By Benjamin Abugri & Shaquille Pennaneach

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) alongside the Agroecology Consortium, EC-Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC) and the EC Directorate General’s Department for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) have launched the Regional Multi-actor Research Network  #RMRN_agroecology Project to support the Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) related to Green Transition, as part of the FARA and RUFORUM component on agroecology. The project’s main aim is to increase Science Technology and Innovation capacities of RCoEs in agroecology to efficiently contribute to a green transition in Sub Saharan Africa. The 36-month project officially started on January 1, 2024. 

The RMRN Project is funded by the European Union (EU) as part of its Regional Multi-year Indicative Programme (MIP) for Africa. The MIP will support strengthening the consortia of Africa based institutions to lead interventions in Africa in several domains including multi-stakeholder partnerships to bring agroecological innovations to scale, using co-learning, co-creation, and multi-stakeholder approach. The Africa-based and Africa-led research organisations include FARA, CORAF, ASARECA, CCARDESA, universities under the RUFORUM Network and Africa in general and other research institutions. The proposed actions will promote partnership with relevant institutions such as Farmer organizations under the Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO), extension institutions under the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory services (AFAAS), NGOs, CSOs, the private sector, and financial institutions. The project targets countries in Eastern, Western, Southern and Central Africa. The initiative fits within the EU’s alignment to the  2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity to help eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and achieve sustainable development. The proposed action is also highly relevant to the AU-EU partnership on agriculture and food systems development priorities. 

Group photo of Partner representatives and participating organizations

Agroecology has been suggested as a promising concept for reconciling agricultural production and environmental sustainability by optimizing ecological processes that deliver ecosystem services (ES) to replace external inputs. Agroecology, defined as the application of ecological concepts and principals in farming is one of the holistic approaches that has been identified to enable understanding agriculture within the context of various interacting economic, environmental, and social systems and contribute to food security and improved livelihood among the rural communities. The transition towards agroecological food systems and the development of both productive and resilient farming systems and value chains are complex processes and requires new knowledge, competencies, and policies to address complex problems, co-create solution based on agroecological principles and integrate scientific and local knowledge. 

Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director (FARA) addressing partners and participants during Day 1 of the RMRN Inception Meetings and Field visits to NaCORI and RUFORUM

All institutions in the project pledged commitment and synergies to ensure that the initiative contributes to a sustainable food system for Africa. On their part, Prof. Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary of RUFORUM and Dr. Aggrey Agumya, both leaders of the continental implementing institutions emphasized how this initiative will further strengthening and existing collaboration and synergies among the Africa Agricultural Research, Education, and Innovations Institutions (AAREII). On behalf of the African Union Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Gariba, a Senior Communications Specialist representing the AUC, pledged the full commitment of the Commission to the realization of the project’s objectives.  

Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director (FARA) shaking hand with Prof. Patrick Okori following the project MoU signing.

To officially launch the Project, the Minister of State for Animal Industry of the Republic of Uganda, Hon. Bright Kanyontore Rwamirama, stated that, “we are no longer talking about production but productivity due to the challenges faced by increased population. Science is the way to go and where renowned scientists are gathered like this, it is an opportunity to think differently and do things differently to achieve and sustain Africa’s prosperity.”   Also present at the inception meeting were the Executive Directors and/or representatives of AFAAS, CCARDESA, CORAF, ASARECA, PAFO/EAFF, NARO and delegation from the EU including EC-JRC, EC-INTPA and the EC-Delegation to Uganda.  

Hon. Bright Kanyontore Rwamirama, Minister of State for Animal Industry of the Republic of Uganda

As outlined by the Coordinator of the Project, Dr. Kwaku Antwi, the project has three main objectives :  

1. Strengthened scientific and technological capacities of RMRNs in Agroecology to produce, collect, access, process, share data / information and carry out research activities using a gender-sensitive approach.  
2. Increased RMRNs contribution in agroecology through transformative quality research and scientific knowledge generation and dissemination. 
3. Enhanced gender-sensitive support to agroecology practitioners, scientists, and policymakers.  

Dr. Kwaku Antwi addressing the congregation of partners and participants

At the end of the three years of the project, technical capacities and skill of researchers and scientists would have been built to carry out scientific studies in agroecology; improved infrastructural access by the RMRNs to carry out quality research and studies in Agroecology; available and accessible quality agroecology knowledge products and information; platform for knowledge exchange and information sharing/exchange would have been established; improved research-policy linkage; strengthened collaboration between the RMRNs and the Pan-African Network for economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP), and increased Advocacy for agroecology principles and practices; he concluded.   

#RMRN_agroecology 

The post FARA and RUFORUM inaugurate the Regional Multi-Actor Research Network on Agroecology to Support Regional Centres of Excellence related to the Green Transition appeared first on FARA Africa.

Accra, Ghana

Introduction

A consortium of three German research and implementation-oriented projects has begun developing a blueprint for Sustainable Land Management (SLM) covering all its dimensions regarding ecological, economic, and social aspects, especially gender equity. In Northern Ghana, two workshops were held at the Tamale campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) from November 15 to 23, 2023.

