CTA boss commends CAADP, seeks alliance for smallholder farmers

Remmy Nweke/NaijaAgroNet:

The Director, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Mr Michael Hailu, has commended the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), just as he seeks collaboration to uplift the small holder farmers.

Hailu in his remarks as gathered by NaijaAgroNet at the Brussels Development Briefing in Belgium, which focused on 10 years of CAADP, reiterated the fact that by adopting CAADP 10 years ago, African Heads of State had put agriculture at the centre of the development agenda.

The CTA boss also emphasised that CTA and NEPAD's collaboration in a number of areas that include support for smallholder farmers, will lead to positive results in growing agriculture as a key driver for broad-based social and economic growth.

In addition, Mr Steve Wiggins from the Overseas Development Institute maintained that food production in Africa is not as bad as it is made out to be. Mr Wiggins highlighted the example of agricultural growth in West Africa, at an average of 4 per cent a year in the last thirty years as surpassing a number of regions in the world, including some parts of Asia and South America.

Mr Ousmane Badiane, Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute, concluded his presentation by maintaining that, "Agricultural growth is not just growth in the sector alone, but also results in economic growth."  Some of the other conclusions of the Briefing in Brussels included the need to create an enabling environment for investment and innovation; and investing in rural public goods, amongst others.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the 33rd Brussels Briefing was hosted by CTA, the European Commission, the African, Carribean and Pacific Group of States Secretariat and Concord in partnership with NEPAD, consisted of policy deliberations that also brought out proven successes and best practices in African agriculture.

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AGRA, Mozambique boost smallholder farmers with maize, sweet potato varieties

NaijaAgroNet:

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is collaborating with the government of Mozambique, to boost small holder farmers with maize, sweet potato varieties through the Umbeluzi Agriculture Research Centre in Maputo.

This was revealed during a field visit by participants at the just ended 2013 African Green Revolution Forum organized by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the forum was in collaboration with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) of NEPAD with some staff joining in the field visit penultimate Tuesday, September 3, 2013.

Also gathered by NaijaAgroNet was that the maize and sweet potato breeding projects centre visited by were projects supported by AGRA at Umbeluzi Agriculture Research Centre.

Leading the participants into the project, Dr Pedro Fato, who has been breeding maize for over 20 years, said that his work at Umbeluzi entails breeding maize that is tolerant to multiple constraints such as down mildew, and pests that are prevalent both in the field and in storage.

Dr Fato equally said that down mildew is especially prevalent in low lying areas in Mozambique, hence the importance of this project in Mozambique that has a high number of areas that often get water logged.

Dr Fato further elucidated that down mildew is carried on through seeds, and the maize breeding project has so far produced twelve maize varieties. 

According to him, the focus of this breeding project is small scale farmers who make up 90 per cent of maize growers in Mozambique, even as the project has so far released five hybrids into the market since 2002.

He stressed the varieties are now producing better yields per hectare as testified by local farmers.

Commenting, AGRA representative, Mr Richard Mwanza, pointed out that AGRA supports programmes in 16 countries across the continent.

NaijaAgroNet

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Pix: Mr Richard Mwanza of AGRA