1. Rwanda beats Maputo target for agriculture investment
2. SA and CAADP
3. What it means -- the big day for African food and nutrition security
4. COMESA and CAADP have role in AU-NEPAD Agriculture-Climate Change framework
5. Liberia adopts CAADP and aims to feed itself
6. Farmers blame hunger on poor policies and call for greater support for CAADP

7. Gambia praised for conservation of fish stock
8. World Bank impressed by NEPAD's West Africa fisheries project
9. Calendar of events
10. What's new?
11. Have your say. Send us your feedback
12. About CAADP
13. Contact us

Rwanda beats Maputo target for
agriculture investment

Source: New Times, 25 October

Kigali: Rwanda has slightly exceeded the l0% of national budget for investment in agriculture as laid down in the Maputo Declaratiion and expects to reach 12% by the end of the year. This was announced at a meeting of African agricultural experts here who had expressed concern over the growing population on the continent and the major challenge this presents in efforts to adequately feed the people.

Farmers, agro-researchers and other stakeholders from the region attended a four-day forum to take stock of agricultural development efforts in Central Africa's bread basket and chart a path towards food security. Participants called for doubling of food production to meet the expected population demand.

The specialists believe that unless African countries apply various mechanisms like agricultural intensification to double food production, the continent will continue to suffer from food shortages.

"Agriculture in Africa is faced with immense challenges of how to increase yields to feed a growing population in the face of climate change," noted Prof. Shem Martin Ndabikunze, the Director General of Rwanda Agricultural Board.

The forum was organised by Consortium for Improving Agricultural-based Livelihoods in Africa (CIALCA) in collaboration with RAB.

Professor Ndabikunze noted that the Rwanda government had, since 2007, initiated a crop intensification programme (CIP) to increase productivity noting that it had paid off by making the country the most food secure in the region.

"In the first year of the programme, 125,000 ha were consolidated. Today, 503,000 hectares or 63 percent of Rwandan's arable land is consolidated and the programme ensures that every farm, however small, has free access to improved seeds and subsidised fertilisers," he said.

He also attributed the country's food security to the increased public investment in the agricultural sector to 10.1 percent, slightly above the Maputo Declaration requirement. He added that this is expected to rise up to 12 percent by the end of the year.

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South Africa to sign CAADP Compact by mid-2012 By Erick Foadey, 1 November Pretoria A Seminar jointly hosted by the South African Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), and the United Nations Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) took place at the Innovations Hub in Pretoria on 20 October, 2011. NEPAD CEO Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (above far right) with delegates at the CAADP seminar. Click here to see photos of the event. Photo / NEPAD Agency The aim of the Seminar was to pave the way for South Africa’s involvement in the CAADP process and to develop a common and clear understanding of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sector development strategies so as to facilitate actions geared at supporting and strengthening CAADP implementation in South Africa. The Seminar was officially opened by the Acting Deputy Director-General of DAFF, Ms. Sue Middleton, followed by a goodwill message from the FAO Representative from Rome, Mr. Weldeghaber Kidane and introductory remarks by Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD Agency. In their messages, the speakers emphasised the need to identify a clear set of actions for CAADP value addition to accelerate South Africa’s agriculture development, especially alongside the country food security and poverty alleviation objectives and strategies. In his keynote address, Mr Sipho Ntombela, the Acting Director-General DAFF recalled South Africa's leading role in drafting the CAADP document. He explained the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and how it fits into CAADP’s objectives and main pillars. According to Dr Mayaki, the Seminar was "historic and memorable" because it was "a culmination of several engagements with DAFF and DIRCO geared to support the South African government to mainstream CASP in the implementation of CAADP". He went on by stating that "CAADP is not parallel to SA agriculture development strategy, CASP, but rather to be mainstreamed in existing strategy". After setting the tone of the conference, it was the task of the participants to identify, among others, the alignment of priorities, to define the SADC role in advocating CAADP, identify growth opportunities, policy and institutional gaps, as well as market access for agriculture products. In the process prior to the compact signature by South Africa, the participants agreed that the "country ownership, leadership and stakeholder involvement are key in the CAADP process”. During the Seminar, participants also agreed that "partnerships are extremely important"" and highlighted the need to open the process to non-state actors: NGO’s, civil society, farmers' organisations, the private sector and academia. In her closing remarks, Ms Middleton, acknowledged the need to "set up a national CAADP task team in line with the Integrated Growth Development Programme (IGDP) of South Africa". She emphasised that "South Africa has to draw from lessons learnt from other countries that have already implemented CAADP". She added that "CAADP is about transformation and not about process-oriented thinking" and called on all stakeholders to work together towards South Africa’s CAADP compact signing by mid-2012. READ MORE Further reading: SA trails African countries in NEPAD agriculture plan

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What it means -- the big day for African
food and nutrition security

"If Africa does not invest in food and nutrition security, the consequences will be too big" says NEPAD's Bibi Giyose

By Boitshepo Bibi Giyose

Addis Ababa: The African Union (AU) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, convened a special consultation of the Steering Group of the Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day as part of a plan to firm up the implementation of activities that will lead up to the continent-wide commemoration of the Day on October 30th. The statistics of Africa's food insecurity and compromised nutritional status are staggering and well known. Over 200 million Africans are undernourished and an even greater proportion suffers from vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

However, there is hope that the fight against malnutrition can be won.

