Experts take stock of the situation
Following its consultation on food policies in Senegal, CICODEV organized a debate. And the discussions helped to understand the environment of food policies in Senegal and the different programs and projects guided towards food issues.
Food security is a concern for non-governmental organizations that advocate for the well-being of populations and agriculture. And it is within this framework that the Pan-African Institute for Citizenship, Consumers and Development (CICODEV Africa), in partnership with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (Afsa), organized, via a seminar, a national consultation on food policies in Senegal. According to the Executive Director of CICODEV Africa, Amadou Kanouté, the consultation aims to contribute to the recommendations of Senegal for an African food policy. “The representative and inclusive nature of this consultation process involves all actors (ministries and stakeholders). It also allows to share the vision, ideas and experiences of actors for a sustainable food policy in Senegal; to identify barriers, existing practices and guiding principles for the promotion of a good food policy that improves nutrition and promotes healthy eating. The consultation also allows sharing recommendations and courses of action to contribute to the definition of a food policy in Senegal,” said Mr. Kanouté. The debates of this virtual panel focused on food security. Many panelists insisted on the availability of data on food policies. According to them, these data allow to know the achievements on these policies in order to project other solutions or mechanisms that can strengthen food security in Senegal. On this issue, the keynote speaker of this debate, Prof. Ibrahima Sylla said that the availability of data is essential. He said that without this data, the decision-making process will remain deficient and will accentuate the limitations accumulated for problems to be solved.
Robert Guei of Fao deplored the post-harvest losses. According to him, it is inconceivable that farmers or producers, after so much effort, see their products perish because there is a storage problem.
Mamadou GACKO
Source: WALF, September 11, 2021