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Budget tracking Print E-mail

Following the funds

Working with others, PELUM Association is helping people to understand, influence and track the Government’s agriculture budget, so that money is spent in a way that helps small-scale farmers.

We’re running a two-year project (until 2012) in Southern and Eastern provinces as well as nationally. We hope it will lead to Government agriculture budgets that do a better job of improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and lead to growth in the agricultural sector, not least by allocating 10% of the national budget to agriculture programmes that address the needs of small-scale farmers. The project is being funded by DCA and supported by other civil society organisations.


We recently aired radio programmes to help people understand what the 2011 agricultural budget means for small-scale farmers.


Citizen participation for accountability
We are working to create an active citizenry, able to discuss Government spending with decision makers at district, provincial and national levels, hold the Government to account and get better services. By the end of this project:

  • Civil society and farmers’ organisations plus female and male small-scale farmers will be better able to engage consistently and authoritatively in budget formulation and execution, thanks to our training, studies, budget analyses and site evidence
  • Civil society organisations and small-scale farmers will be stronger and more active participants when the Government formulates and implements its budget, thanks to our support in helping them to make submissions to the budget


Peoples’ budgets
Small-scale farmers and the rural poor aren’t sufficiently involved in budget processes. Women, in particular, are often left out, due to customary laws, gender inequality and HIV/AIDS. But budgets influence their lives. They determine on-the-ground programmes, and who benefits from those programmes. So women need to influence budgets. They need to be consulted and involved in budget formulation.

Right now, the budget does not put enough money into the agriculture sector and the money that does go to agriculture goes to just a very few things -- for example, half the ministry's budget is spent on fertiliser, while less than 1% is spent on conservation agriculture. More money needs to go to extension services, research and development and rural infrastructure.The budget must address the priorities and needs of small-scale farmers.

We will consider the project a success if:

  • More civil society organisations and small scale farmer organisations are participating and monitoring budget formulation and implementation
  • There is more evidenced-based advocacy in the sector (strong local actions with links into national ones)
  • People are more knowledgeable of budget processes and their roles in them
  • Farmers and civil society organisations present issues to decision-makers that lead to better services, particularly ones that address gender imbalances
  • Farmers and civil society organisations have made more and better budget submissions and more of them are participating in the budget tracking processes at provincial and national level
  • Governments are more accountable about how they implement the agriculture budget
 
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