Mr. Menghestab Haile, Deputy Director-WFP and Ms. Bibi Giyose, Senior Advisor for Food and Nutrition Security-NEPAD

The opportunity for intra-African trade of agriculture food commodities that are of high value and nutritionally sound is immense. What needs to be done at the earliest opportunity is to apply some of the more relevant indigenous knowledge systems around the best nutrition, as has been done for generations. But more importantly, the time is ripe for scaling up proven interventions. Therefore, one of the main goals and objectives of Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day is to ensure that information and knowledge is transmitted and communicated to all the different levels of consumers - policy makers, progamme implementers and all the vulnerable households.

Given the challenges of poor research and policy translation into action and tangible results coupled by weak capacity in many member states and the evidently low investments in nutrition programmes, this can only lead to malnutrition. So, the Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day provides an opportunity for changing the status quo and ensuring a robust accountability mechanism. The Day will showcase the potential for adequately linking agriculture and nutrition value chains. Therefore, recognising the richness of Africa's traditional and indigenous nutritious food commodities, educating the public on the best utilisation, sharing success stories on progress in reducing hunger and malnutrition in Africa is imperative.

While there may be challenges, there clearly are models to be learnt from and emulated. This will take a concerted effort across all Government sectors, Private sector, Civil Society Organisations, Development partners, Institutions of Higher Learning and the average African to commit and contribute towards delivering and attaining the best nutrition for all.

The commemoration will be at two levels, continentally and at the level of member states. The activities will focus on 4 main flagship areas; dietary diversity, homegrown school feeding, maternal and child nutrition and food fortification.

“If Africa does not invest in food and nutrition security, the consequences will be big…” says Boitshepo Bibi Giyose, Senior Advisor for Food and Nutrition Security at the NEPAD Agency.

“This is the time for Africa, the energy is palpable, the momentum and support is promising, hence, let's seize the DAY! “, she adds enthusiastically.

Boitshepo Bibi Giyose is the Senior Advisor for Food and Nutrition Security at the NEPAD Agency

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Click here to view the photo gallery of the day.

Further reading: Scaling Up Food and Nutrition Security in Africa programme

Nutrition holds the key to the future, says NEPAD CEO "I encourage all member states to embrace this day and fully utilise it as an opportunity for enhanced multisectoral planning and coordination for improved food and nutrition security. Come 2015 we must as a continent be able to show progress on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. And nutrition remains the key that unlocks the door to achieving the MDG’s and other targets." Ethiopian Goodwill Ambassador, Amb. Haile Gebreselassie delivering his keynote at the Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day. Photo / NEPAD Agency That was the message from Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the NEPAD Agency, in a speech to a distinguished gathering of ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps and the top leadership of the African Union Commission, in Addis Ababa on 31 October to commemorate Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day. Dr Mayaki said NEPAD as a development framework to accelerate the implementation of programmes and projects on the ground "has proven to be one of the continent’s best initiatives that all development partners rally around". "The development community today understands that for example in order to support agriculture development, they must align with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the same applies for other sectoral agendas." Click here to read Dr Mayaki's speech.

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COMESA and CAADP have role in AU-NEPAD Agriculture-Climate Change framework

Source: NEPAD, 2 September

Durban: A number of professionals from the COMESA Climate Change Initiative and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) were among participants at the NEPAD and African Union Commission (AUC) consultative dialogue on operationalising the Agriculture Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation framework; that took place on 17-19 August in Durban, South Africa.

The AU-NEPAD Agriculture Climate Change Adaptation-Mitigation Framework is a response to the calls of the 13th AU Summit of 2009 which called for such an undertaking. The programme was formulated by the AU-NEPAD Agency as part of its continental mandates to coordinate and oversee implementation of CAADP as a delivery mechanism for agricultural development and this would lead to the achievement of food security in Africa.

The workshop was organised as a first, in a series of steps towards operationalising the AU-NEPAD Agriculture-Climate Change framework, as well as to look at salient issues related to the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences of the Parties (COP 17) to be held in Durban in December.

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Liberia adopts CAADP and aims to feed itself

Source: allAfrica.com, 26 August

Liberia Agriculture Minister Florence Chenoweth Photo / allAfrica.com

Monrovia: Liberia is recovering from 25 years of conflict and instability which left it dependent on agricultural imports, largely food aid.

