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Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network

Contents

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Policies for a food secure Africa

What did stakeholderssay ?

FANRPAN salutes thebest in agriculture...

What the FANRPAN 2012 Tanzania Policy Dialogue resolved

What delegates say

Food security crucial to Africa

Is gender adequatelymainstreamed in the Harmonised Seed Security project?

Don’t ignore the youth –FANRPAN chairperson

Tanzania Day

Brand new magazine for FANRPAN

Agriculture should not be isolated - Muya

CAADP a catalyst for agricultural transformation in Africa

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Advocating for food security and climate-smart agriculture Engaging the youth in the agriculture value chain - from policy to practice

December 2012

For the Technical Centre for Agricultural and RuralCooperation the youth is a vital resource that shouldbe supported to channel their energy towards thedevelopment of the continent.

This is according to Dr Olu Ajayi, Senior ProgrammeCoordinator at the centre. Speaking at the FANR-PAN dialogue in Dar es Salaam in September, Ajayisaid realising the important role of the youth, thecentre has initiated various youth projects.

“These include supporting youth participation inpolicy dialogues and policy forums, including theCAADP partnership programme earlier this year andinitiating the Agriculture, Rural Development andYouth in the Information Society project to promoteopportunities and capacities for youth in agricultureand rural development, using information commu-nications technology.

“Other projects include training of young journalists,equipping them with skills to champion issues re-lated to the youth and support to the youth in Africato exchange learning and build synergy with theircounterparts in the Caribbean and Pacific regions,among others.

“We have also established an internship and youngprofessionals programme which regularly givesyoung people in the African, Caribbean and Pacificgroup of states and the European Union the op-portunity to enhance their knowledge, network inagriculture as well as to benefit from an invaluablefirst international work experience,” he said.

“More specifically, through FANRPAN, we currentlysupport six country case studies to build the evi-dence base on emerging policies and initiatives onthe youth with a special focus on agriculture. Thesestudies were carried out in Malawi, Mauritius, SouthAfrica, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe by indi-viduals and groups, all of whom are youth.

“To emphasise the importance that we attach toyouth engagement in all our programmes, we assistyouth representatives from Africa to join fellowyouths from the Caribbean and Pacific regions toreview the current status of our programme as theyrelate to the youth. We encourage them to tell theirown stories and raise their profile in all the projectsand interventions that the centre supports in all re-gions.”

Ajayi said the centre enhances agricultural and ruraldevelopment policy processes and value chain de-velopment for food security, prosperity and soundnatural resources management in the African,Caribbean and Pacific group of states. “This in-cludes the support of evidence-based, multi-stake-holder involvement in agricultural policy processesand strategies that empower farmers, women andthe youth. It also includes the promotion of valueaddition and markets that nurture the developmentof priority value chains. Regional markets are grow-ing and will become ever more important in thecoming years. These rapidly expanding markets willhave a profound influence on their agricultural de-velopment.

“Furthermore, we strengthen information, commu-nications and knowledge management capacitiesand networks, including for youth organisations. Theinformation and communications technology revo-lution across Africa, especially mobile phones andthe internet, are helping to increase income, gener-ate jobs and encourage young people to get in-volved in agriculture, guaranteeing a newgeneration of agriculturalists.

“We are committed to working with the youth inthe implementation of all our programmes. This in-cludes skills-building improving on value chains andsupport of multi-stakeholder platforms to share in-formation, knowledge and best practices and suc-cess stories,” said Ajayi.

Youth a vital resource for the de-velopment of Africa – Dr Olu Ajayi

“We have to make agriculture a gainful undertak-ing, an undertaking that people can depend on fortheir livelihoods,” says Tanzanian President DrJakaya Mrisho Kikwete.

In accepting the FANRPAN Food Security PolicyLeadership Award at the Tanzania Policy Dialogue,Kikwete said too often farming is not consideredas gainful employment.

“Asking people in rural areas if they are employed,they often say ‘no, I am a farmer’. So somebody isdoing farming but is still looking for a job, as iffarming is not a job. We need to make agriculturework to eradicate rural poverty and to eliminatepoverty as a whole - throughout the country.

“Agriculture has always been a top priority of thegovernment and is the mainstay of the Tanzanianeconomy. We depend on agriculture for foreign ex-change, for raw materials and for food. About 80percent of our people live in rural areas, where agri-culture is the main means of livelihood. Butpresently, agriculture is predominantly characterisedby low productivity, hence the widespread povertyamong farmers. So all our initiatives are aimed attackling the challenge of low productivity in agri-culture.”

