Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
02 January 2019
Post No. 72
The New Year’s Week Contents
• Review 2018
• Consumption that Reduces Poverty and Enhances Sustainable Development in 2019
• The Next Issue of FACS: The 62nd Issue
… and much more!
Key Messages from the New Year’s Week Contents
New Year, New Hope & New Relief
Again, Happy New Year and welcome back to Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development in 2019 and the Years ahead!
2018 in Review
At the start of the year, the recurring question one can ask is: what is the best way to start the year? There is no a classic answer to this question.
Perhaps, the best way to start the year with CENFACS is look at what happened the previous year, that in 2018. Possibly, we may or may not learn something about it. But, it is still worth reviewing 2018. This is our 2018 in Review.
2018 in Review is given under the Main Development of this post
Consumption that Reduces Poverty and Enhances Sustainable Development in 2019
As we are already in January, this month is our month for Responsible Consumption following CENFACS development calendar. It means that the theme for January is Sustainable Consumption and the monthly project carrying this theme is Consume to Reduce Poverty.
It is the month we act against consumption-based poverty and we deal with measures of poverty through consumption. It is also an opportunity to act to preserve a good relationship between the way and products we consume and the reduction of climate change. In particular, January is a climate reminder month as it is the month in which we raise awareness of the relationships between humans and the nature through sustainable consumption; that is consumption that does not destroy the nature.
Consume to Reduce Poverty (CRP) is our users’ New Year supporting information and accompanying booster that focuses on Buying and Consumption elements conducive to the reduction of poverty and hardship. It is indeed a complimentary support to our Autumn Festive Income Boost resource.
The Festive Income Boost is an income-generating resource while CRP brings in a consumption-led look in our fight against poverty. The next issue (issue no. 7) of CRP will be on Consumption that pollutes less the nature.
For further details about CRP project, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/services-activities/
The UK Economy in the Post-2018 Era and Africa in 2019
Much of what we do depends on the health of the UK economy and its direction. This year, if we are allowed to say it, the UK economy is still at the crossroads between exiting the European Union, remaining in this Union and engaging in a third way to leave the island of the crossroads. Whatever these three options may be, the truth is the UK economy is in the transitional phase of Post-European Economic Integration; what we called Post-Regional Economic Integration Era.
To take into account the circumstances in which the UK is in and the probable effects of its positioning on work, our ABCD project will be the sustainable development initiative that will help us to deal with some of the unpredictable situations of this era, at least for the start of the year 2019.
A great deal of our work is as well linked to what is happening and may happen in Africa. 2019 is the electoral and electioneering year in more than 10 African countries. These elections resurface the debate about the relationships between political democratisation and poverty reduction or between political democratisation and sustainable development.
As such we need to look at beyond our lenses and sometimes to speculate about the future or simply the months or years ahead. This is why we have identified some challenging trends for a better change in Africa in 2019, the Nine Challenges That Africa Faces In 2019 To Change. We have brought these challenges under the same pot, what we call Africa in 2019.
Main Development from the New Year’s Week Contents
• • CENFACS’ 2018 Year in Review
CENFACS’ Year in Review tells a story of poverty relief and sustainable development in 2018 in pictures in monthly development calendar.
2018 started at CENFACS as a dedication to the Local People or a Local Year. To effect the year, we conducted a Local Campaign Year.
Looking back at the images of poverty relief and sustainable development that shaped 2018 at CENFACS, we are pleased to present them to you as follows.
The above review in pictures shines a light into CENFACS’ work over the last twelve months from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2018. It is presented to you as an informal summary of twelve voted images or pictures that made 2018. The selected images and pictures are the ones that had the most votes in terms of their influence on work and activities.
We cannot end this review without thanking all those who helped us to achieve what we managed to achieve.
To all our supporters, we simply say thank you very much and wish you a very Happy New Year!
Looking ahead to 2019, we hope we will able to continue to develop sustainable initiatives to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the UK and in Africa. Projects and programmes of transition to circular and new climate economies are our carriers in this New Year.
