REPRESENTATIVES of African Union (AU) member states, parliamentarians, African farmers’ organisations and development partners met in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently to discuss implementation of the 2014 declaration to advance agricultural growth on the continent.

The 11th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) sought to build a shared understanding of country and regional needs and expectations in terms of the roll-out of the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

The platform resolved to accelerate agricultural transformation on the continent and bury the “syndrome” of begging for food through collective and AU member State-specific actions.

This followed the adoption of the declaration by AU Heads of State and governments at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, in Equatorial Guinea, in June last year.

The countries committed themselves to allocating 10 percent of their yearly budget to supporting agriculture while ensuring a six percent yearly agriculture productivity growth rate by 2025.

They further committed to enhancing investment in finance in agriculture, ending hunger in Africa by 2025, halving poverty by 2025 through inclusive agricultural growth and transformation and boosting intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services among others.

Among the CAADP PP’s strategic action areas was enhancing the support to the owners of smallholdings to enable them to transition into modern “family farms” as well as strengthening the position of farmers, women and youth in agricultural value-chains, while promoting preference for regional markets.

“Indeed, to take advantage of the growing domestic market and reduce food dependency, a regional preference strategy is essential, consistent with the regional integration agenda.

“This may include promoting customs unions and a functional free-trade area, as well as a kind of ‘infant industry’ strategy that protects emerging industries for a gradual integration into global markets,” AU implementing agency, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) outlined in a CAADP PP support document this week.

The work programme would further attempt to increase the resilience of livelihoods and systems through “coping and adaptation mechanisms” at production level, while reducing shock-reduction measures.

“The transformation of agriculture and the building of resilience must be part of a comprehensive approach that includes regulating the relationships between stakeholders and market institutional arrangements that promote contractual and balanced relationships within the value chains,” it read.

Attention would also be given to the management of natural resources and to increasing the participation of the local community to ensure secure and equitable access to opportunities and ensure a fair distribution of the created wealth.

The CAADP results framework document outlined that the continent should intensify attention on agriculture as a priority sector, increase investment into the sector, sustain an enabling environment, mainstream youth, gender and nutrition issues into agricultural programmes and sustain regional integration  efforts.

“The continent should, however, stop playing beggar in the global food system and selling arable land for fuel at the expense of agriculture and local people’s livelihoods.

“We should also stop paying lip-service to agricultural investment instead of acting on pledged investments and accepting donor financing regardless of the agenda,” the framework stated.

Member States should meanwhile encourage more aggressive African agriculture entrepreneurship on the domestic and global markets and accurately value the natural resources needed for agriculture, such as land, water and labour.

CAADP should be further driven as a tool to empower people to “unleash” their own potential, while promoting transparency and accountability on all levels.

“It’s now time to deliver. It’s now time to walk that talk. Indeed the Malabo Declaration is in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and we need a greater call for action and the expedient translation of the commitments into results,” AUC Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture commissioner Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, appealed. — Online.

 

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