Participants during the INTERFACES, COINS and DECLARE projects meetings at the UDS Campus in Tamale, Ghana

The workshops were jointly organised by the Supporting Pathways for Sustainable Land Management in Africa (INTERFACES) with two (Co-developing Innovations for Sustainable Land Management in West African Smallholder Farming Systems – COINS and Decision Support for Strengthening Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges – DecLaRe) of the four research projects in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funding consortium, brought together various stakeholders from the government sector, public institutions, private sector, farmer-based organisations, international development agencies, civil society organisations, media and traditional authorities in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Group Picture of stakeholders during the first meeting

The projects aim to address long-standing challenges within the sector on land use and ownership by strengthening the weak interaction between Science, Policy, and Practice. These initial workshops sought to establish a participatory learning platform for joint learning and exchange and develop a gender-responsive theory of change for sustainable land management. As an accompanying project, INTERFACES will focus on supporting the social dimensions of SLM, especially gender of the COINS and DecLaRe projects, which are being rolled out in the Northern and Savannah Regions as well as in other parts of Benin and Senegal.

First Two-Day Workshop With The COINS And DECLARE Projects at UDS Campus, Tamale

In her introductory remarks, the Project Lead of INTERFACES and Senior Scientist at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn, Dr. Tina Beuchelt, highlighted the need to enhance the fusion of research, policymakers and implementers. Acknowledging the historically low adoption rates, the INTERFACES team initiated a workshop to develop a Gender Responsive Theory of Change for Sustainable Land Management and establish a Participatory Learning Platform to strengthen adoption.

Dr. Tina Beuchelt, Project Lead of INTERFACES and Senior Scientist at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn.

This collaborative approach will strengthen the implementation of research results and contribute to developing effective land management strategies.

“That’s why we thought we must engage with you, the local stakeholders who are the key experts in this area. She added, “Start discussions, learn about your experience, exchange our experiences, and get your feedback”.

Envisioning sustainable land management, Dr. Peter Asare-Nuamah, a Senior Researcher of the INTERFACES project, described it as empowering farmers to optimise land use, enhancing crop yields, generating social benefits for women and men, increasing income, and conserving the environment without causing pollution or degradation.

Dr. Peter Asare-Nuamah, Senior Researcher, INTERFACES, ZEF, University of Bonn

To achieve this goal, INTERFACES aims to incorporate various stakeholders’ diverse perspectives and priorities in an inclusive approach, ensuring that everyone has a meaningful role to play in shaping a sustainable future for land management. This becomes a vehicle to achieve sustainable land management. Dr. David Anaafo, a Senior Researcher with WASCAL, describes this as being “timeless, taking into consideration the needs of our present and future generations”.

Dr. David Anaafo, Senior Researcher, WASCAL and INTERFACES

On the part of FARA, Mr. Benjamin Abugri, the Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist, highlighted the role and commitment of its organisation in ensuring that the projects’ results are mainstreamed and sustained within its knowledge services and tools for the more significant learning benefit for not just the project beneficiary countries but the entire African continent.

Mr. Benjamin Abugri, Knowledge Management, Learning and Communications Cluster Leader & INTERFACES Project Coordinator at FARA

Stakeholders highlighted conflict, urbanisation, weak legal frameworks, climate change and soil degradation, unregistered lands, changing land tenure systems and difficulties for women to access land, labour, and inputs, among others, as some of the critical areas affecting sustainable land management.

From the left, the ‘Women’ Chief of Zabzugu Traditional Area, Yelzoli Gaa-Naa, Hawawu A Salifu, in the middle, Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Gukpegu (Tamale) and Kpalung Zobogu Naa, Mohamed Rashad Abdulai and INTERFACES Project Lead Dr. Tina Beuchelt

Role of Traditional Authorities

The workshop explored options for actualising a fair distribution of land among men and women in the Northern region, as currently, according to participants at the workshop, women are highly disadvantaged in accessing land. Their main access is via their husbands, and they often only get small pieces of land to farm and the most marginal, least fertile plot. Increasing land scarcity, the pressure of investors, and the lack of documentation were identified as a few of the many issues, drivers and barriers to enable SLM. Present at the meeting was the Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Gukpegu (Tamale), who doubles as the Kpalung Zobogu Naa, Mohamed Rashad Abdulai.

Additionally, the ‘Women’ Chief of Zabzugu Traditional Area, who doubles as the Yelzoli Gaa-Naa, Hawawu A Salifu, was in attendance.

The Kpalung Zobogu Naa, Mohamed Rashad Abdulai, drawing reference from his position as the Secretary of one of the largest land secretariats in the Northern region, said “when you come to the data, there are multiple women having acres of land, so what it means is that you don’t need to carry your husband to the chief. Just meet with the elders who will lead you to the chief, and you’ll be granted access”.

