African farmers "struggling to access the Clean Development Mechanism"

Farmers in Africa complain that the CDM's complicated paperwork puts the emissions trading programme out of their reach. "Small-scale farmers do not have the knowledge to present projects," Effatah Jele of the Zambia National Farmers Union is reported to have told AFP.

"My major concern is that it affects the small farmer, who is usually a woman. I'm a dairy farmer and I want to know how to feed my cattle so they produce less gas," she said.

Zanele Phiri, director of Swaziland's farmers union, said applying for CDM projects is too expensive for ordinary farmers. "Why was it made in that way? It costs a lot of money," Phiri said.

For more:

• The New Age: African farmers struggle to fund green projects