Consume to Reduce Poverty (CRP) is our users’ New Year supporting information and accompanying booster that focuses on Buying and Consumption elements conducive to the reduction of poverty and hardships. It is indeed a complimentary support to our Autumn Festive Income Boost resource. The Festive Income Boost is an income-generating resource while CRP brings in a consumption-led look in our fight against poverty. The next issue (issue no. 7) of CRP, which will be on Anti-pollution Consumption, will expand on this.
For further details about CRP project, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/services-activities/
• • Abstract of the Issue no. 62 of FACS, issue entitled:
HOW TO CREATE AND SUSTAIN AGRICULTURAL MARKETS FOR AFRICAN SMALL SCALE FARMERS AND FARM PRODUCE IN 2019 AND BEYOND
Agriculture remains central for poverty relief and sustainable development in Africa. Within the agricultural sector, African small scale farmers and farm produce are pivotal. However, these farmers and their produce experience many problems if one does not want to say barriers. The issues impeding their growth include the following: the lack of market facilities, deficiency of key support to poor farmers, the absence of genuine incentive regulations etc.
The above stated issues fall within the background of the need to improve market facilities and infrastructures for Africa’s small scale farmers and farm produce. It is the need to create and sustain agricultural markets for them. However, creating and sustaining agricultural markets is not end itself unless someone talk about improving people’s life, especially the poorest of them. In this respect, creation and sustaining agricultural markets finds its foundation in the necessity, if not a compulsion, to reduce and end poverty as well as enhance sustainable development.
Yet, these above lacks leave less scope for CENFACS’ Africa-based Sister Organisations compared to their need of trying to set up and implement agricultural sustainable initiatives to tackle poverty and hardships; including agricultural income-generating projects and programmes. The problem of agricultural markets is not made easier by the big agro-industrial multinational corporations that tend to control the agricultural markets marginalising small farmers.
Creating and sustaining agricultural markets is paramount in the fight against poverty and hardships. It helps poor small scale farmers to seize opportunities in the African and global markets, to integrate and benefit from free trade areas, to upgrade and add value to their produce. It finally provides them with ways of reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development.
This is the abstract of the 62nd Issue of FACS, CENFACS’ bilingual newsletter. The Issue will cover the following thematically poverty relieving areas: agricultural finances for poverty relief, female farmer entrepreneurs, trade and market information for female agricultural traders, informal cross-border agricultural traders, agricultural products and regional value chains, connection between buyers and sellers of agricultural products, agricultural products and gender minorities, African poor farmers in imperfect competition markets, paperless or e-information in the agricultural sector, digital agriculture and farming, empowering African poor farmers and Africa-based Sister Organisations, les fermiers et produits cultivés africains dans les parts des marchés agricoles, and Africa feed Africa with Agriculture project.
To enquire or to get further details about this 62nd Issue of FACS, contact CENFACS.
• • Africa in 2019
Nine Developments to look forward to in 2019 for Poverty Relief and Development in Africa
At the beginning of the year, the byzantine question which comes every year is how to start better and do better during the New Year from what we have been doing/taking as a course of actions to deal with a particular problem (for example poverty).
How to start and do better means that there may some challenges that we need to find. There are many challenges that Africa faces which each institution and or person can identify.
We have selected nine areas in which we think that, if properly dealt with, there could a better change for those in need. These are areas to watch for poverty relief and sustainable development in Africa.
We do not assume these selected challenges are the most important.
They include the following.
Fair share of the fruits of economic growth
It does not matter how small or big the economic growth is. What is important is that the fruits of economic growth are shared or distributed fairly or equitably. In particular, its share to reduce poverty needs to be enough in order to bring about the results expected from any poverty reduction policy or programme.
Bringing better change in Africa in 2019 means that improving the share of poverty reduction as part of the fruits of economic growth to be distributed.