On adopting the proposed approaches, he stated, “let’s start with the communication. When we are going to communicate, we must communicate in a cordial manner that will make people listen to us. Still, if we radicalise it, it won’t move a centimetre”. Yelzoli Gaa-Naa, Hawawu A. Salifu called for increased education to lease land instead of selling it, noting that in the near future “it will be difficult for natives to have land for farming”.

Promoting gender-responsive sustainable land management is essential as Dr. Constance Akurugu, a Senior Lecturer at the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, believes that within the Northern region, “women are often seen as soon to leave members of their natal families, and when they finally arrive in the marital family they are often seen as, strangers and all closely tied to this or within the context of this women rarely have ownership to productive land.”

Therefore, with a call on traditional leaders and stakeholders to overcome the barriers, policymakers must “take initiatives that will lead to entering into a memorandum of understanding with landowners, heads of families and chiefs to ensure that once an agreement is entered into for women to have access to land, they can have access to the land to use for the period” she added.

Abdul Mateen Alhassan, a former Northern Regional Focal Person for the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, bemoaned farmers’ difficulty accessing funding and described the workshop as timely.

Some of the participants at the stakeholders INTERFACES, COINS and DECLARE meeting in Tamale

He explained that “even though land is not a problem in the Northern Region, financial institutions always demand a guarantee, but the fact that people are not registered with lands as their own and to say it is a borrowed one sometimes institutions find it difficult to understand and accept it as a collateral to grant farmers fund”.

Alhaji Alhassan, a farmer in Tolon explaining the practice of Integrated Soil Fertility Management at his farm to researchers of the INTERFACES, COINS and DECLARE projects

Field Visits to Tolon (Northern Region) and Busunu (Savannah Region)

• CSIR-SARI’s Integrated Soil Fertility Management Intervention in Tolon District, also working with COINS living lab intervention

The first field visit on November 17 to the northwestern part of the Northern Region showcased the success rate of the Integrated Soil Fertility Management Intervention on Alhaji Alhassan’s farm who Agrometeorologist at CSIR-Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, Dr. Alhassan Lansah Abdulai describes as an “early adopter who integrated soil fertility management; and crop rotation as an integral part of their farming”.

Beginning in 2011, Dr. Abdulai applauded his consistency, noting that “he is a serious soybean, maise, sorghum and groundnut farmer who has practised crop rotation to the latter”.

Alhassan recounted that with old farm practices, they “used to suffer a lot in order to get more yields to feed our families, but with the new technologies, we put in less effort to get more yields.”

Testifying about the impact of research and extension officers, “What we get from 1 acre is equivalent to what we used to get from about 10 acres under the old system. For instance, I thought I had cultivated one acre for 2023 with my sorghum, but it was a little over one acre when we used the GPS. Despite losing about 2 bags of sorghum to post-harvest losses, I’ve got 13 bags of the 100 kg bag, but under the old system, you could cultivate large acreage and get only 6 bags. It has reduced our drudgery and cost of farming.”

For knowledge transfer among farmers, Dr. Abdulai highlights a farmer exchange program “so during the season, we will bring the other farmers here and send the other people there so that they will offer farmer-to-farmer advice”.

Farmers and Researchers discussing the outcome of the application of the microdosing innovation at a farm at Busunu in the Savanna Region of Ghana

• Exploring a DecLaRe’s Project intervention and Greenhouse Farm in Busunu in the Savanna Region of Ghana

A field visit to the neighbouring Savanna Region on November 19 made a first stop at a greenhouse farm called Sadevco Gh in Busunu. The Farm Manager, Frederick Tetteh Pechi-Anim, welcomed and shared its vegetable production techniques of “different variety of vegetables; beefsteak tomato, cherry tomato, bell pepper, hot pepper, lettuce and Mediterranean cucumbers.”

Sharing some challenges in selling its produce, Mr Pechi-Anim explained that potential customers misinterpreted their farm as a GMO producer and were hesitant to patronise it. Due to cultural and other informational gaps, GMOs are still not accepted in northern

Ghana and not promoted by the government of Ghana. However, public sensitisation at the individual level helped to integrate the market while recording a higher sale to expatriates who visit the region or farm.

Field Coordinator for DecLaRe Project in Busunu, Dr. Deogratias Kofi Agbotui, showed the team the DecLaRe weather station positioned in Sadevco Ltd for its research. The device comprises a rain gauge and a temperature and light intensity gauge. He explained that the device helps in prediction modelling, and the data is shared with SADEVCO Ltd.

Dr. Deogratias Kofi Agbotui, Field Coordinator, DECLARE Project (right) and Mr Pechi-Anim, Manager of the SADEVCO Farm at Busunu in the Savanna Region of Ghana

The team continued to Yussif Bofoji Tanko’s farm, testing the micro-dosing interventions promoted by the DecLaRe Project. Mr. Tanko cultivates maise, ground nuts, cashews, bambara beans and rarely cassava. Recounting the importance of the intervention, he explained that the crops yielded better than those not under the experiment. Since this is his first year and he just harvested, he has yet to provide actual figures of yield difference. He lamented the cattle invasion on their farms and irregular rainfall pattern on the maise production, stating that “this year the rains were too much, which destroyed crops, and we also didn’t apply fertiliser”.

