PROMOTING AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA TO ACHIEVE THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Monty Jones, Executive Director UN presentation

Presentation Outline  Role of agriculture towards achievement of MDGs  Regional strategies and frameworks towards reforming African agriculture to increase its productivity thereby contributing to achievement of the MDGs  CAADP,  FAAP  FARA and SROs  Conclusion

Performance of African agriculture Cereal yields rose in all regions except Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) SSA registered lowest growth in agricultural value added per agricultural population Source: World Bank (2007) World Development Report 2008 LEGEND: SSA – Sub Saharan Africa SA – South Asia EAP – East Asia and Pacific MENA – Middle East and North Africa LAC – Latin America and Caribbean Indicators of agricultural performance show stagnation or decline in SSA

Role of agriculture towards achievement of MDGs in SSA GoalRole of Agriculture in SSA 1. Eradicating poverty and hunger Increase in agricultural productivity and access to markets increases income, food availability and reduces food prices 7. Ensure environmental sustainability Practices that integrate sustainability; Increased productivity curbs pressure on sources of environmental services 2. Universal primary education 3. Empowerment of women 4. Reduction in child mortality, 5. Maternal health improvement 6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria + other diseases Improving agricultural practices to relieve children, girls and women from labour and drudgery Raising incomes Enhancing food and nutrition security

SSA not likely to achieve MDG targets by 2015 Unless current trends of decline are dramatically reversed, SSA is set to become the only region that will fail to achieve MDG targets by 2015 East Asia and Pacific Latin America & Caribbean South Asia MDG Targets Sub Saharan Africa Share of people living on less than US$1 a day (%) Source: (World Bank 2005)

The African vision by AU/NEPAD  Dynamic agricultural markets among nations/region  Become a net exporter of agricultural products  Food available/affordable + equitable wealth distribution  Strategic player in agricultural S&T development  Sustainable use of natural resources Regional agricultural production to grow at an annual rate of 6% by Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)

The CAADP Pillars PILLAR 1 Extending the area under sustainable land and water management PILLAR 3 Increasing food supply and reducing hunger PILLAR 4 Agricultural research, technology dissemination & adoption Integrated natural resource management Adoptive management of appropriate germplasm Development of sustainable market chains Policies for sustainable agriculture PILLAR 2 Improving rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access Each pillar has a lead institution responsible for developing a framework (guidelines and principles for implementation)

The Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP) 1. Systematic fragmentation among innovation systems elements Capacity weaknesses Insufficient end-user involvement Ineffective farmer support systems 2. Fragmented external support 3. Inadequate investment in ARD 1. Systematic fragmentation among innovation systems elements Capacity weaknesses Insufficient end-user involvement Ineffective farmer support systems 2. Fragmented external support 3. Inadequate investment in ARD 4% growth rate in agricultural productivity CAADP 6% growth rate in agriculture CAADP 6% growth rate in agriculture Prioritizes activities with the highest potential to impact productivity, e.g. Endorsed by African Heads of State and Government in June 2006

The FAAP process Common understanding of FAAP as a tool to:  Provide sound guidance for overall direction of agricultural productivity interventions  Support processes that steer institutions and programs towards CAADP vision  Advocate increased political support, technical, methodological support and financial support

FAAP as a tool for promoting agricultural innovation farmer 1. Evolution & reform of agricultural institutions & services 3. Aligned & coordinated financial support 2. Increasing the scale of Africa’s investment Extension, research, training & education African countries, private sector Development agencies, int’l financing institutions

FAAP interventions National (e.g. Poverty Reduction Strategies) - Response to market conditions and economic fluctuations - Knowledge sharing, synergies & feedback mechanisms - Stakeholder participation in decision making National (e.g. Poverty Reduction Strategies) - Response to market conditions and economic fluctuations - Knowledge sharing, synergies & feedback mechanisms - Stakeholder participation in decision making Sub-regional (e.g. WAAPP of West Africa) -use of pluralistic model - use principles of subsidiarity - cost sharing to achieve economies of scale - coordinated advocacy Sub-regional (e.g. WAAPP of West Africa) -use of pluralistic model - use principles of subsidiarity - cost sharing to achieve economies of scale - coordinated advocacy Regional (e.g. FARA regional initiatives) -Advocacy for investments -Partnership building -Exchange of info & learning Regional (e.g. FARA regional initiatives) -Advocacy for investments -Partnership building -Exchange of info & learning

Relationship of FARA and SROs to FAAP & CAADP

FARA’s Regional Initiatives Network support function InitiativeConcept 1.Advocacy and resource mobilisation FAAP Framework to guide interventions 2.Access to knowledge and technologies RAILS Facilitate access to information and learning DONATA Dissemination of technologies 3.Regional policies and markets ABBI Policies on emerging technologies 4.Capacity strengthening SCARDA Institutional capacity development BASIC Building Africa’s capacity to build it’s own capacity 5.Partnerships and strategic alliances SSA-CP Promoting innovation systems approach to research PAEPARD Inter-regional collaboration between Europe and Africa

Tracking progress towards 10% contribution of national budgets to agriculture ( ) Increasing investment in African agricultural productivity programs What is required? Substantial increase in funding from African governments G8 and associated development agencies to honour commitments to increase support to African agriculture

Harmonization of external funding support 1.Synchronization of support to avoid fragmentation 2.Enhancement of overall funding to national governments 3.Contribute towards comprehensive + sustained funding Aims Mechanisms 1.Shift from project support to a programmatic approach 2.Adoption of common processes Common financial management procedures, monitoring and evaluation and reporting and review systems 3.Multi-donor trust funds or pooling of resources

Monitoring & Evaluation of FAAP  FAAP and CAADP review process  To be undertaken in year 2010 and 2015  To cover status of agricultural innovation across the continent  FAAP monitoring and evaluation  Investments in agricultural research and dissemination systems  Trends in value of agricultural production, productivity, trade  Trends in farmer income and poverty measures  Indicators of institutional capacity and reform  Number and area under new technologies  Number of farmers, processors and others adopting the new technologies  Policy, strategies and programs in place  Number of donors coordinating and harmonizing support under FAAP

Conclusion  Agriculture is a fundamental instrument for achieving broad-based development in Africa and the MDGs  A Vision and Framework for increasing agricultural productivity (CAADP & FAAP) are in place and have received endorsement at the highest political level.  We now need to speed up their implementation; a collective task for national, regional and international actors  Africa may not realise the MDGs by the target date of 2015, but with concerted effort towards the Vision it can achieve them within the lifetimes of our children!!