Abstract
This article focuses on the Farmer Input Subsidy Program (FISP) in Southern Africa. The FISPs are part of agricultural support by governments providing input subsidies to small-scale farmers from public resources. FISPs are intended to reduce the production costs of small-scale farmers. Rural women members of the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) in Southern Africa argue that the FISP is captured by the global agro-industry and that the FISP, far from providing real support to farmers, advances a green-revolution agenda and has become a tool of the political elites and MNCs.
Highlights
This article is based on reports of public advocacy events that were hosted by the Southern African Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) during the SADC Heads of State Annual Summit in August 2021
The RWA organized a series of side events as part of the parallel people’s summit that is hosted annually by Southern Africa People’s Solidarity Network (SAPSN)
The theme of the three processes was: Re-imaging the food system. This year the RWA organized some of the sessions in partnership with other movements such as Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) and East and Southern African Farmers Forum (ESAFF)
Summary
The FISP is a policy framework that was first discussed at a ministerial level by African Ministers assembled under a special session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa in Rome in 2002. In the period after the adoption of the Maputo Declaration the hope was to increase and have greater expenditure on agriculture and according to the World Bank Group (2021) introduce ‘smarter’ input programmes These proposals from governments highlighted the need to put in place strategies, plans and policy frameworks to fight hunger and poverty in Africa (ACB 2016). According to the Malawi Strategy Support Program of the International Food Policy Research Institute in 2008, a total of 150,000 tons of maize fertilizer and 20,000 tons of tobacco fertilizer were acquired by the Malawi Government for distribution to smallholder farmers through the FISP This again highlights the other inconsistences besides the implementation as the FISP was intended to focus on food crops. The RWA involved partners such as AFSA, ESAFF, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and other movements and groups in their processes
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