Later, the team visited another farmer, Ms. Zainab, who resides in Busunu. As a female farmer, she got her land from a share of her husband’s land solely for agriculture. She confirmed earlier submissions at the workshop that women face many challenges when farming. Her husband allocated six acres of land, which she used: “three acres for corn and three acres for okra. “I had four bags of maise and a bag of okra, and I am happy about the outcome of my harvest. This year, I’m done and waiting for the next planting season, whether I will get land or not.”

Second Two-Day Workshop on COINS and DECLARE Innovations

The second phase of the workshop was held on 22nd and 23rd November at UDS Tamale Campus to assess and forecast the economic, social and environmental impact of innovations by COINS and DECLARE in the Northern and Savannah Regions of Ghana.

Employing the ‘Decision Analysis Approach’, Dorcas Sanginga Alame, a PhD candidate pursuing Horticultural Science at the University of Bonn, says participant feedback helps to “forecast the impact of specific innovations of the regional project which INTERFACES is targeting in Northern Ghana”.

Miss Alame explained that the COINS project focuses on developing “sustainable intensification [solutions] by increasing productivity without taking up new lands” and works with Integrated Soil Fertility Management as one of the suggested innovations. The DECLARE project harbours two innovations, thus ‘micro-dosing to “increase productivity”.

For effective participation, participants first exchanged their ideas with their table neighbours, where men and women were grouped separately, and then experiences and ideas were consolidated. The women’s and men’s perspectives complemented each other. The discussions reviewed the benefits, costs, risks/barriers, challenges, and enabling factors for the selected innovations.

Perceived benefits of the COINS Integrated Soil Fertility Management

Among the list of its benefits labelled were increased crop yield, food security, improved income, economic empowerment, low cost of production, high income, high and sustainable productivity, marketability of products, etc.

An officer at the Northern Regional Women in Agricultural Development Directorate, Salatu Abubakar, reiterating the impact of one farming season in the North, posited that when a woman can reduce the cost of production coupled with an increase in yield then “as a woman with a small parcel of land you can get more income and you can leverage on other levels of income generation activities”.

An officer at the Northern Regional Department of Gender, Ms Bushira, highlighted the role of women in the agricultural value chain; hence, an increase in yield will mean that women who don’t farm “will like to take those yields to do processing so, in that case, it is also creating jobs for them, and they are also being economically empowered together with those who will market those products.”

Additionally, it was discussed that increased yield doesn’t necessarily translate to higher income, citing the paradox of bumper harvest where “everyone harvests and the price comes down at the end of the day you might not get higher income”.

Dr Theodore Asimeng, Senior Researcher at the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and the INTERFACES Project facilitating a session on ISFM during the workshop

Hence, other factors, such as price regulation and improved road networks, amongst others, should be considered. In the workshop, intense, longer discussions and exchanges followed on associated costs, risks and enabling factors. Again, the problem of access to land and the challenges women face in agriculture in adopting new practices emerged. One key aspect related to cultural norms and practices that disadvantage and marginalise women in agriculture, in addition to gender-based violence as a means to control women and their farm activities.

The Microdosing Approach of the DECLARE Project

The general concept of microdosing is to reduce the application of fertilisers by exactly placing fertiliser close to the plants. While some microdosing variants propose applying wall fertilisation in that form, the DECLARE variant only applies a microdose at the beginning of the season to young plants to give them a good start. While recognising the importance of the micro-dosing intervention, the workshop participants called for the intervention to be contextualised within the current farming systems and practices of farmers in the project communities, which is essential to aid in acceptance and adoption.

Conclusion

Stakeholders underscored the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to achieving food security, maintaining ecological integrity, ensuring equitable access to resources and productive lands, and implementing effective conflict resolution mechanisms. While pointing out many benefits of agricultural innovations, the many challenges attached to successfully implementing innovations and achieving higher yields, especially under climate change, became very clear.

Among the propositions for enabling mechanisms were, for example, demonstration plots/training platforms, farmer-to-farmer exchange, availability and timeliness of inputs, bridging finance solutions, sustainable prices and more conducive policies. The recommendations included formulating a comprehensive land-use plan, formalising land tenancy, implementing a land titling system that ensures access to land for women and other marginalised groups, and rigorously enforcing laws and policies. Further suggestions were to work with traditional authorities to change local norms and support activities like introducing the Gender Model Family (GMF) concept, a training programme developed to involve community members and families to live equitably and justly.

These measures, they believed, would create a conducive environment for sustainable land management and address some of the underlying challenges hindering progress in this crucial sector.

