Meet Polly Apio

Come and meet Polly Apio and gain a fascinating new perspective on feeding the world over the coming century. It isn’t just about huge commercial farms, heavy machinery and irrigation systems; most of the world’s food is actually grown by small scale farmers on just a few acres, and the majority are women. Farmers like Polly Apio grow more than 80% of the food in sub-Saharan Africa.

Polly’s 10 acre farm is in a small town in eastern Uganda where she grows oranges, groundnuts, cowpeas and cassava to feed her large family and pay for basics such as medicines and schooling. She is a leader in her community, organising local women farmers to create a seed-bank and become more productive by combining resources.

Tragically, women farmers get little support; they are often barred from actually owning farmland, excluded from agricultural aid programs and given little access to credit to invest in their farming. With more access to resources, they could significantly increase agricultural yields and improve food security for their families and communities.

Come and hear Polly Apio talk at UNE at 1pm on Tuesday 28th June, in the A3 lecture theatre in the Arts Building lower ground floor. Her visit to Armidale is a joint initiative between ActionAid, ALF and Armidale Sanctuary.