Date: 28 July 2020<\/p>\n
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The Southern Africa Trust, Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI) and Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust invite members of the media and general public to join the Society Talks<\/strong> webinar. This is a public webinar series launched by Southern Africa Trust as a platform to inform, engage and develop solutions that address Food Insecurity<\/strong> emergencies that have been accentuated through COVID-19 crisis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More than 60% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa are smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. The agriculture sector contributes about 23% percent of sub-Saharan Africa\u2019s GDP<\/u>. FAO estimates that more than half (73 million) of the 135 million people in the world today that are facing crisis levels of acute food insecurity live in Africa. Countries in Southern Africa are facing chronic food and nutrition insecurity, and this is expected to be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic and. Border closures, quarantines, and market, supply chain and trade disruptions are restricting people\u2019s access to sufficient, diverse and nutritious sources of food.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amongst the vulnerable groups most affected by the pandemic are small-scale farmers, who are hindered from working their land, caring for their livestock, or fishing. They also face challenges accessing markets to sell their products or buy essential inputs, or struggle due to higher food prices and limited purchasing power. Informal labourers have been hardest hit by job and income losses in harvesting and processing. Millions of children are already missing out on the school meals they have come to rely upon, as many of them have no formal access to social protection, including health insurance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Women are most affected by the pandemic in this regard, as they are the backbone of African agriculture. Widely cited figures indicate that they produce 80% of the continent\u2019s food, contribute 60 \u2013 80% of the labour force in agriculture, and spend up to 60% of their time on agricultural activities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The webinar will consider challenges specifically confronting smallholder farmers, particularly women in agribusiness in Southern Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and key policy interventions required for SADC to address the challenges.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Date:<\/strong> Wednesday 29 July 2020<\/p>\n Time:<\/strong> 16h00 \u2013 17h30<\/p>\n Topic:<\/strong> COVID-19 Impact on SADC Food Systems and Smallholder Agriculture, and Policy Options for a Women-inclusive Response<\/p>\n <\/p>\n