FOOD SECURITY THROUGH AN ORGANIC REVOLUTION

You are invited to a talk and discussion with

Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher

Monday, 21st March 2005

7pm Drinks & Buffet at Hampstead Town Hall Centre
213 Haverstock Hill London NW3 4QP
(Opposite Belsize Park tube station – Northern Line)
A contribution of £7 is payable on the door
7.45pm – 9.30pm Talk & Discussion

As the World Trade Organisation hears the closing arguments of the US, 
Canada and Argentina’s complaint against Europe’s moratorium on GM 
approvals, the future of our food once again returns to the public 
spotlight. According to recent media reports, Africa is suffering from 
less secure food supplies and is increasingly relying on food aid from 
abroad to feed its people. It is likely that Africa will face renewed 
pressure to introduce GM crops.

However, many African nations reject handouts or dependence on 
corporate owned seeds, wanting self-sufficient sustainable agricultural 
production methods to enable them to feed themselves. Ethiopia is no 
exception. The East African nation is encouraging organic agriculture 
as a means of recuperating degraded ecosystems, boosting production and 
thereby solving its well-documented hunger crisis. In 2003 the 
Ethiopian government stated its interest to help farmers use organic 
methods of crop production, improve local marketing infrastructure, and 
develop agricultural products to diversify the economic base of the 
country.

These innovative governmental policies have been spurred by the success 
of a project that began with four communities in 1996 in the northern 
Ethiopian province of Tigray, a region where 95 percent of the 
population depend on farming to sustain their livelihoods.

The Tigray Project involves promoting organic composting methods to 
regenerate soils, bringing back species biodiversity, stopping grazing 
in sensitive areas, and preventing run-off and gullies by using soil 
erosion prevention techniques. The project effectively reintroduces 
ecologically sound principles among smallholder farmers to reduce the 
risk of crop failure through regenerating their soils, water, 
biodiversity and crop diversity through organic production. To date, 
there have been some remarkable results. Moreover, the local justice 
system, or ‘customary courts’, are being revived simultaneously to help 
uphold and enrich local by-laws with the aim of improving local 
governance. Today the Tigray Project methodology is being implemented 
in all districts across the country and the government has now adopted 
their approach as its main strategy for combating land degradation, 
hunger and poverty throughout the country.

We are delighted to have this opportunity to hear first hand from our 
long-time associate Dr. Tewolde Gebre Egziabher, who initiated the 
Tigray Project a decade ago, precisely with the idea of demonstrating 
to the government that food security could be attained without chemical 
inputs. Dr. Tewolde is also spokesperson of the Africa Group for the 
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and Head of Ethiopia’s Environmental 
Protection Agency. This is a great opportunity to hear about how 
Tigray’s local communities are playing an indispensable role in 
building a healthy and food-secure future for Ethiopia, offering 
inspiration to the rest of Ethiopia and other African countries.

We hope you will be able to attend and please do pass on this 
invitation to anyone else who might be interested. RVSP to Kate Povey 
at kate@gaianet.org or telephone 020 7428 0055.