Kikwete said the most recent initiative is the 2006

Agricultural Sector Development Programme.

“It is a 14-year programme aimed at transformingTanzania’s agriculture through overcoming the ob-stacles and growing the agricultural sector. Someof the obstacles are overdependence on rain, littleuse of high yielding seeds, very little use of fertilizer,and pests and diseases. There is also a lack ofskilled farmers, crop marketing, infrastructure in therural areas and value chain and value addition.

“We cannot continue to be primary producers. Wecannot continue to be sources of raw materials. Wegrow cotton for export. Why not grow cotton, spinit into yarn, weave it into cloth, sell it and evenmake garments - then you have added value.

“We have to accelerate the implementation of theAgricultural Sector Development Programme andinvolve the private sector in the process. We seethe role of the private sector to engage in largescale agriculture, to be involved in the supply of in-puts to farmers and to be the importers and suppli-ers of tractors. However, farmers need to beempowered in terms of financial credit facilities, sothe private sector can create financing facilities.

“We also define the role of government as to con-tinue with its facilitative and enabling role to put inplace sound policies for agricultural growth and de-

velopment and invest in agricultural research.”

The President said whilst Tanzania is 95 percentfood self-sufficient - there are times when it is evenover 100 percent and during some seasons it iseven 120 percent - it is not yet sustainable.

“We need to get to a level where the surplus issustainable over a long period. But I believe withKillimo Kwanza, the development programme in-terventions and the involvement of the private sec-tor, both locally and internationally, I am confidentwe will get there.”

This document has been produced with thefinancial assistance of CTA. The views ex-pressed herein are those of the author(s)and can therefore in no way be taken to re-flect the official opinion of CTA; represen-tative of FANRPAN or of the cosponsoringor supporting organizations.

Agriculture IS a gainful under-taking – Tanzanian president

“We are committed to working with theyouth in the implementation of all ourprogrammes” – Ajayi.

Kikwete is 2012 FANRPAN policy champion.


FANRPAN NEWS@TANZANIA DIALOGUE

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Joyceline Lugora, Acting Director Generalof the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporationwith FANRPAN Chairperson Sindiso Ng-wenya

Journalism Award

FANRPAN salutes the best in agriculture...The Food, Agriculture and Natural ResourcesPolicy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) announced thewinners of its annual excellence awards at the Tan-zania Dialogue in Dar es Salaam.

The annual awards are made in four categories –the Policy Leadership Award, the Movers and Shak-ers Award, the Excellence in Journalism Award andfor the first time this year the Youth in AgricultureAward.

FANRPAN Policy Leadership Award The President of the United Republic of Tanzania,Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, is the winner of the FAN-RPAN Policy Leadership Award for 2012.

Ever since he took office in 2005, President Kikwete has been striving to put programmes inplace that would bring change to the majority ofTanzanians. These programmes cover varioussectors that have direct impact on people’s lives, beit in agriculture, health, education or economic em-powerment. They include the promotion of democ-racy and good governance, like a national strategyfor growth and reduction of poverty, a five-year de-velopment plan for the Tanzania development vision2025, and the establishment of the University ofDodoma, the Tanzania Women’s Bank and the eco-nomic empowerment funds.

Agriculture-specific initiatives include the formula-tion of the agricultural sector development pro-gramme soon after he became president. This is a14-year programme to support and transform the agriculture sector through interventions like irrigation, input subsidies, the development of markets, a livestock development programme and the establishment of the Agricultural Develop-ment Bank.

Of particular importance is the formulation of Kilimo Kwanza, Tanzania’s green revolution to trans-form its agriculture into a modern and commercialsector. This public/ private partnership initiativeraises agricultural productivity through enhancedinvestments in rural infrastructure such as roads, ir-rigation, high yielding seed varieties, fertilizer andtechnology.

The real agricultural growth rate has averaged fourpercent over the past six years. The trend over thelast decade shows that the country is slightly abovea safe margin of food sufficiency. Agricultural value-add increased by four per cent per year during thelast decade.

FANRPAN Youth in Agriculture AwardThe Shambani Graduate Enterprise receives theFANRPAN Youth in Agriculture Award for 2012.

