African youths advised to take advantage of rural areas

NaijaAgroNet:

The over 40 per cent of African population living in the rural areas, especially the youths, have been advised to take advantage of their environment by turning it into opportunities, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Head of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CADDP), Dr. Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu gave this advice in a chat with NaijaAgroNet at the on-going five-day inaugural meeting of Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He said, African youth are the backbone of everything  the continent has been trying to do with promising future which must be discovered for them to be able to claim it.

Also, he admonished the youth to desist from having the notion that only those living in the cities or urban areas could be successful in life.

“We have to stop moving from rural areas and increasing the number of people living in shanty towns in the cities,” he decried, adding that the expected transformation through agriculture could be achieved by the youth taking the bull by the horn and charting a new course for themselves via taking advantage of their rural environment.

“I believe in reversal of goals. Let the youth stay in the village where the possibility to create sustainable livelihood system for themselves and their families are possible through farming,” he said.

Dr. Yamdjeu underlined the need for member nations of the African Union to invest more in rural transformation and territorial development by way of reducing rural-urban migration. 

For him, CADDP through its Rural Futures; a framework that promotes transformation of rural areas in continent, already have thoughts on this, saying, for various African regions to be successful in agriculture, every factors militating against the sector must be brought to the table with solution proposed.

 “If indeed we have to encourage the youth into embracing agriculture, then rural areas have to be provided the opportunities that people are looking for in the towns, ranging from basic social services to agricultural financing,” Dr. Yamdjeu counseled.

  

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Pix: Dr. Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu

Yamdjeu says SADC can feed Africa

NaijaAgroNet:

The head of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Dr. Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu has said that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has the capacity to feed Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.

He made this known to NaijaAgroNet at the on-going week-long inaugural meeting of Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment at the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to him, although Southern Africa boasts massive arable land water resources suitable for large scale crop and livestock production with great potential for fish farming region, the continent’s food basket region remains underutilized due to low value addition along the agricultural value chain.

This, he also said include the adequate provision for storage of produce, which incidentally is not limited to the region, but has remain work in progress across the continent.

Presently, NaijaAgroNet gathered, over 6 million people across Angola, Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe are at risk of severe food shortages because of unresolved cycle of drought and flooding, just as aid agencies noted the crisis remain largely unnoticed.

To this effect, Dr. Yamdjeu said, the SADC region should work towards enhancing and developing agriculture to transform the region's economy so as to address rising poverty and growing inequality.

Yamdjeu equally said that natural resources are national assets that should be explored for the benefits of all citizens, even as he lamented the economic disparity which has become a global setback.

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Pix: Head, Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Dr. Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu

Malabo Declaration, a stakeholder reference for next decade - EU

NaijaAgroNet:

Chairman of the European Union (EU) Development Partners Task Team, represented by the Head, Operations at EU Delegation to African Union, Ms Anna Burylo, has described the Malabo Declaration as a reference point for all African development stakeholders for the next decade, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment at the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, assured of their support to Malabo Declaration, stressing that Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) agenda is articulated into the new context created by the Malabo Declaration.

As said by her, the CAADP Results Framework (RF) along with the Malabo Implementation Strategy and Roadmap (IS&R) as well as its related programme of work are key documents demonstrating African leadership and framing Development Partners (DPs) and all other Malabo stakeholders action at continental, regional and national level, in particular through a set of headline indicators.

“All partners should adopt and adapt to these documents,” the EU Development Partners chair declared.

Pointing out that how DPs could align and tract their actions against such documents is a key issue of partnership.

 This is because, they would be able to frame the mutual accountability system which DPs will adhere too along with all other African CAADP and Malabo stakeholders, especially those seeking to coordinate and harmonise projects and programmes across Africa, by way of ensuring that food security and agriculture actions in global processes such as G8 and G20 align with African priorities and needs.

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Development partners reiterate commitment for Africa

NaijaAgroNet:

Africa’s Development Partners (DP) have reiterated commitment to the growth of the continent with regards to agriculture, rural development, water and environment, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Making this disclosure at the inaugural conference of the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, the representative of the chairman of the European Union (EU) Development Partners Task Team, Ms Anna Burylo, said they are determined to support the aspirational goals set by the African Heads of State in the Malabo Declaration.

“… Our determination to work with you all, our African partners in the spirit of alignment, harmonization, transparency and coordination,” she said.

According to Ms Burylo who heads operations at EU delegation to AU, the inauguration of this Specialised Technical Committee (STC) reconfirms DP support and the place of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment in the global agenda.

EU Chairman reiterated that both at the global and African levels, DPs are committed to supporting the Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment sector.

“The idea of a Global Partnership for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition emerged back in 2008 in response to the food crisis placing such issues at the top of the international agenda,” she said.

For her, these partnerships have paved the way for initiatives such as L’Aquila, GAFSP, PARM or New Alliance ensued as well as voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests; G20 food security and nutrition framework or voluntary principles for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems.