Group Picture of stakeholders during the second meeting

About the INTERFACES and the Four Regional Projects

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany, the INTERFACES Project is an accompanying project to four other regional projects to strengthen the integration, coherence, and reach of sustainable land management. The Four Regional Research Projects are the Co-developing Innovations for Sustainable Land Management in West African Smallholder Farming Systems (COINS), Decision Support for Strengthening Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges (DecLaRe), Increasing efficiency in the rangeland-based livestock value chains by co-designed digital technologies and machine learning approaches (InfoRange) and the Fostering local sustainable development through technology and research (Minodu). The INTERFACES Project is implemented by African and German institutions, including the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) and the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) from the Africa side, and the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the Centre for Development Research of the University of Bonn and the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (H-BRS). The projects target sub-Saharan Africa.

Visit https://sustainable-landmanagement-africa.net/en/ for details about the Sustainable Land Management Projects.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

FARA – Benjamin Abugri at babugri@faraafrica.org

IDOS – Aiveen Donnelly at Aiveen.Donnelly@idos-research.de

The post German and African Institutions Partner with Stakeholders to Create an Inclusive Knowledge Hub on SLM for Northern Ghana appeared first on FARA Africa.

Lusaka, Zambia

THE Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) prospects to externalize about US$50 billion per year from imported food commodities from outside the continent, it has been revealed.

CAAPs was established in 2019 as on of the initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and given the mandate to boost local processing and regional trade for agricultural commodities and their value chains.

However, the trend is about to change owing to the promotion of intra-trade in Africa.

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) assistant secretary general in charge of the programme Mohammed Kadah said CAAPs seeks to reverse externalization of funds by promoting cross-border agriculture value chains and attracting investments in agro-industrialization.

Dr. Kadah was speaking during the opening of a coordination meeting of CAAPs recently.

“Over the last five years, African countries have collectively spent approximately US$50 billion annually to import food products. Shockingly, this figure is expected to rise to US$110 billion per year by 2025…” he said.

He said with the projected increase in Africa’s population by 2050, there will be need for significant increase in agricultural production to ensure sufficient, affordable, healthy and nutritious food for all Africans.

Dr. Kadah said Africa should draw lessons from the disruption of supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the continent’s vulnerability to external shocks.

He said the crisis in Ukraine also highlighted Africa’s dependence on external sources for food products and agricultural inputs.

Dr. Kadah said the two episodes demonstrate the need to break free from dependence on international food markets.

“It is clear that Africa’s inability to claim its food market, which is currently outsourced from the rest of the world, is a significant source of concern for African countries and international partners” he said.

Dr. Kadah also said lack of Industrial capacity to process and add value to raw agricultural products results in post-harvest losses and meagre revenues for farmers.

He thanked the African Union (AU) for the initiative to establish five common agro-industrial zones in the five geographical regions of the continent.

And African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) head of Environmental sustainability division Mamadou Diakhite said full implementation of CAAPs strategies will promote regional agro-forestry industrialization in Africa.

The CAAPs programme was ratified as a flagship initiative of the AU Agenda 2063 during its 36^th Summit in February 2023 to create transboundary mega agro-industrial hubs across Africa.

This falls within the CAADP framework and the AU Agenda 2063.

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Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) are vehicles aimed at driving cross border projects to leverage on initiatives which focus on priority or strategic commodities. It is envisioned this approach will spur economic development and transformation in Africa, as espoused within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

Principal Advisor, Value chains, Office of the Secretary General Themba Khumalo explains that CAAPs involves agreed actions between two countries to identify trade opportunities.

“Our target is to have excess food for trade and where there are domestic projects that will be supported, CAAPs aims to promote regional integration and trade,” Mr. Khumalo said.

Mr. Themba Khumalo, Principal Advisor, Value chains, Office of the Secretary General, AfCFTA.

To catalyze CAAPs, it’s about countries justifying their projects within their Regional Economic Communities (REC) for the implementation of the Common African Agro-Parks programme. Once countries identify and concretize their projects, they need to sign agreements and trade. For these CAAPs to be viable and translate into tangible results, there is a need to ensure private sector investment.

Mr. Khumalo says when pursuing these investments, there will be a need for private sector players to be able to present their projects and mobilize resources to actualize trade agreements.

He clarifies whatever projects exist in countries aside the identified CAAPs continues although it is better to be enshrined in the regional investment plans for purposes of recognition as a CAAPs regional integration plan.”

“We need to radically change the way we work to actualize and achieve the goals of the CAAPs,” Mr. Khumalo says.

He advised that countries need to look at their own domestic interests, what exists and how best it can be scaled up. This should be coupled with a commitment to create an enabling policy environment for trade and, among others, to avoid any barriers between countries wanting to promote trade in their RECs.

Mr. Khumalo explained that for the CAAPs to be recognized and supported, a certain criterion needs to be met as spelled out in the Abuja declaration.

The Abuja declaration criteria outlines some of the critical elements of setting up a CAAPs within a RECs. Among them is considering the nature of strategic importance in relation to integration, economic growth, and food security. Further, there is a need to ascertain what is on the ground in the context of feasibility of project, as there must be a base to engage some of the partners for pre-feasibility.

