FARA to Stockholm Poverty Policy Paper feb06

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An agricultural research perspective on poverty, innovation policies and agricultural development in Sub Saharan Africa Monty Jones Executive Secretary Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa

Africa: 

Africa 64% of population live in rural areas 2.5 % annual population growth 20% of world landmass High potential for agriculture (i.e. 92% is forest, woodland) Source: Worldbank, 2005

Low agricultural productivity: 

Low agricultural productivity Adverse agro-climatic condition Increasing vulnerability to disaster Slow diffusion of technology High transport costs Small markets High disease burden Source: Worldbank, 2005

Increasing number of malnourished children: 

Increasing number of malnourished children Per-capita cereal production fell to 124 kg, leaving African diets with lowest calorie content by 2020 the number of malnourished children will increase from 33 to 39 million Agricultural development challenges

Increasing number of population is living in less than a dollar a day: 

Increasing number of population is living in less than a dollar a day

Extent, meaning and consequences of poverty: 

Extent, meaning and consequences of poverty Statistics do not convey the full impact of poverty It affects freedom to live valued life and undertake crucial functions Excludes individuals and groups from full participation in the societies Causes children’s suffering but also disempowerment Causes ill health halving per capita earnings Women tend to be more powerless and enhances failure of coping mechanisms

Poverty negates every human right: 

Poverty negates every human right Right to property Right to Self determination Freedom of assembly and association Right to social security Special protection for refugees and internally displaced persons Minority rights Right to participation in political affairs Special protection for Children Freedom of opinion Right to land Right to Health Right to life Cultural rights Indigenous rights Right to non- discrimination Right to education Right to security of person Right to fair administration of justice. Right to information Right to an adequate standard of living Right to food & freedom from hunger

What is Africa doing: 

What is Africa doing To fight extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals? The African vision Attain 6% annual agricultural production growth rate by; Creating dynamic agricultural markets among nations and between regions Making African countries net exporter of agricultural products Making food available and affordable Being a strategic player in agricultural S&T development Having a culture of sustainable use of natural resource base

What is Africa doing,: 

What is Africa doing, To fight extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals? The African leadership New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) : Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) CAADP pillars Pillar 1 land & water mgt Pillar 3 Increasing food supply & reducing hunger Pillar 2 Rural infrastructure & trade-related capacities for market access Pillar 4 Agricultural research, technology dissemination & adoption

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Pillar 4: agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption Purpose: to overcome the constraints to sustainable use of Africa’s natural resources with improved technologies and policies Themes Integrated natural resource management Adoptive management of appropriate germplasm Development of sustainable market chains Policies for sustainable agriculture CAADP pillars Pillar 1 land & water mgt Pillar 3 Increasing food supply & reducing hunger Pillar 2 Rural infrastructure & trade-related capacities for market access The role of agricultural research

Possibilities for increasing African agricultural productivity : 

Possibilities for increasing African agricultural productivity Expanding areas under cultivation is not good enough It should be application of new knowledge; science-based farmer-derived innovations

Selected Success Stories from ARD: 

Selected Success Stories from ARD Nigeria national cassava initiative National government initiative to maximize production, processing and industrial use of cassava National government provide funding to research and technology application the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) giving basic research and training to national researchers and extension workers Results Improved varieties of cassava immediately available to farmers Fight against the cassava mosaic disease before spreading Post harvest processing improved Increase income of farmers

The New Rice for Africa: 

The New Rice for Africa Higher yields Reduced risk; better resistance to abiotic and biotic constraints Enhanced labour productivity: reduced needs for weeding and shorter growth duration

Kenya flower business: 

Selected Success Stories Kenya flower business Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) provide technical support to tissue culture through research and training Local farmers gets training on increased production and use of new technologies Private firms investing on tissue culture laboratory to service local farmers Results: Kenyan farmers exporting to Europe Competitive local farmers Increased farmer’s income

Tissue culture banana: 

Tissue culture banana Higher yields: bunch weights averaging more than 40kg compared to the usual 15-30kg Increase income per acre by at least 100%

Farmer innovations: 

Farmer innovations Planting pits: an example Traditional planting pits were used for rehabilitating small areas of rock-hard barren land that rain couldn’t penetrate Farmers improved technique by widening the pits and applying manure which concentrated water and nutrients

Centres of excellence: 

Centres of excellence Focus on problems of African smallholders and pastoralists not addressed by other research institutions or the private sector Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) - the first in a continent-wide network of four Work with universities to train young scientists to MSc and PhD levels and provide opportunities for post-doctoral fellows Enhance the work of university laboratories Enable academic staff in Africa to further professional development and undertake high-priority research

Policy Constraints on Innovation: 

Policy Constraints on Innovation Smallholder research depends on public investment because the market is too small for private investors Due to low impact of research and extension funding for public services have decreased Research and extension services in disarray and dispirited

Four other key properties of successful agricultural innovation: 

