GROW is a global initiative of Oxfam to campaign and promote food security through improved quantity and quality of public investment in agriculture to support small-scale farmers, work for legal guarantee of right to food and increased women’s representation and participation in decision-making at all levels of agricultural governance and production.
Greater percentage of Nigerians in rural areas are living in hunger and extreme poverty – many of them women and youths, whose livelihoods depend on small-scale agricultural activities. However, the realities of changing weather due to climate change, insecure land rights for women, and the lack of investment into agriculture especially in areas that will benefit small-scale farmers are critical factors in preventing them from addressing food security challenges and improving their livelihood in general.
Working side by side with communities and partners (government, media, CSO’s,) Oxfam mobilizes supporters to engage political and private sector actors to change policies that reinforce inequality and poverty especially in the food systems. As a general principle, we empower communities and facilitate platforms where they are able to engage directly with policy makers to challenge unfavourable policies and practices.
To make our advocacies and campaigns effective, we draw our evidences from rigorous researches and life experiences from our pilot projects in the communities where we work. Implementing a ‘one programme approach’ is critical towards achieving our set objectives.
Our GROW campaign is hinged on investment in agriculture/climate change adaptation, and Land Rights for Women. It seeks to engage Nigerian Government and Businesses to:
- Provide secure access to land for smallholder farmers and especially for women - who often do most of the work on the land, but face the biggest battle to call it their own;
- Help farmers deal with changing weather and support social safety nets and food reserves to make sure there’s enough good food for us all to eat.
- Increase investment that supports small-scale farmers with sustainable farming techniques – so they are able to produce enough to feed a growing population, without pushing our climate further out of control.
The GROW campaign is being implemented under the auspices of the Voices for Food Security (VFS) - a coalition of more than 18 local civil society organizations and small-scale farmers associations campaigning for food security in Nigeria.
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- Read, share and discuss information from the global GROW campaign with your friends
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