21 March 2014, Rome - A meeting of more than 50 representatives of international, regional and national Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) based in Africa opened in Tunis on Friday (21 Mar) to discuss priority issues related to the development of agriculture and rural areas in Africa. Participants. This was part of a two-day consultation at Carthage Thalasso Hotel, hosted by l’Union Maghrébine et Nord Africaine des Agriculteurs (UMNAGRI). Participants included farmers, artisanal fisherfolk, herders, pastoralists, landless, the urban poor, as well as workers in the food sector, which included women, youth, indigenous people, forest dwellers and other various constituencies. The outcomes of the consultation will be presented at the 28th FAO Regional Conference for Africa, which is taking place from the 24th to 28th March. Three spokespersons of the CSO Consultation to the Regional Conference have been designated to participate in the conference as representatives.