The experiences of Canadian farmers might be able to make a huge difference in the lives of people in Africa.
“(Farmers) are average citizens with special knowledge,” said Stephen Lewis, former United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Lewis said developing countries lack government funding for agriculture research and development.
Canadian farmers can offset some of that by lending support and knowledge to international organizations that have researchers working on the ground in Africa, he said.
But giving time to the bigger research organizations isn’t necessarily the right path.
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Some research organizations, such as the Canadian International Development Agency, are considered funding agencies.
They contribute money so smaller organizations can conduct research to end poverty in developing countries.
So, rather than accepting donations themselves, organizations like CIDA encourage Canadians to donate time and money to other organizations.
Lewis said that helping the smaller organizations is one of the best ways to help, even for people who don’t have farming knowledge to contribute.
“You can give them some money, you can become a member, you can sometimes pick up and go to a developing country for a brief period of time just to get a sense of what’s happening on the ground,” said Lewis.
He explained that organizations such as CARE Canada, Doctors Without Borders, OXFAM and World Vision all do significant work related to agriculture in developing countries.
But one of the most important organizations for Africa is the World Food Program.
“I think it’s worth pointing out that Africa, as a continent, would be in a state of abject starvation if it wasn’t for the World Food Program,” said Lewis.
The program does accept donations of food, but Lewis said it’s also important for people to provide money, which is used to buy food from local providers in developing countries to aid the area’s economy and encourage local production.
This is important because many farmers in developing countries fall victim to disease or death, which sends their families into poverty.
Lewis said Canadians and Africans can combine experiences to find solutions.
“If we’re not arrogant about it, if we’re humble about it, if we derive change from the people on the ground … if we derive from them the analysis on which we build to assist, then it may work.”
Lewis spoke at the National Agriculture Awareness Conference in Saskatoon on Oct. 6.
