Sunday, June 17, 2012

Scottish climate change fund for African crops

Fife Today (Scotland): Farmers in Africa whose crops are at risk from climate change will be supported by £4 million in aid from Scotland. The funds were announced by Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson before he attends the UN summit on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next week.

He said: "Scotland is well aware of its responsibilities to the wider world and we know that it is some of the world's most vulnerable people in sub-Saharan Africa that are dealing with the harsh realities of climate change.

"I am delighted to announce this latest support from the International Development Fund ahead of the UN Summit as a sign of our commitment to helping alleviate poverty in the developing world and to empowering vulnerable communities to deal with effects of climate change." The funds will support Scotland-based aid organisations working in Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Oxfam will co-ordinate a food security project for Tanzanian farmers. Relief charity Tearfund will work with communities in Rwanda on food security, water and sanitation, and climate change mitigation. In Zambia, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (Sciaf) is involved in a programme to support small-scale farmers.

Ralph Roothaert, of Oxfam, said: "This Scottish Government funding will help women and men small-holder producers to build those skills and, together with others, negotiate for better policies and practices for access to land and water, agricultural production and trade....

Grain silos with total capacity to store over 100 tonnes of grain at Nampamba farm Mpongwe, Zambia, shot by Maxdrobot, Wikimedia Commons, public domain

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