Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM)
From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations
PELUM Kenya
Upper Hill Road, Next to Central Memorial Hospital
P.O. Box 1134, Thika, Kenya
Tel: +254-67-31686
Fax: +254-67-30055
Website: pelumkenya@pelum.net
General Website: http://www.pelumrd.org
Eliud Ngunjiri, rodikenya@iconnect.co.ke
PELUM Uganda at CDRN
Plot 433 Balintuma Road off Nakulabye Roundabout
P.O. BOX 3791, Kampala
Tel: 256-41-534497
Mob: 256-7- 746117
Fax: 256-41-542995
Email: cdrn@cdrn.or.ug
Mary Jo Kakinda, mjkakinda@a2n.org.ug
PELUM Zimbabwe
Box MP 1059
Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: + 263-4310763/310764
Fax: + 263-4-310765
E-mail: pelum@ecoweb.co.zw
Homepage: http://www.pelum.org
Rob Sacco, pelumzez@mweb.co.zw
PELUM Zambia
324, Independence Avenue
P.O. Box 320362 , 10101
Woodlands, Lusaka, Zambia
Tel: +260 1-257115
Fax: +260 1-257116
Email: inforunit@pelum.org.zm
Jonathan Chisaka, wwf-zeep@zamnet.org.zm
Botswana - Russell Clark, permcult@botsnet.bw
Lesotho - Gladys Faku, Bennleb@yahoo.com
Rwanda - John Bideri, rwarri@rwanda1.com
South Africa - Monique Salomon, salomon@ukzn.ac.za
Tanzania - Djax Biria, djaxbiria@yahoo.com
Malawi - Mariam A.T.J Mapila, mmmapila@farmersunion.mw
Description
PELUM Association is a regional network of over 160 civil society organizations in East, Central and Southern Africa, working towards sustainable agriculture, food security, and sustainable community development in the region. The Association, launched in 1995, is currently working in 10 countries in the region, namely, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The network has 6 standing desks in 6 countries. These are Kenya, Lesotho, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. PELUM is guided by core values and principles that include: people-centred development, empowerment of land users, and respect for indigenous knowledge, creativity and innovation, commitment to action and impact and regionalism. The Association’s long-term objectives are to build the capacity of farming and rural community groups to enable them accumulate ecological skills, stimulate farmer learning and inspire experimentation and innovation in their quest to achieve food security. In order to attain these objectives, the Association facilitates learning and networking, participatory research, capacity building and lobbying and advocacy for small-scale farmer groups and civil society organizations. Consequently, it has activities in sustainable agriculture and rural development where it implements training, research, documentation, information sifting and dissemination of good practice, networking and advocacy. Other programs include seed and food security, natural and resource management, HIV/AIDS, gender and development and information and communication.
Governance: PELUM has an association membership. To date, it is made up of 23 member organizations that fall into four main categories namely, full (voting) members, national and international Non-Governmental Organizations, corporate members, Local Government (Departments), sponsor associates (donor agencies) and individual members. The member organizations constitute a Country Working Group (CWG) chaired by an elected Board representative who represents the country on the PELUM Association Board of Directors. All types of members pay an annual subscription of USD150.
PELUM engages in productive partnership with other organizations to learn from them as well as for mutual strengthening. It collaborates with European based organizations, such as ETC, regional organizations such as VECO-Zimbabwe, Crop Post Harvest Program and the Crop Post-Harvest Program (CPHP) of Southern Africa, international research institutes such as CIAT and GRET of France.
The organization is funded by Both Ends, the Netherlands; Brot Fuer Die Welt (Bread for the World), Germany; HIVOS Foundation, Harare; HIVOS Netherlands, the Netherlands; MISEREOR, Harare; MISEREOR, Germany; NOVIB, the Netherlands; VECO-Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe; FIND YOUR FEET, UK; Comite Catholique Contre La Faim Et Poor Le Development (CCFD), France; Practical Action/ITDG, UK; and, Natural Resources International, UK.
Track Record
PELUM has supported small scale farmers, through the East and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF), to sustainably manage their natural resources and enhanced their capacity to speak for themselves in challenging systems and structures that have a bearing on their wellbeing. PELUM has promoted participatory approaches to development.
The organization has encouraged and nourished community based natural resource management with its members and partners by promoting the ideals of community involvement in the management of these resources. It encourages agricultural practices that are not harmful to the environment and which use natural farming methods.
The seed program, which is rooted in the principle that seed security is the mother of food security, has enabled farmers to secure and control appropriate seed of good quality, at the right time, in the right quantities in order to meet production needs of small scale farmers in a sustainable manner. PELUM, therefore, has succeeded in building capacities of its members, extension workers and communities in the region in various aspects of sustainable agriculture, and seed and food security through training trainers in the region in various aspects of seed security, networking and information dissemination.
PELUM also works closely with regional and international organic associations to promote organic agriculture to ensure long-term soil fertility and preservation of the environment among small scale farmers and the local communities in East, Central and Southern Africa. The seed program has also contributed to advocacy and lobbying in biodiversity, helped communities save and bulk their seed for food security and spearheaded the establishment of seed saver networks in the region. PELUM has since published a seed security manual for community development workers arising from the work of over 100 development workers in the region. Outlining both traditional and current seed saving methods, the manual is meant for development workers operating with grassroots communities. The seed security program has since been decentralized and is now being implemented at the country levels.
Moreover, the Association participated at the World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi, Kenya from 20–25 January 2007. Some participants travelled by Caravan from Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The other Eastern Africa Caravan included Rwanda and Uganda. A mini Forum was held before proceeding to Kenya for the World Social Forum. About 50 participants were facilitated to attend the WSF by PELUM in collaboration with ACORD, Oxfam-Novib and Mwengo.
