Brussels, 09/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EU is to make€33 million available to improve food security and nutrition for family farmers and vulnerable communities in sub-Saharan Africa, by guaranteeing small farmers rights to the land, Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development, announced on Wednesday 9 April. These resources from the European Development Fund will be allocated to a new programme which will facilitate the implementation in ten countries (Angola, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Swaziland) of the guidelines established by the FAO in 2012 to improve global governance on land ownership [Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT)].
“These land tenure guidelines (…) recognise farmers' ownership and access rights. This new programme will help farmers, and especially women, to make a living and feed their families, without fear of losing their property”, Piebalgs stated.
The programme also includes: - the development of new land registration tools and digital land registry techniques, for example, through satellite images; - support to local organisations and civil society groups in making farmer groups (particularly women and young people) aware of their land rights; - formalisation measures, such as property deeds. The programme was announced upstream of a high-level conference to be held at the European Parliament to mark the 10th anniversary of cooperation between the EU and the FAO. (AN)