Speakers at a coordination meeting have stressed for strengthening participation and influence of the poor and vulnerable farmers and fishers folk in the decision making process to ensure their food security.They were addressing the ‘Quarterly Coordination Meeting of the District Level Farmers and Fishers Forum’ organised by Social Equality for Effective Development (SEED) at Rangapur Sahittya Parishad auditorium in the city on Wednesday.The daylong meeting was organised under the ‘Strengthening Participation and Influence of Poor and Vulnerable Farmers and Fishersfolk in Decision Making Process Related to Food Security Project’ being funded by European Union and Oxfam.President of District Farmers and Fishers Forum Ferdousi Begum presided over the meeting participated by the male and female members of the forum from all over the district.Project Officer Afroza Sultana, Vice-president of the forum Afroza Begum, its General Secretary Tara Sarker, Cashier Bidyut Kumar, Publicity Secretary Tipu Sultan, Office Secretary Ehsan Ali, Members Miru Sarker and Asaduzzaman Afzal and Accounts Officer of SEED Ariful Islam addressed.The speakers said objectives of the project are to equip the target groups with critical understanding of food security and enhance their ability to participate in decision making processes for ensuring their food security.
The objectives also include increasing engagement of the target groups in the forum to protect and promote the eco-friendly farm and fish farming practices and interests of the poor and vulnerable farmers and fishers to improve their livelihoods, they said.
The project activities are aimed at addressing the loopholes in food and nutrition security and practice through conducting collective advocacy by the target groups for better production, procurement and distribution systems, they said.
