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Zimbabwe launched the My Food is African campaign at the National Seed Fair which was graced by the Guest of Honour, Dr. George Kembo, the Director-General of the Government’s Food and Nutrition Council (FNC).
Zimbabwe’s National Seed Fair is hosted by the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP), which the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe coordinates.
“As well as being a place where farmers from around the country can buy, sell and exchange seeds, this is a key advocacy tool in the face of Seed Law changes around the continent. Zimbabwe’s Seed law, a relatively older one, while not allowing the sale of uncertified seed does make an exception for farmers selling seed to farmers. This is allowed in the current seed law. We worry that this might change of course, but will fight against that, with the seed fairs at all levels, including at the national level, is one of the ways of doing this,” said Mr. John Wilson, a food expert.
The My Food is African campaign was launched at the national Seed Fair by the guest of honour Dr. G. Kembo, the Director-General of the Government’s Food and Nutrition Council. He expressed his support for the campaign in very strong terms. The Zimbabwe Traditional Dancers Association provided entertainment.
Mr Wilson said this is an Alliance for Food Sovereignty (AFSA) campaign that will happen all over the continent.
“In all, 12 countries are leading the way in this process and we hope many others will join in the years to come. The campaign will be supported by the Barefoot Guide with the same name My Food is African. The English and French online versions of this full-length Barefoot Guide will be launched on World Food Day this October. There will also be a launch of this Barefoot Guide at AFSA’s biennial Food Systems Convening in Cameroon at the end of November this year.
“Mobilizing citizens across the continent to have traditional foods, dishes and diets as a basis for healthy eating is a key move towards food sovereignty. This is also part of recognizing the richness of Africa’s cultural diversity,” he added.
The 24th of September 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the Good Food Festival, a celebration of Zimbabwe’s traditional and organic foods and seeds.
From next year, there will be a road trip to district festivals that will end at the national food and seed festivals. The festivals always take place in September.
The festival organising team of PELUM-Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF), and Bio-Innovation Zimbabwe were thanked for their efforts in helping this festival keep growing