She pointed out that the recent endorsement of 2014 Malabo Declaration shows clearly articulated commitments on eradicating hunger, halving poverty, boosting intra-Africa trae and enhancing the resilience of production systems and livelihoods to climate change and other shocks, therefore, is a call to action for impact and sustaining the CAADP momentum.

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FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries makes sector sustainable

NaijaAgroNet:

The Code of Conduct for responsible Fisheries has in the last two decades played a key role in making fisheries more sustainable, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The code made it possible by setting universal standards to guide governments and private actors in conserving and managing the world’s ocean resources.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that Fisheries ministers, experts and representatives of civil society groups and the private sector will gather in Vigo, Spain, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and discuss the state and future of global fisheries.

FAO is partnering with Spain’s Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Environment, and leading Spanish trade association Conxemar on a series of events at this year’s International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum taking place on October 8 to 9, 2015 where discussions will focus on the importance of responsible ocean governance for global food security.

Among other issues billed for discussion at the forum include: expanding role of fish farms, improving seafood safety and traceability, reducing food waste and illegal fishing, and sustainably harnessing marine resources for economic growth.

A press statement by FAO said session will explore ways to develop a global integrated approach to combat illegal fishing, including the role of surveillance systems and consumer awareness, global trends and trade regimes, along with issues of growth and sustainability, including food waste. 

Overview of world production in fisheries and aquaculture, implications for food security and nutrition, the role of scientific knowledge as tool for fisheries management for the future, are all part of a rolled out programme for the Forum, NaijaAgroNet.

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STC-ARDWE 5-day inaugural confab kick-off in Addis Ababa

NaijaAgroNet:

The five-day inaugual conference of the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE) has opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The meeting which would last till Friday, October 9, NaijaAgroNet reported, came to the fore following the adoption of the configuration of STC and its modalities of operationalization by the African Union Assembly of Heads of the State and Government.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Specialised Technical Committees are made up of Ministry or senior official s responsible for the concerned specific sectors based on the area of competence.

This special Committees are responsible for preparing projects and programmes of the Union and submitting same to the Executive Council of African Union.

Equally they are expected to meet every two years in order to discharge the responsibilities vested on them by AU assembly.

This conference is organised by the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of AU in partnership with the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA).

The rational, NaijaAgroNet gathered was based on fact that by end of September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly was expected to endorse the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals in addition to the 21st session of the UN Convention on Climate Change by December 2015 as well as the Malabo Declaration on Africa Accelerated Agriculture Growth and Transformation (3AGT) among others.

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Lawmaker advocates agri-business for revenue, agricultural exports

NaijaAgroNet:

Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, representing Remo Federal Constituency, Ogun State, in the House of Representatives, has advocated urgent adoption of wholesale, agri-business as a strategy to earn revenue from processed agricultural exports, NaijaAgroNet reports.

  

Adebutu said, “Nigeria must now as a matter of urgency, adopt wholesale agri-business as a strategy to earn revenue from processed agricultural exports. Agriculture could serve us in several beneficial ways: Apart from becoming the ‘new oil’ and swelling the nation’s coffers, it would generate employment. The non-oil sector of the economy has the potential to serve as a springboard for industrialisation.”  

He added also that the Land Use Act must be amended to cater for small land owners and farmers who because of lack of documentation are unable to access bank and government intervention facilities to raise capital and inputs for their farming. Many economic lands, NaijaAgroNet learnt, are not properly utilised because of the documentary restriction imposed by the Land Use Act. He stated that a holistic reform of the land tenure system will unleash the great potential of the agri-business and reduce the massive unemployment plaguing the nation with its attendant security implications.

Speaking to the media, Hon. Adebutu stated that against the background of the recent Job Creation Report for the second quarter of 2015 released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which said job creation in Nigeria has slumped by 70 per cent, he called for a strategic framework to be designed for the agriculture sector which will help transform it into a true platform for urgently creating jobs, directly and indirectly for Nigeria's youths, NaijaAgroNet also reports.

“Nigeria is blessed with swathes of arable land and human resources to pursue sustained local food production as a way of engaging the youth. We should utilise our youth demographics to boost agricultural production and reduce unemployment.

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AGRA report links under-25 unemployment, food insecurity

NaijaAgroNet:

The 2015 African Agriculture Status Report's co-ordinating editor and head, strategy, monitoring and evaluation, David Sarfo Ameyaw, has said that the report highlighted a direct link between rising level of unemployment among the under-25s and food security concerns, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The report also said modernising Africa's agriculture sector to attract young people will help tackle youth unemployment and food insecurity, warning that the continent will not solve its chronic food shortages or worrying unemployment levels among its youth without wholesale changes.

"Channelling the energy, strength and dynamism of Africa's youth into productive, competitive and profitable agribusinesses will boost agricultural production systems, create jobs and generate incomes. The impact of youth involvement and participation in agriculture and food systems will be seen in sustainable economic growth and in the reduction of poverty and malnutrition across the continent," he said.