The enterprise is a milk processing enterpriseco-owned by three Sokoine University graduates.Established in 2003, the enterprise’s graduatesstarted with one milk supplier, initially processing30 litres of milk per day. Today the plant receivesmilk from over 200 suppliers and has a processingcapacity of 750 litres of milk per day.

It also produces up to three different products -pasteurised cultured milk, pasteurised fresh milkand pasteurised flavoured milk. It suppliesprocessed milk and other dairy products to retailoutlets within the municipality as well as to Dar esSalaam, which is 120 miles away.

FANRPAN Mover and Shaker Award

The FANRPAN Society Mover and Shaker Award for

2012 goes to MVIWATA - Mtandao wa Vikundi vyaWakulima Tanzania – a network of farmers’ groupsin Tanzania. MVIWATA was founded in 1993, ini-tially by 22 innovative farmers from the Morogoro,Iringa, Tanga, Mbeya and Dodoma regions as afarmer-farmer exchange forum. Its initial formationwas guided by the Sokoine University of Agriculture.

It strengthens groups of peasants as one voice todefend their rights. The organisation’s slogan isMtetezi wa Mkulima ni Mkulima Mwenyewe - de-fender of the farmer’s interests by the farmers them-selves. MVIWATA has been playing a major role in empowering small-scale farmers through represen-tation and participation in planning and decision-making processes in the district agriculturaldevelopment plans.

The organisation has established farmers’ networksat district, ward and village levels, which talks withlocal government and private service providers.MVIWATA plays an important role in innovation andlinks up with national and international actors rel-evant to rural development and agricultural inno-vation.

In the drought-prone Dodoma region, farmers haveadopted techniques such as rainwater harvestingand agro-forestry, and are addressing soil fertilityissues by leaving crop residues in the field and in-corporating them into the soil to encourage nutrient recycling.

MVIWATA has also addressed issues related to smallholder production in rural areas. For instance, it has facilitated the organisation of smallholders into groups, and has enhanced confidence-building among the farmers throughawareness creation and networking.

It advocates for strong organisations of smallholderfarmers, the existence of reliable markets for theirfarm produce, sustainable financial services andtechnical assistance, and representation of farmersat all levels.

Furthermore, it has facilitated the strengthening oflocal groups and networks, enabling farmers to de-velop sound relationships with extension staff atboth local and district levels. As a result, farmers inTanzania now effectively participate in local meet-ings at ward and village levels.

FANRPAN Excellence in JournalismAward The 2012 FANRPAN Excellence in Journalism Awardgoes to the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation. Thecorporation has been in the forefront in promotingagriculture, natural resource management and incommunicating developments in these fields -through its different franchises TBC1 and TBC2 tel-evision, TBC Taifa and TBC FM radio and TBC Inter-national radio and TV.

TBC1 was among the first TV channels in East Africa to go digital. Its international outreach programme can be traced back to the early 1960swhen the then Radio Tanzania - External Serviceaired programmes in support of Africa’s liberationstruggle.

The corporation has facilitated the dissemination ofprogrammes prepared by the agriculturesector, including a weekly radio programme Ukulimawa Kisasa - Modern Agriculture, which has beenaired since 1955. Currently there are two weeklyprogrammes, one on crop farming and another onlivestock.

Stephan A. Ruvuga and Laurent Raburireof MVIWATA with FANRPAN ChairpersonSindiso Ngwenya

The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete

Civil Society Moversand Shakers Award

Policy Leadership Award

Youth in Agriculture Award

Victor Mfinange of Shambani and Dr FenellaMukangara, Minister of Information, Youth,Culture and Sports in Tanzania

Farmers

Farmers appreciated the recognition of the need forpolicy which is a key driver in Tanzania. They felt itnecessary to create linkages with Tanzanian farmers,to hold workshops, have visits and advocate to gov-ernments to learn from Tanzania. They applaudedthe launch of the FANRPAN magazine, rated theTanzanian President’s speech highly and praisedFANRPAN for involving the youth.

The media

Media representatives said the dialogue gave them exposure to people from other countries, helping them to better understand their problemsand successes. It also offered a broader platformfor networking with all stakeholders. “The speechby the Tanzanian President and the Kilimo Kwanzaproject as well as his willingness to put money behind research, development and capacity building, and the political will in policy design and implementation, are remarkable. The under-

standing of the importance of the role of the private sector, young people getting awards and their contribution to the value chain must beapplauded.

