we should:

• Make family business the heart of our priorities and policies; Create the conditions for better natural resource management, especially over water control;
• Make certain that agricultural policies protect the farmers through limiting the import of food products, while favouring efficient productivity in order to nourish the
• populations;
Ensure a real economic integration that allows exchange and participation.

You have come to participate in the meeting of IFAD's Council of Governors, participating in a round table on the financing of rural development. What are ROPPA's collaborative activities with IFAD?

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was consulted by ROPPA since the latter's inception. Since 2001, we have been heard by the west and central African groups. IFAD is an important institution working in all member countries of ROPPA and which also has an international mandate to fight poverty by funding projects that can directly benefit to the poorest populations. It is essential to strengthen capacities of organizations struggling against poverty. There was, therefore, room for possible partnership between IFAD and ROPPA.

Our first collaborative operation was a follow up on ROPPA's proposal for a greater farmer representation in discussing the agriculture aspects of The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). At the beginning, ROPPA concentrated in particular on West Africa, and then decided to open up to other African regions. In accepting this proposal, IFAD allowed us to finance four workshops in West Africa, Central Africa, the Great Lake Regions, and eastern and southern Africa. From 23 to 26 February 2004, we met in South Africa to make a synthesis and prepare a global document that will be presented at the Civil Society Forum and the Forum of Africa's Agriculture Ministries (FAO Regional Conference for Africa from 3 to 6 March 2004), which will also take place in South Africa.

For the second programme, IFAD has given us a donation to allow us to train all of the representatives of the national platforms in fully understanding ROPPA's procedure manual and to strengthen capacities in training, communication and information.

IFAD is one of our partners but not the only one. We also work with the governments of Switzerland, Luxembourg and Italy through FAO, and those of the United States, Holland and France. FAO is a technical partner. We also hope that the World Bank will join us. We also have NGOs that have supported us since the start, notably SOS Faim, Oxfam, CSA, Inter-Réseaux, Comité français de solidarité internationale (CFSI), the NGO Network in Italy and Agriterra. We have therefore a dynamic partnership and it is the first time that ROPPA has been invited to the Conference of Governors. We hope that the contribution of farmers' representatives to this conference will bring experience from the field.

Regarding the campaign Afrique Nourricière (Africa can feed itself), are there any coordination mechanisms among UN Agencies and NGOs beyond those with the International Alliance against Hunger?

As I have already said, one of the threats that we face today is the limitless importation of food products that inundate the villages and that bring two negative effects: the first is that producers do not produce anymore and the second concerns the transformation of food habits, against which we must absolutely react. We feel that we must work on our national, regional and local meals. We must make an inventory of the different specialities and evaluate their nutritional value. We must understand what rice consumption represents in terms of employment. In other words, we must reflect on the link between food, production, income and jobs. It is necessary to show that our traditional dishes contain good nutritional elements, that the lives of millions of people depend on it and that they are of traditional invention. We need to fight to obtain patents to protect these dishes.

This campaign has three objectives:

• The perpetuation of traditional food to preserve jobs and income.
• A better knowledge of the nutritional value of these foods.
• The protection and preservation of traditional specialities.

A campaign to inform the habitants of this challenge will be set up using the media and video material, and involving tours of all villages In practical terms, in each country, the same activities will be carried out. It will be necessary to make an inventory of the dishes proposed by the ethnic groups because each group has one of two dishes they would wish to present. For each chosen dish, it will be important to evaluate its nutritional value. It will be necessary to prepare cards and cassettes in each of the national languages and to use private and public radios, as well as to mobilize the elected locals and the Farmers Organizations. All countries should be concerned with this campaign.

We have asked the Director General of FAO to preside over a national event on this campaign at the regional office of Ouagadougou following the World Food Day on the theme of biodiversity that will take place on 16 October, 2004.

FAO will provide $5 000 in their representative offices to sustain this proposal in each country. This campaign was officially launched in Senegal from 3 to 10 March 2004 upon the presence of the Ministers of Agriculture and of Nutrition. Since women are the ones generally concerned with the preparation of dishes, it is they who will take the initiative.

The real threat to our survival concerns the true struggle against hunger, which can only be resolved through cooperation. Any alliance such as the International Alliance against Hunger will be welcome. The world must respect and accept that we have the right to defend our identity. Nourishment sovereignty must be a right.

For more information on ROPPA, please visit their website at http://www.roppa-ao.org/

For more information on the campaign "Afrique Nourricière", please read the interview featured in our October update 2003.