He told BBC News that studies had shown that a 1 per cent increase in GDP from the agriculture sector reduces poverty five times as much as any other sector. However, there were a number of long-standing barriers that prevented or deterred future generations of would-be agribusiness leaders.

One was the lack of access to land. "Africa has the highest area of arable land in the world but because of the limitation of our land-tenure systems and land policies, it is very difficult for the youth to access land," Ameyaw explained.

Another constraint was accessing finance facilities. "The report points out that only about 25 per cent of the young people in Africa have any form of access to finance, even things such as a bank account or credit card."

Dr Sarfo Ameyaw said, along with reforms to the barriers and constraints identified by the report, there was also a need to "rebrand" the image of farming and the opportunities for employment the sector offered, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

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ITPGR to set up global crop information system

NaijaAgroNet:

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGR) has said it will set up a global crop information system to make it easier for plant breeders to identify and access genetic material for the development of new varieties, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The discourse on the information system will form  part of the agenda at the 6^th Conference of governing body of the ITPGR for Food and Agriculture in Rome from October 5-9.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that as climate change increases, demand for new drought and flood resistant seed varieties is also rising, hence  the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as the world body responsible for overseeing the exchange of plant genetic resources for agriculture becomes significant.

The meeting of the 136-nation pact will discuss expanding the list of plant species in the Treaty’s global gene pool and a subscription model for users of crop diversity to generate income for farmers conserving ancestral crops in the field. This will be in addition to the Treaty’s current benefit-sharing fund that has directly helped nearly half a million poor farmers.

The ITPGR aims at recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops that feed the world; establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials; ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials, NaijaAgroNet recalled.

The Governing Body is the highest organ of the Treaty as established in Article 19. Composed of representatives of all contracting parties, its basic function is to promote the full implementation of the treaty, including the provision of policy guidance on the implementation of the treaty.

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AU commissioner extols rising use of IT to improve agriculture production

NaijaAgroNet:

The African Union’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, has extolled the rising use of information technology to improve agriculture production and access to financing, NaijaAgroNet

She said that she believes there is reason to be optimistic that Africa’s agriculture sector is moving toward a brighter future, particularly in the rising use of information technology to improve agriculture production and access to financing, something she said, will play an important role in attracting more young Africans to farm-related ventures,

“We have seen this work in Nigeria with the ‘e-wallet’ and in Kenya with M-Pesa,” she said.
Peace also singled out AGRA for its ongoing effort to increase access to seed, fertilizers and other inputs and promote market and policy improvements that will allow the economic benefits of agriculture to be shared more broadly. The AU Commissioner also called on the continent leaders to banish the hand hoe into a museum, reports NaijaAgroNet.

She said that for the 2015 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) to stay true to its theme of “Walking the Talk on Youth and Women,” delegates must firmly embrace pledge from the 2014 AGRF to banish the hand hoe.

“We need to banish the hand-hoe to liberate our hardworking mothers and sisters from the drudgery associated with agriculture and increase their productivity and return from their labour. And I don’t believe our young people will be attracted to agriculture if we are still using the hand hoe,” Peace said.

Peace, NaijaAgroNet gathered, was the keynote speaker as the AGRF moved into the heart of its deliberations over how to increase production and incomes in Africa’s farm sector - while also generating better opportunities for the 10 million young Africans entering the job market every year and for women across Africa, most of whom are already farmers.

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AGRA set to release Africa Agricultural Status Report

NaijaAgroNet

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is set to release its annual Africa Agricultural Status Report, to provide a framework on how the sector could becomelucrative option for Africa’s young entrepreneurs, NaijaAgroNet reports.

AGRA will be maximizing the opportunity offered by the presence of more than 500 leaders from over 40 countries that are attending the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), which opened Wednesday in Lusaka, Zambia, to make the report public.

The President, AGRA, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, said, “The African Union in 2014 pointed to the potential for agriculture-related jobs to employ at least 30 per cent of African youth. Yet many young Africans are pessimistic about agriculture, because they see too many farmers and agriculture businesses struggling to survive.”

Also expected at the AGRF 2015, NaijaAgroNet gathered, are high-level government officials, leaders of pan-African development organizations, representatives of youth and women’s organizations, academic experts, investors and agriculture business innovators.

According to Vanguard, the Conveners of  this year’s AGRF with the theme “Walking the Talk on Youth and Women: Bringing Inclusive Agricultural Markets to Life” said the rapid rise of urban food markets across sub-Saharan Africa represents an unparalleled opportunity to drive development of African agriculture, and ultimately to engage millions of youth who enter the continent’s labour market each year.

The Secretary General, Common Market of East and Southern Africa, Sindiso Ngwenya, said, “The AGRF can generate huge momentum for policies and programs that support Africa’s famers and African-owned agriculture businesses to capture a bigger stake in the agricultural sector and rising urban markets.”

“Rather than meeting this demand through food imports, Africans need to grow, process, package and market the food consumed in our rapidly growing cities and towns,” Ngwenya stated.

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