“We will disseminate information through opinionpieces in the media, showing that you can includethe youth in agriculture, and show the youth thatagriculture can be profitable. Social networks areimportant, as are workshops to engage on the roleof the youth. We are already blogging and usingsocial media for this purpose.”

Government representatives

Government representatives said the dialogueadded value through powerful networking. “Wenow know what other stakeholders are doing. Welearnt from each other, and attitudes towards theyouth have been changed. The Tanzanian Presi-dent’s speech inspired and focused us and we willwrite a report and hold meetings with stakeholders,and disseminate information on the internet.”

Non-state actors

Non-state actors said they learnt a lot from Presi-dent Kikwete on how to contribute to policy formu-lation, how to help the youth and involve them inseed production. “A good idea was for nongovern-mental organisations to help form youth clubs.

“The importance of adding value in agriculture, forexample through seed production and cotton farm-ing, was highlighted, as was the creation of a con-ducive environment for public/private partnerships.

“Lessons must be shared with policy makers andthere has to be capacity building for the youth. Weneed to lead by example and we can fill the gapbetween government and the people.”

Researchers

Researchers said the dialogue challenged them toprovide research that is demand driven, that hasimpact and that will add value to society. “Scienceis the driving force in development. The interaction

with policy makers and people was valuable. Theyouth are important and must be involved in re-search.” They said the Tanzanian President’s speechand especially his use of statistics was an eye-opener.

“We will also remember the South Sudan’s minis-ter’s appreciation of the value of research. We willwrite reports, host workshops and have dialogueswith stakeholders, and share with our peers.”

The elders

The elders said the recognition of groundnuts as animportant crop and the inclusion of Burkina Faso inproceedings were significant.

“The Tanzanian President’s address was excep-tional, the prize winners of the dairy project wereimpressive, as was Dr Shetto’s address. We plan tovisit Tanzania’s agriculture website and report tofarmers’ union board members.”

What did stakeholders say?



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What the FANRPAN 2012 Tanzania Policy Dialogue resolvedThe 253 delegates from 23 countries who attended the FANRPAN 2012 annual high levelFood Security Regional Policy Dialogue in Dar esSalaam, Tanzania from 3 to 7 September 2012,made 11 resolutions.

Commitment to strategic partnerships The dialogue resolved that FANRPAN recommits toengaging in strategic partnerships and linkages withlike-minded organisations.

This will add value and ensure that young Africanstake the lead in mapping an enabling policy environment. Interventions should be informed by research evidence - best practices should be identified and scaled-up and dialogue should re-main the means for engagement.

Engaging youth in agriculture policies - leadership and mentorshipYoung people require specific support and oppor-tunities to develop into responsible, successful individuals in their chosen field. Yet current policiesand practices are not necessarily conducive to promoting youth involvement in agriculture, agriculture related fields and value chains – andsome policies limit youth engagement. Delegatesresolved that efforts should be made to harness thepotential of young people to equip them with therequisite skills and knowledge to fully engage inthe development of agriculture policies. Equal en-gagement of young women and men should be fa-cilitated for decision making processes at local,national and regional levels.

Delegates furthermore resolved that strong intern-ship programmes at African universities and privatesector companies should be encouraged to prepareyoung people to participate in agriculture valuechains and to become agents of change.

Engaging youth in natural resourcesand environment research for development

The dialogue was of the opinion that generating re-search evidence for policy and investment decisionsin natural resources and the environment in Africawill be achieved by the young professionals of todayand tomorrow. Preparing, supporting and mentoringthem to address the mounting challenges in theseareas require in-depth understanding of the chal-lenges they face and the roles they must fill.

Delegates resolved that FANRPAN encouragesgreater investment of time and resources in youngprofessionals across agricultural value chains andtoward climate smart agriculture. They called on thenetwork to ensure that young professionals are pre-pared, directed and supported to undertake relevantresearch of scientific rigor, which is needed for de-cision makers at all levels.

Delegates resolved that young professionals shouldbe positioned to build upon previous research, fillcritical gaps and respond to real needs in the sector,region and continent.