This means when looking at most entities, they will be needed for feasibility study, which will entail the community having basic information to decide and demonstrate the ability to promote regional boosting. Overall, there is need to look at whether countries can commit from a policy point of view as a country outside investor zones to enable private sector to make those decisions. It is key for countries to critically look at their comparative advantages and harmonize their investments with financial commitment towards agreed value chains.

A typical case of a CAAPs is the trade agreement between Zimbabwe and Zambia dubbed “Common Agriculture Industrial Park (CAP)” signed between the two countries in 2021. The partnership between the two countries is valued at over US$12 million.

Speaking in Lusaka during the inaugural coordination meeting of Regional Economic Communities (REC) for the implementation of the Common African Agro-Parks programme, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Chief Director Florence Makombe from Zimbabwe, explains that the trade agreement rides on the already existing bilateral trade.

Chief Director Florence Makombe, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe

Ms. Makombe disclosed that the agriculture industrial park between the two countries includes the following value chains: Soyabean, dairy, wheat, horticulture, maize, and fisheries.

“There has been progress made on the Zimbabwe and Zambia on the agreement. There is need to adjust from the last meeting held in Harare were looking at the legal framework,” She said.

Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Director Industry, Musokotwane Sichizuwe says Zambia has the capacity in terms of the agriculture sector also given the favorable weather.

Mr. Musokotwane Sichizuwe (left), Zambian Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry with colleague Chipoka Mulenga (right)

Mr. Sichizwe says once a feasibility is conducted in Zambia, it will help unpack most of these criteria requirements.

“Zambia has prioritized farm blocks. Initially, the focus was on special economic zones but now it is extended to farm blocks. It aligns well given that we are trying to do some of these things at a regional level,” he disclosed.

Mr. Brian Ngandu, Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia

Ministry of Agriculture, Brian Ngandu says Zambia and Zimbabwe have enjoyed a long-lasting trade relationship. This is an advantage to both countries as their identified trade agreement is likely to stimulate increased trade.

While, Zambia and Zimbabwe may not have same the land polices, the implication is that both countries may need to reform policies to align with goals of CAAPs and strengthen this agro park initiative to attract and unlock business opportunities in order to enhance trade between the two countries. – National Agricultural Information Services

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AFRICA is spending about US$50 billion every year importing food from other parts of the world. This situation poses an opportunity for African countries to reposition themselves in a bid to make the continent food secure.

This led the African Union Commission to conceptualise the Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) aimed at attracting private investments to establish transboundary mega agro industrial hub on the continent.

The Common African Agro-Parks is a mega initiative of the African Union to create regional agro-industrial hubs aimed at responding to the continent’s demand for interventions at boosting local processing and regional trade for agricultural commodities and their value chains.

To come up with innovative solutions to drive the CAAPs, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) hosted member states who convened in Lusaka recently to share ideas and experiences to better address the intra and regional trade meant to enhance agricultural commodities and value chains.

The CAAPs will help the agro-allied sector of the Africa economy to deliver on the AU Agenda 2063 aspirations within the framework of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Initiated in 2019, CAAPs is one of the initiatives of Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) to be implemented within the framework of the African Union (AU) agenda 2063 to achieve the CAADP Malabo commitments, particularly the commitment to “triple intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services.”

The programme seeks to promote and facilitate local and regional as well as food production. In this way, achieving self-sufficiency of key agriculture commodities in Africa remains a critical milestone.

CAAPs Programme Coordinator, FARA Anselme Vodounhessi explains that CAAPs aspires to stimulate local and regional private sector investment in agriculture.

Mr. Vodounhessi says Africa has abundant resources but need to actualise economic opportunities by aggressively engaging in value chains in the agriculture sector which are viable and profitable.

He reaffirms Africa has lots of arable and abundant land which needs to be exploited in order to create and build a desired Africa.

Generally, Africa has good strategies but the major bottleneck is the implementation. According to Chief, Regional Division for Africa, UNIDO Victor Djemba explains that coordination of key actors in the implementation process of value chains in the agriculture sector remains problematic.

Mr. Djemba acknowledges that the private sector does a lot work but in isolation, hence the need for them to work in a concerted manner with sector players. This, he argues requires the proposed industrial parks to work effectively, needs inclusivity of private sector participation from project inception within the existing structures.

“It’s not the work of one entity but all entities need to be involved for a successful development of key players in the establishment and development of industrial parks,” he said.

Mr. Djemba said key players need to be involved in the whole process of implementation.

“Involving investors from inception requires embracing the laws and rules of both countries to provide an enabling environment for industrial parks to thrive,” he said.

Rural Development, Agro-Industries Agro-Industrial Parks Unit, UNIDO Project Officer Andrew Goodwin explains that everything which is set-up in agro-processing zones is business focused and has to be a long-term approach. Therefore, there must be commitment to develop agro-processing zones in industrial parks. It is obvious this approach needs an enabling environment to succeed.

