Monday - Friday 08:00-17:00
Saturday et Sunday - Closed
Bukavu, DR Congo
Headquarters
+243 97 492 3525
[email protected]
The Network for Food Security and Sovereignty in DR Congo - RESSAC is an innovative initiative set up by peasant organizations and indigenous and local agricultural producers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At its creation, it brought together 14 founding member organizations and currently has 342 peasant organizations and agricultural producer organizations grouped and supported in 17 provincial coordinations (South Kivu, North Kivu, Maniema, Sankuru, Kasai, Tanganyika, Haut Katanga, Lualaba, Ituri, Tshopo, Tshuapa, Equateur, Maindombe, Kwilu, Kwango, Central Congo and Kinshasa). Since its creation in June 2018, in Bukavu, RESSAC has professionalized itself and distinguished itself as a tool for the defense and promotion of family and agro-ecological farms which constitute the main production system in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the neighboring countries in Africa.
OUR TEAM CONTACT USInnovation, consolidation and strengthening of peasant and rural capacities and solidarity which gives a place to all members and takes into account all categories of peasant organizations and indigenous and local agricultural producers in each operational province and which supports peasant organizations and agricultural producers members in the recognition of their identity, their rights and their roles;
Promoting the culture of consensus, which is the preferred approach for deciding and acting together;
Improving transparency in the management of bodies that have an obligation to report to members and regularly ensure the renewal of terms of office within the network.
The creation of the Network for Food Security and Sovereignty in the DR Congo - RESSAC is the result of a long process and an organizational effort in the peasant movement in the peripheral areas of Kinshasa as well as in the provinces of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The purpose of RESSAC is to strengthen the capacities of Congolese peasant and indigenous organizations to defend the interests of their members and to influence policies related to agriculture, rural development, security and food sovereignty in the Democratic Republic of Congo. and its neighboring countries in Africa. In its first five years, RESSAC has achieved two main results:
Integrate, value and support innovation (technological and Indigenous) to improve existing approaches and new ways to grow and use food and fiber. Innovation is crucial to achieving sustainable food systems as innovation can offer agricultural producers the opportunity to increase their productivity while better managing natural resources. This will ensure long-term viability and reduce negative environmental impacts of production, such as pollutants and waste. Sustainable agricultural production systems must also consider how to adapt to climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The agricultural sector concerns, in each of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighboring countries in Africa, 60 to 80% of the population. It must sustainably provide each producer with a healthy, full-time job, decent incomes and a sustainable social and environmental living environment;
Agriculture must constitute the basis of food security and sovereignty of each of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighboring countries in Africa because it is capable of: providing indigenous, rural and urban populations with quality food and in sufficient quantities and thereby contribute to the development of the entire Congolese national, regional and African economy;
Make effective the capacity building of peasant organizations and indigenous and local agricultural producers, their local, sectoral, territorial, provincial, national and sub-regional frameworks for the consultation of credible actors, bearers of proposals and self-determined dynamism anchored on sustainable development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Africa.
The Network for Food Security and Sovereignty in the DR Congo - RESSAC's mission is to "Promote through innovation, the emergence and development of family farms and peasant and agro-ecological agriculture of agricultural producers while controlling the policies related to the liberalization of the economies of the sustainable agricultural sector and the nationalization and regionalization of trade in the context of climate change in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighboring countries in Africa”.
Integrate, value and support innovation (technological and indigenous) to improve existing agricultural approaches and practices as well as new ways of growing and using food to achieve sustainable food systems and ensure sustainability term while reducing the negative environmental impacts of production in order to adapt to climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Promote and defend the values of efficient and sustainable peasant agriculture at the service of family and agro-ecological farms of indigenous and local agricultural producers;
Inform and train members of farmers' organizations and associations of indigenous and local agricultural producers based on the relevant experiences of RESSAC members and other development actors;
Encourage and support consultation and structuring of farmers' organizations and indigenous and local agricultural producers in the provinces of the DR Congo and neighboring countries with a view to their participation/involvement in the definition and implementation of policies and programs development of agricultural, indigenous and rural sectors;
Ensure gender promotion and support for women and young agricultural producers;
Participate in capacity building of peasant and indigenous organizations, through fundraising, institutional development, information and communication, exchange of experiences and dissemination of good agricultural practices;
Strengthen partnerships and alliances with relevant partners to support agricultural sectors and rural development for indigenous and local people;
Promote and strengthen the participation of women, young people and minority groups in sustainable agriculture and the development of young people and indigenous and rural women through information and training on the concepts and good practices of agriculture resilient to climate change;
Ensure the representation of its members at the regional and international levels;
Promote consultation and cooperation between RESSAC and other similar organizations in the DR Congo, in Africa and around the world.
Innovate for sustainable and resilient agriculture that ensures food security and sovereignty, including the socio-economic and cultural development of agricultural producers and local communities in the context of climate change in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Integrate, value and support innovation (technological and Indigenous) to improve existing approaches as well as new ways to grow and use food and fiber. Innovation is crucial to achieving sustainable food systems as innovation can offer agricultural producers the opportunity to increase their productivity while better managing natural resources. This will ensure long-term viability and reduce negative environmental impacts of production, such as pollutants and waste. Sustainable agricultural production systems must also consider how to adapt to climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Indeed, the economic environment of the Democratic Republic of Congo is today characterized by a continuous decline of food production intended for export despite its agricultural potential and its immense expanses of arable land. This decline is exacerbated by:
The pressures exerted on Congolese forests and natural resources and the decline in rural labor due to the massive exodus of young people to mining sites as well as to large cities in search of Eldorado .
Faced with this situation, it must be recognized that it is impossible for the Congolese to build a sustainable and competitive agriculture on the international market without going through innovation and the improvement of policies and governance of the agricultural sector. Building the agricultural development of the DRC in this way on possible exports and external markets in no way guarantees that we can meet the challenges of feeding the Congolese populations and its neighboring countries and ensuring them a decent and sustainable subsistence.
However, it appears essential to make Congolese food security and sovereignty a priority for action and national and regional agricultural policies based on family farming and local agro-ecological practices.
The RESSAC calls with all its wishes for a vision which, through innovation (technological and indigenous), liberates the Democratic Republic of the Congo from famine and malnutrition with a perspective of a type of modern and sustainable agriculture which is at even to fulfill the economic, social and ecological functions of the creation of wealth, the preservation of family and national solidarity, and the equitable and sustainable management of natural resources. This new type of agriculture must guarantee suitable and stable incomes and decent living conditions for family farmers and smallholders. It must produce a surplus for export and contribute significantly to national wealth creation; in addition, it must provide healthy food to the Congolese populations and those of its neighboring countries.
In its vision, RESSAC intends to rely on innovation to activate the process of self-determination guaranteeing the dignity of indigenous and local peasants and producers within the framework of development that respects Congolese values and culture.
The food sovereignty of the Congolese people is a matter of national interest and should not be subject to the fluctuations of global markets or international institutions around the world.
Stability of the Congolese agricultural market and its integration into the agricultural markets of its neighboring and regional countries as well as the adoption of coherent policies in favor of innovation, production infrastructure, communication and telecommunications, as well as the convergence of prices and taxes, will provide lasting solutions to the food deficit in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
.jpg)
Innovation platform for farmers' organizations and agricultural producers in the Democratic Republic of Congo