Practical engagement of the youth inagri-business entrepreneurship Poverty reduction and food security in Africa dependon a vibrant commercial agriculture sector that in-cludes smallholder farmers. Agriculture value chainsare rife with opportunities for entrepreneurial en-gagement — to provide critical goods and servicesto rural populations seeking stronger linkages toinput and output markets. Today’s youth are well-

positioned to capitalise on their familiarity withtechnologies to generate win-win opportunitiesalong agriculture value chains.

The dialogue resolved to invest adequate resourcesin training youth in business entrepreneurship. Fur-thermore, support incentives such as credit facilitiesand market quotas should be developed, to supportsmallholder associations and the youth to activelyengage in agriculture. It also resolved to promoteand build capacity for succession planning alongthe agriculture value chain to create and sustainopportunities for future generations.

Modernising agriculture, using information and communicationtechnologies Information and communications technologies can link the youth to agriculture in ways previouslyimpossible - and is widely available and accessible.Social media can amplify the voice and mobiliseyouth in agriculture in real time. Information communications technology can deliver the mostup to date information to farms and fields - linkingfarmers to markets, value chains and other net-works.

Delegates resolved to capitalise on the potential ofnew technologies to link the youth to agricultureand farmers to markets along value chains by build-ing capacity of all sector stakeholders.

Seed security and regional policyharmonisation Policy reform processes generally occur in a con-tested policy arena - and need consent and supportof government to be successful. How these differentand competing interests are managed influencesthe outcomes of the reform process. Seed policyalignment is no different.

In most SADC countries, there is no clear institu-tional link between science and policy makingprocesses. This gap calls for advocacy tools to de-code science into policy language. Although the

Harmonised Seed Security Project pilot countries areat different stages of policy alignment, importantlessons are there for sharing and learning.

Delegates resolved that the project teams clearlydemonstrate and communicate benefits of policyalignment to policy makers to gain their support.The teams’ advocacy tools and mechanisms shouldprovide evidence-based answers to the broad ques-tions of who wins, who loses and how muchthrough policy alignment.

Delegates also resolved to promote cross-learningfrom the project’s country experiences as a criticalelement in policy advocacy monitoring, evaluationand learning. The project teams must know the in-terests of seed sector stakeholders to devise appro-priate advocacy approaches to manage them.

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) CAADP is Africa’s plan to boost agricultural produc-tivity, while reducing poverty and hunger on thecontinent. It was endorsed at the Maputo AfricanUnion summit in 2003. Implementation has accel-erated with 30 countries signing their national com-pacts. Delegates resolved to support and encouragethe active engagement of farmers, especiallywomen, in the CAADP process and to promote theactive engagement of the youth in agriculture valuechains and the programme’s processes.

They also resolved to monitor investment in agri-culture by all sectors to accurately reflect the na-tional level investment and to improve thecoordination of sectors relevant to agriculture.These include sectors like trade, water, infrastructure,education and health. Furthermore, they resolvedto develop robust knowledge and information sys-tems to inform policy processes.

Launch of the new FANRPAN brand In response to FANRPAN’s new Africa-wide man-date, the organisation was compelled to redesignits brand to reflect that expansion. The dialogue

resolved that FANRPAN promotes its new brand andaccompanying brand values to meet the new chal-lenges.

The Women Accessing RealignedMarkets project The project has empowered women farmers to con-vene effective community dialogues by partneringresearchers with rural communities. This ensuredthat evidence and knowledge were strategicallypackaged for use by policy makers and the commu-nity. Women voiced their concerns and proposedsolutions to the challenges that they face. Dele-gates resolved that efforts be made to out-scaleand up-scale the project to consolidate its impactand ensure it serves as a stepping stone towardswider and sustainable impact.

FANRPAN journalist training To develop a group of informed journalists on agri-culture issues in Africa, FANRPAN conducts journal-ist training as part of the annual High Level FoodSecurity Policy Dialogue. Fifteen journalists attendedthis year’s training.

The dialogue resolved that FANRPAN will launchthe African Agricultural Writers’ Association.

‘MZEES’ - hand hoe to iPad generation Two distinguished elders, a former prime ministerand a professor shared their stories with the dele-gates, emphasising their personal histories as farm-ers and the profound effect that has had on theirlives. Both elders’ stories highlighted their families’roles in their education, their quest for continuedlearning and excellence, and dedication to their ac-tivities and career choices. Delegates resolved thatelders and family members support the youth oftoday to engage in agricultural value chains. Fur-thermore, they resolved that education is critical toopening new opportunities for the youth, togetherwith entrenched values and belief in themselves.