Mr. Goodwin further says industrial parks are able to flourish through leases and services offered to the public.

For instance, industrial parks in Ethiopia and Senegal have been successful because they make their revenue from generation developers as they have invested in building sheds, installed power, water and other necessities within the parks.

These processing companies provide services such as commercial services, resource centres, among others which enable them to broaden resource base and maximise on their  profits. Its also imperative to take cognizant of the prevailing climate change conditions. This should inform sector players to build climate resilience.

Mr Goodwin said these integrated agro-food parks refers to central processing hubs which strive to reach out to rural areas from world transformation centres. For example, breeding, storing, collection centres at farmer level and cooperatives would also have these centres for processing.

He further said it was impressive that farmers in Ethiopia and Senegal are developed with cooperative unions, which closely work with the Ministry of Agriculture and also have bidding bilateral agreements.

With the success model of Ethiopia and Senegal, it is clear agriculture is the answer to creating prosperity and will always be the most economically viable sector to focus on for generations to come.

CAAPs aspirations is for member states to mobilise domestic resources to invest these into agro-parks and ensure a food secure continent. It is imperative to take into account the success of this programme needs a lot of resource mobilisation. The member states can co-create and unlock opportunities for the transboundary setting to enable Africa flourish. – National Agricultural Information Services.  

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Lusaka, Zambia – October 17, 2023: Regional Economic Communities in Africa are set to meet this week to drive forward a proposal for mega agro-industrial hubs across the continent that would boost agricultural development. The Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) are aimed at boosting regional trade for agricultural commodities, increasing local processing of key agricultural products and reducing food import. This significant event will occur from October 18 to 21, 2023, at the COMESA headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP).

Partners participating in the meeting include the Africa Union Commission, the African Union Development Agency, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Pan-African Agribusiness Chamber, the Pan-African Farmers Organisation, the Africa Business Council, IFPRI, African Continental Free-Trade Area, Afreximbank, African Development Bank and the CAAPs Secretariat hosted by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa. The rest are country representatives from Zambia and Zimbabwe, key private sector players such as Bühler Group, Grüner, BRICS as well as the World Food Programme.

The Third Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, held on 21-25 October 2019 in Addis Ababa, widely discussed the benefits of agro-industrialization to the continent and resolved to adopt the Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) as a programme contributing to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The CAAPs Programme was finally ratified as a flagship initiative of the AU Agenda 2063 during its 36th Summit in February 2023.

The CAAPs initiative aims to create transboundary mega agro-industrial hubs across Africa. This ambitious endeavour falls within the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) framework and the AU Agenda 2063. Its overarching objective is to drive the industrialization strategy of African governments and RECs, transforming economies from traditional raw material exporters to agro-industrial powerhouses.

Despite Africa’s abundant fertile land and a burgeoning young workforce, the continent spends approximately USD 50 billion ($50b) annually importing food commodities.

The CAAPs program seeks to reverse this trend by promoting cross-border agriculture value chains, attracting private sector investments in agro-industrialization, and establishing sustainable cross-border policies within the context of the African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Over four days of intensive interaction, the Directors of RECs and CAAPs Technical Working Groups (CAAPs-TWG) Experts will strengthen collaboration, build synergies and draw actions to accelerate the implementation of this initiative.

Firstly, they will raise awareness among RECs about CAAPs, facilitating subsequent sensitization of AU Member States and fostering a knowledge exchange regarding regional agro-industry development within the AfCFTA framework.

Also, they will solicit feedback from RECs regarding the CAAPs process, necessary infrastructure, governance, and legal models, and the AfCFTA instruments vital for creating a conducive business environment for transboundary Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in CAAPs.

Again, they will deliberate on the mapping exercise for future agro-industrial development in Africa, with a practical case study of the ZimZam CAAPs location. RECs are expected here to propose locations for the 10 CAAPs Demonstration Projects ( 2 per region) and for the 5 larger CAAPs (one per region) envisioned by the African Union.

Finally, they will forge a harmonized process for RECs’ engagement with countries and stakeholders within their respective regions, including the private sector and regional banks, to prepare for CAAP implementation.

At the end of the four days meeting, participants would have (i) compiled feedback from RECs on the CAAPs process, infrastructure models, and the required legal instruments for joint governance and PPPs in transboundary settings within the AfCFTA context; (ii) agreed on a harmonized process for engagements with countries; (iii) compiled and validated feedback of criteria for mapping future transboundary agro-industrial development zones in Africa; (iv) developed a joint roadmap for rolling out CAAPs in AU Member States; and (v) developed action plans for joint resource mobilization and partnership engagement among RECs to develop CAAPs.

This Inaugural Coordination Meeting marks a pivotal moment in Africa’s agricultural and industrial transformation pursuit. By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among regional economic communities, this event lays the foundation for a sustainable, prosperous, and food-secure future for the continent.