Four other key properties of successful agricultural innovation Looking forward and preparing for future scenarios Focusing on entrepreneurship in its broadest sense Incorporating organisational and institutional innovations as integral parts of dynamic systems Integrating national systems of innovation with foreign knowledge sources

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Five basic requirements to increase agricultural research impact on African economic development: An agricultural framework to carry out required reforms and investments (FAAP) A new innovation systems approach to agricultural research for development (SSA CP) A human capacity to implement, internalise and upscale new approaches to researchers, change agents, processors, marketers, and not least policy makers (BASIC) Immediate applications of technologies that can make a difference and restore credibility in agricultural development (DONATA) African ARD stakeholders better able to retrieve and contribute to global knowledge of agricultural science & development (RAILS)

Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP): 

Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP)

FAAP as the framework: 

FAAP as the framework For policy makers a mechanism for facilitating the development and strengthening of agricultural productivity programs For ARD actors a guide to promote agricultural innovation systems For all a mechanism to harmonize internal and external actions and actors

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East Africa West Africa Southern Africa North Africa Country specific Country specific Country specific Country specific FAAP implementation at three levels Programs and projects aligned to national priorities; Activities with no value-addition for trans-boundary collaboration Value addition of trans-boundary collaboration Largely cross-sectoral foster efficiency & competition Reduce transaction costs Regional

New innovation systems approach The Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Program: 

New innovation systems approach The Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Program Building sustainable livelihoods through integrated agricultural research for development Principles Foster synergies among disciplines and institutions Renewed commitment to change at all levels from farmers to national and international policy makers Draws on available knowledge & best-bet technologies Pilot learning teams formed to identify problems Interventions driven by local needs

The Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Program  Building sustainable livelihoods through integrated agricultural research for development: 

The Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Program Building sustainable livelihoods through integrated agricultural research for development Objectives Intensifying smallholder farmers Sustainable natural resource management Developing efficient markets Developing supportive policies Supporting pillars Organizational & institutional change Capacity building for project teams & African institutions Knowledge management & information sharing Monitoring & evaluation, and impact assessment

Pilot learning sites: 

Pilot learning sites Pilot learning site: Kano-Katsina-Maradi lessons on how factors behind the success of bright-spots can become drivers of scaling out (interactions between intensification and sustainability) Pilot Learning site 2: Lake Kivu lessons on how to promote high value and niche crops to raise incomes of smallholders and sustain natural resources Pilot learning site 3: Zimbabwe-Mozambique-Malawi transect early lessons on private sector investments in research e.g. private extension services provided to tobacco growers Each site has different historical, economic and agricultural circumstances requiring different policy responses to create efficient markets with low transaction costs

Building Africa’s Scientific and Institutional Capacity (BASIC): 

Building Africa’s Scientific and Institutional Capacity (BASIC) Module 1 Improvement of curricula and development of training resources for African tertiary agricultural education Module 2 Building capacity for innovation systems approach Module 3 Managing risk and uncertainty in agriculture Module 4 Biotechnology and biosafety Module 5 Strengthening capacity of African universities to introduce agricultural business principles into general agricultural teaching and training Module 6 Strengthening Agricultural Information and Knowledge Management BASIC is a coalition of African universities, non-African partner universities and the CGIAR and its partner NARIs African universities set the priorities and agenda for strengthening Africa's capacity to build capacity in agriculture and natural resources education at the BSc level.

Regional agricultural information and learning systems (RAILS): 

Regional agricultural information and learning systems (RAILS) Provides equitable access to information and learning for African ARD stakeholders Strengthen African ICT/ICM capacities Infrastructure support i.e. computers, ICT connectivity Training on use of ICT for ARD Facilitate exchange of information and learning Making best use of diverse information available Consolidation of agricultural information systems Having one African platform for ARD Advocacy on use of ICT/ICM in ARD Increase support by African leaders Improve policy on ICT

Dissemination of New Agricultural Technologies in Africa (DONATA): 

Dissemination of New Agricultural Technologies in Africa (DONATA) Maximize the potential of research to make a difference and restore credibility in agricultural development Identify common opportunities and problems in dissemination of different technologies and lessons learnt for rapid dissemination Initial portfolio of technologies NERICA Tissue Culture Banana IR-maize for striga control improved cassava INRM tools

Relations of FARA’s programs to its primary functions: 

Relations of FARA’s programs to its primary functions Sharing & exchange of knowledge & technology (RAILS, DONATA) Advocacy role (FAAP) Promote functional partnership (SSA CP, BASIC)

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Status of the regional initiatives FAAP SSA CP BASIC DONATA RAILS

CONCLUSION: 

CONCLUSION There are successful innovations from formal research but also from farmer innovation Concerted effort is needed to contextualise technologies with farmers for wide adoption New agricultural research policies are required to provide institutional and individual incentives for multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional and multi-stakeholder participatory approaches to research Action requires radically new ways of doing research to cope with the complexity and dynamics of African production systems

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THANK YOU