The Lusaka Declaration, adopted at the Second African Organic Conference urges the AU, Regional Economic Communities and African Governments to mainstream organic agriculture into all aspects of their programmes and policies.
The conference stressed that shifting agriculture towards organic practices leads to farming methodologies that rely on local resources, shielding farmers from price shocks, encouraging job creation and preserving arable farm land.
5 May 2012: The Second African Organic Conference concluded with the adoption of The Lusaka Declaration on Mainstreaming Organic Agriculture into the African Development Agenda, which urges the African Union (AU), including the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), to implement the African Organic Action Plan. The Conference aimed to showcase the role of organic agriculture in ensuring food security and poverty alleviation.
The Lusaka Declaration also calls on: the AU and Regional Economic Communities to mainstream organic agriculture into all areas of work; African Governments to mainstream organic agriculture into their policies and programmes; and other stakeholders to support implementation of the African Organic Action Plan. The draft African Organic Action Plan was developed by the AU, and is based on six pillars: research, training and extension; information and communication; value chain and market development; networking and partnership; supportive policies and programmes; and institutional capacity development.
The Conference was held under the theme “Mainstreaming organic agriculture into the African development agenda,” in Lusaka, Zambia, from 2-4 May 2012, with support from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The conference stressed that shifting agriculture towards organic practices leads to farming methodologies that rely on local resources, thus shielding farmers from external price shocks as well as encouraging local job creation and preserving arable farm land. [The Lusaka Declaration on Mainstreaming Organic Agriculture into the African Development Agenda] [UN Press Release] [2nd African Organic Conference Website]