While the agricultural sector still faces enormous infrastructural and capacity constraints, agriculture minister Dr. Florence Chenoweth is optimistic that the country can feed itself within five years.

AllAfrica's Boakai Fofana and Tami Hultman talked to her in the capital.

Some quotes from the interview:

We have worked fast and hard to the point where within less than five years, we now have some animal life in the agricultural sector. We have re-established some of the inland fisheries. We are doing our own cattle breeding. Furthermore, for the first time in Liberia's history, we have [produced] our own foundation rice seeds. We are very proud that our scientists have managed to achieve this.

In five years, we have decentralized the Ministry of Agriculture. We have fully-operating offices in each of the fifteen counties. Now our farmers do not have to travel to Monrovia - they can deal with the government and the Ministry of Agriculture in every country. We guarantee our farmers - with support from our government and with some assistance from our Japanese partners - that if they produce surplus, we'll buy it, process it, and market it.

It's been two years of very hard work. Liberia became CAADP compliant in October 2009. Then we worked toward stage two, where we developed a country-specific programme. Our development partners joined us in preparing LASP - Liberia Agriculture Sectoral Program, a peer review process involving experts around the world. LASP qualified us for the GASFP competition, a $240 million fund run through the World Bank - but all donors have a say. Countries submit proposals and hope and pray that they'll qualify.

We are not trying to build an agricultural sector to get back to 1980s level; we're trying to build an agricultural sector of the 21st century.

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Farmers blame hunger on poor policies and call for greater support for CAADP

Source: Tanzania Daily News, 28 August

Dar es Salaam: Small-scale farmers from southern and eastern Africa have attributed regular food shortages in the region to ineffective government policies that fail to address pertinent issues in the sector.

They have accused the governments of neglecting agriculture, citing failure by many states to allocate 10 percent of their national budgets to finance the agricultural sector.

Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) and National Network of Small Farmers Groups in Tanzania (MVIWATA) meeting in Morogoro decried state negligence and poor policies that impede their access to lucrative markets.

"State neglect of small-scale farmers who are the main producers have greatly contributed to the food crisis facing the larger eastern Africa," ESAFF Regional Coordinator Joe Mzinga said. noting that the two organisations believed that it was due to failure of food laws and policies that put the whole region in unbearable pain.

"Governments should immediately fulfill Maputo Declaration to top up agriculture budget to 10 percent of national budgets. National assemblies' should hold emergency sessions, and force this to be done," he said,

ESAFF Chairperson, Moses Shaha called on regional blocs such as Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Southern Africa Development Community and East African Community to sign and domesticate the CAADP Compact as the Economic Community of West African States has done.

"CAADP programme implementation should involve small-scale farmers. Our opinion and observations should be taken into account to realise sustainable agro-ecological agriculture development which is meaningful to Africa."

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A canoe fishery in Gambia Gambia praised for conservation of fish stock Source: allAfrica.com, 4 August Banjul: The Gambia Fisheries Department in collaboration with fisheries stakeholders has revitalised the national consultative committee for the management of the small pelagic (juvenile) fish stock. In presenting the new constitution of the committee, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and an action plan. Nfamara Darboe, the deputy director of fisheries in his inaugural statement emphasised the important role pelagic fishery plays in the rejuvenation of demersal fishery. Most of Gambia's pelagic fish stock, he said is shared and is important in maintaining the ecosystem. He called on the members of the committee to remain vigilant in the conservation of the pelagic fish stock in Gambian waters. Dr. Hamadi Jobe, head of research and information systems at the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission based in Senegal hailed the efforts of the Fisheries Department and its stakeholders, stating that Gambia is the first country under the Commission to have established a national consultative committee on the management of pelagic fishery. He explained that pelagic fishery stock are vital water resources that migrate from Morocco to The Gambia through Mauritania and Senegal. READ MORE World Bank impressed by NEPAD's West Africa fisheries project Source: allAfrica.com, 9 August Freetown: A team of experts from the World Bank has commended the Sierra Leonoe Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources for the successful implementation of the first phase of the West Africa Regional Fisheries Programme, funded by the World Bank and the NEPAD Agency for the past one year. The Partnership for Africa Fisheries is a regional programme implemented by NEPAD that is aimed at supporting a politically-led process to strengthen Africa's ability to define and take forward effective reforms in fisheries governance and to build the capacity of West African countries including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal among others to effectively manage their fisheries industries. Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr. Soccoh Kabia noted that illegal fishing and poor management of the country's territorial waters were key challenges to the ministry as the country was losing millions of dollars through illegal fishing activities. READ MORE The Partnership for African Fisheries Programme (PAF) is a flagship programme of the NEPAD Agency. For more information please visit www.africanfisheries.org and/or the Fisheries page on the NEPAD website at www.nepad.org

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