On 27, 28 and 29 November last, GRET participated in an international symposium on the future of family farming, organized by Ipar (Initiative for agricultural and rural forward planning) to pay tribute to Jacques Faye. A committed activist for the rural world and farmers’ organisations in Senegal, and a recognised researcher having served in senior positions with Cirad and as head of Isra (Senegalese Institute for agricultural research), Jacques Faye was always a strong advocate of the systems approach, of land tenure reform to secure family farms and recognition of local practices.
During the symposium, GRET’s specialists participated in a session on land tenure governance, chaired by the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation). GRET subsequently gave a presentation entitled “agroecology being tested by local land tenure systems in the groundnut basin in Senegal”. This presentation enabled sharing of GRET’s experience and that of its partner, Fongs (Federation of Senegalese NGOs), as part of a project supporting agroecological transition in rural territories, funded by AFD (Agence française de développement).
It should be recalled that GRET has been working in Senegal for ten years, supporting farmers’ organisations with the issues of land tenure security for family farms and contributing to the land tenure reform process.
Today, the NGO is continuing this support with its main partners: Fongs and the CNCR (National committee for coordination of research). This support is provided through diagnoses of land tenure issues in territories, support for land tenure security approaches, drawing up local agreements on natural resource management and its contribution to strategic reflections on possible orientations of land tenure reform and texts governing natural resources.