You may visit https://faraafrica.org/caaps/ for details about the CAAPs initiative.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

FARA – Benjamin Abugri at babugri@faraafrica.org

FAO – Zoie Jones at Zoie.Jones@fao.org

COMESA – Daniel Banda at dbanda@comesa.int

 About AUDA-NEPAD:

The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) is the development agency of the African Union, promoting partnerships for the transformation of Africa as an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful continent.

Visit  https://www.nepad.org/ for more information.

About COMESA:

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community of 21 member states. It brings together over 600 million people into a cooperative framework for sustainable economic growth and prosperity through regional integration.

Visit https://www.comesa.int/ for more information.

About CAAPs & FARA:

The Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) is an African Union Commission (AUC) initiative to establish transboundary mega agro-industrial hubs across Africa to drive industrialization and food security. It is hosted by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), an apex continental technical institution of the AUC headquartered in Accra, Ghana.

Visit  https://faraafrica.org/ for more information.

About FAO:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO currently provides institutional support to the CAAPs Secretariat, hosted by FARA, to coordinate stakeholders’ consultations and leadership engagement for greater ownership of the CAAPs; formalize partnerships with the technical partners for the design and establishment of the CAAPs; and to build the capacity of stakeholders to support the decision-making process at the various African Union organs.

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In a bid to reinforce the African Union’s comprehensive commitment to agricultural development in Africa, the first-ever meeting since the formation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Communication and Knowledge Management Thematic Working Group took place at the Movenpick Hotel, Nairobi, from 3-4 August.

Some Participants at the AU CAADP KM & Comms Workshop

The main objective of the meeting was to propel the CAADP agenda forward through meticulous communication, advocacy, and knowledge management. The meeting also aimed to assess the strides made, design a concrete work plan, and establish a coordinated mechanism to bolster CAADP and forge a coordination blueprint for the CAADP Communication group following recommendations from Yaounde’s engagement, from 1-5 August 2022.

The desired outcomes of this coordination meeting were manifold, from highlighting the progress made in communication, knowledge management and advocacy at all levels to defining coordination tools for the CAADP Communication group. This will help improve awareness of the CAADP Malabo declaration, and support the implementation of the CAADP Business Plan 2022-2025 and the Jointly developed CAADP work plan.

Ms Panduleni Elago – Senior CAADP Advisor – African Union Commission

The meeting was officially opened by Ms Panduleni Elago, the CAADP Advisor, who emphasized the African Union’s anticipation towards the thematic working group to expedite the AU agenda. “The AU looks forward to the Key Performance Indicators that will emerge from this group that will address the knowledge and information gap in the Biannual Review Process,”.

Ms Peace Mutuwa the Communication and Knowledge Management expert, echoing the sentiments of the African Union Commission (AUC), emphasized how pivotal this group would be in propelling the AU’s goals forward. “As we commence this mammoth task, we need to develop Terms of Reference (TORs) that will govern our modus operandi. We should also not forget the critical role of the media in disseminating information to the communities on the CAADP process.

A palpable sense of duty settled in the room as the discussions pivoted to the 4th Biannual Review (4BR) of the CAADP. Two decades after the inception of Malabo, a gap remains; farmers are still in the dark about its potential. The need of the hour is curating content specifically tailored for small-scale farmers, ensuring it’s digestible and beneficial.

The African Union envisions this esteemed assembly to be the foundation of a robust CAADP Communication strategy. Policy LINK, a global Feed the Future program to advance leadership and collaboration for better policy systems implemented by DAI and working with the AUC, voiced the importance of technical and financial backing. They stressed, “It’s time we lay down tangible recommendations, lighting our path forward.”

CCARDESA, through its Information, Communication, and Knowledge Management Officer, Mrs Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo, joined the chorus, recognizing the CAADP as Africa’s agricultural cornerstone, she urged the assembly to prioritize the seven commitments, though it demands perseverance.

Mr Benjamin Abugri, FARA’s Knowledge Management and Communication Cluster Lead, urged the Working Group to be forward-thinking in using existing knowledge services and tools such as the FARA Africa Community (Dgroups) to discuss BR processes as they also act as interactive tools that allow information exchange and knowledge co-creation.

The meeting’s purpose shone clear: addressing the gaping communication void, ensuring synchronization with technical processes, advocating for CAADP, and strategizing its communication. The dialogue flowed, touching upon the support communications provided to the Biannual Review reporting and the Malabo. The ensemble also considered the potential of leveraging annual events like the CAADP Meetings, the AASW, the KM4AgD Conference, the Fertiliser Summit, and others, ensuring these platforms spread the right message.

Delving deep into recommendations from the Critical BR Analysis Report, the group proposed developing a protocol for the Biannual Review mechanism and a review of the toolkit for communication and knowledge management.

In attendance were participants from AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, AU-IASPC, RECs, Policy Link, FAO, ILRI, TASAI, CCARDESA, FARA, AU-IBAR, and other esteemed organizations. With two days of productive discourse, this meeting in Nairobi, from 3-4 August 2023, was not just a gathering, but a revolution in the making.

Originally published by CCARDESA 

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