Development 1: How to improve the share of poverty reduction as part of the fruits of economic growth in Africa.
2019 African Elections
Democratic elections are often said to be the answer to many of the problems that Africa faces. In 2019, there will be elections in dozen of African countries. One can hope that the outcomes of these elections and those who will be elected will be the real servant of the poor.
What is true is that 2019 will be another milestone for better political change for those countries which will go to polls; change that one can expect to translate into poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Development 2: The 2019 elected African leaders to be the servant of the poor people
Institutions of poverty relief and sustainable development
Having institutions that effectively and efficiently deal with poverty reduction and sustainable development really matter. Many institutions in Africa claim to be democratic and working for people. But, do they really deal with poverty and sustainable development of the poor as they claim?
The democratic test of these institutions in 2019 is to see how they will impact poverty and sustainable development.
Development 3: Making African institutions work for poor and sustainable development
Conflicts reduction
All the development analysts and practitioners recognize that conflict is one the major factors holding Africa’s progress back for many decades if not centuries. Armed conflicts and wars have claimed many lives, destroyed infrastructures and wasted time for Africa’s sustainable development.
2019 should be of armed conflicts reduction, if not end, as any policies and programmes for poverty relief and sustainable development can only genuinely be implemented in the context of peace and security.
Development 4: The reduction of armed conflicts to become effective on the grounds
Women entrepreneurs
Recognising the value of women’s contribution in Africa’s society should not be only a matter of political speeches and academic discourses. Amongst women are those other women who try to set up a business or already in business not only to make ends meet for themselves, but to lift others (i.e. the entire family or society) out of poverty.
2019 should be the year of valuing the work of women entrepreneurs in Africa, of funding their businesses.
Development 5: Funding businesses run by African women
Energy transition
To reduce the adverse effects and impacts of climate change, we all require doing something. One of the things we need to do is to try rethinking or transiting in the way we consume energy. Africa too needs to do its own energy transition in 2019 and beyond in order to reduce deforestation and land degradation. As the circular economic theory tells us no one needs to destroy vast amount of forests, the nature and environment to deal with poverty.
2019 can be a challenging year for energy transition in Africa in finding sustainable way of consuming energy while still keeping pace with poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Development 6: Transiting to sustainable sources of energy
Climate education
Making a new climate economy works for all means that children as well as adult are educated to such an extent that they can embrace that new climate economy. So, educating children and training adult people regarding climate issues in Africa will help not only to deal with climate change. It will as well create new opportunities for the poor.
Developing climate skills in Africa in 2019 will help both to tackle the adverse effects and impacts of climate change and climate induced-poverty.
Development 7: Developing climate skills and reducing climate-induced poverty
Climate migrants
Migration continues to be a burning issue in Africa and elsewhere as environmental disasters and climate events continue to strike in Africa and elsewhere. The consequences of these events are that people get forcibly displaced and involuntarily migrated. Since sometimes, there has been a new trend or phenomenon of migration in Africa; that is climate migration within Africa.
2019 could be the year of seriously taking this emerging phenomenon of migration because of adverse climate change.
Development 8: Reduce the root causes of climate migration and support climate migrants
Climate finance
It is good to argue to reduce climate change. It should be good as well for those countries and people who could not afford to finance adverse climate change reduction programme to be supported. For the purpose of climate finance to the poor, CENFACS’ Financial Odyssey is a starting point about climate finance debate.
2019 should also be of mobilising finance for those who cannot bear the cost or bill of adverse climate change reduction in Africa.
Development 9: Meeting the climate finance needs of Africa’s poor and vulnerable people
We would like ask to our readers-supporters to watch and monitor those selected developments in this 2019 and beyond.
As far as CENFACS is concerned, we will do what we can and it takes us in our capacity and limitations to continue to work with those who are interested in and willing to reduce and end poverty so that 2019 can be a year of improved outcomes of poverty reduction both in quality and quantity of intervention.
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Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.
Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.
We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2019.
With many thanks
