2023-09-17 21:47:00
Government of the Transition and Food and Nutritional Security: 10 Proposals made by the Youth Collective for the Fatherland (CJP)
September 17, 2023
As a reminder, for many years our country Gabon has struggled to fight against food and nutritional insecurity, despite the assets it has, by importing more than 60% of food. Which makes our country dependent on other nations with an agricultural sector which only contributes 5% of GDP.
However, with 5.2 million hectares of arable land and an annual rainfall of 3000 mm, our country is a land suitable for agriculture. In a context of food crisis, the sovereignty of a State must also depend on its ability to feed its populations.
According to the FAO Global Nutrition Report 2020, which indicates a high rate of chronic malnutrition of 17% among children under five, and an overweight rate of 40%, an obesity rate of 14, 95% among adults, an anemia rate of nearly 58.9% among women of childbearing age, a particularly low exclusive breastfeeding rate of 5.1%. All this to remind us of the importance and urgency of placing particular emphasis on food and nutritional security.
And it is with this observation that the Collective of Young People for the Fatherland (CJP) wanted to submit for the assessment of the new authorities of the Transition through the channel of Andrey Wilson IGNANGA IGNANGA, Advisor in charge of agropastoral issues, possible solutions (10 Proposals) which could, among other things, contribute to improving the quantity and quality of agricultural production in our country, and contribute to reducing youth unemployment which is around 42%.
It is :
1. Define annual agricultural production objectives and build up strategic food reserves.
2. Promote the use of technologies in modern and sustainable agriculture to increase local production.
3. Strengthen and promote issues of Food and Nutritional Security within parliamentary institutions and youth organizations.
4. Creation of an ecosystem favorable to the involvement and development of young people in the agricultural sector.
5. Ensure the establishment of an allocation of 10% of the State budget dedicated to the development of the agricultural sector, in accordance with the Maputo declaration of July 2003, to achieve growth of 6% of the agricultural economy .
6. Promote employment opportunities for young people in agricultural value chains.
7. Develop the concept of school gardens throughout the national territory.
8. Encourage family farming and promote vegetable gardens at the household and orphanage level.
9. Study the possibilities of implementing legislation (CNAMGS; CNSS, Labor Code) for the agricultural sector.
10. Establish guarantee policies for agricultural financing.
For all practical purposes, we are pleased to point out that young people agree on the principle of strong institutions and policies, aimed at boosting national agricultural production, in order to restore dignity and advocate harmonious and sustainable development.
It is on this note that the section devoted to Food and Nutritional Safety closes.
For the Youth Collective for the Fatherland (CJP)
Andrey Wilson IGNANGA IGNANGA,
Advisor, in charge of agropastoral issues
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