FANRPAN trained a group of journalists from six African countries to help promote food security on the continent.


Food security crucial to Africa

Africa’s agricultural stakeholders say smallholderfarmers are the key to increasing food production– and food security – on the continent.

Speaking at the FANRPAN regional dialogue in Dares Salaam, they said agricultural researchers needto link with farmers to promote change across theentire agricultural system as a way of adapting andmitigating the effects of climate change.

Climate change in Africa is affecting the natural re-source base, people and food security and they be-lieve climate-smart agriculture is the solution. Asclimate change amplifies the environmental andsocio-economic drivers of food insecurity, they said,it is imperative that Africa prioritises where, howand when to act, because over the course of the21st century, the world will need to produce signif-icantly more food in order to deliver a basic, butadequate diet to everyone.

Climate change is expected to affect agriculturethrough higher temperatures, greater crop waterdemand, more variable rainfall and extremeclimatic events such as heat waves, floods anddrought.

FANRPAN’s Climate Change ProgrammeManager, Dr Sepo Hachingota, said climate changeadds to food prices. Climate change in other conti-nents also affects Africa and there is no way thatthe continent can escape it.

According to Hachingota African countries are facing the same challenges and the same climate change impact model should be used to assess its effect on the food market. He saidchanges in food systems to better meet humanneeds will demand major interventions on local andglobal scales.

“Deliberate efforts to empower the world’s mostvulnerable populations will be required toconstruct a global food system that adapts toclimate change.” He said all stakeholders shouldbe involved in research about the impact ofclimate change.

FANRPAN’s Water Programme Manager, Dr AmySullivan, said Africa needs to find a way to makesmallholder farmers’ voices heard in agricultural in-vestment priorities.

Basil Msongo, [email protected] Dino Mgunda, [email protected]


A household vulnerability study conducted in Zim-babwe’s Zaka district reveals that there is evidenceof gender not being adequately mainstreamed inthe FANRPAN Harmonised Seed Security project.

Tendai Kureya of Development Data says results indicate that the cultural and social setting is highlypatriarchal in the district, resulting in womens’ participation in livelihood activities being subdued.

“As a result, the number of female headed house-holds that are participating is significantly muchlower. In all seed farmer households, ownership of physical and other assets is much lower com-pared to that of men.

“For better success with the project and the other seed interventions, gender needs to be considered. There is a need to deliberately increase the number of women farmers, and encourage fairer assets distribution among participating households.”

The study was developed for FANRPAN by Devel-

opment Data, following a survey on seed farmersin the district. Development Data partnered Agricultural Technical and Extension Service andGRM International to assess vulnerability levels ofseed famers in the district, using the Household Vul-nerability Index assessment tool. The index is aproduct of FANRPAN, a statistical approach to vulnerability assessments, a data management system and a reporting framework.

The index was developed by FANRPAN who part-nered with World Vision International, the SouthernAfrica Trust, the University of Venda and Develop-ment Data to develop the index to assess vulnera-bility at household level. The index improvesplanning and targeting of humanitarian and devel-opment interventions.

Kureya says the results show a sharp decline in con-sumption of purchased foods such as oil, sugar andrice, while maize and leaf vegetables form the baseof foods consumed.

“The most common coping strategy, according to the research, indicated that 38 percent of households were changing diet to cheaper andavailable foodstuffs. Most households indicated thatthey changed from bread and eggs for breakfast tomeal porridge.

“Other strategies included reducing the size ofmeals, working harder and working overtime, con-suming more of their small livestock, andborrowing. On average, low vulnerabilityhouseholds eat eight different types of foodsper week, compared to seven for mediumvulnerability households,” says Kureya.

It also found that the majority of seed farmers willrequire some level of assistance, but immediatesteps should be taken to rescue the up to ten of the 483 seed farmers who are on a downwardspiral.

Is gender adequately main-streamed in the HarmonisedSeed Security project? Fidelis Zvomuya

“For better success, gender needs to beconsidered” - Tendai Kureya.

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What delegates say

“My country now stands a better chance of taking the CAADP process forward.”

Lesedi Modo,

Principal Agricultural Economist at the Botswana Ministry of Agriculture.

“The highlight of this dialogue is the fact that the youth have really come onthe platform and seeing how FANRPAN has developed over the years. It is a growing organisation. It’s my expectation to see that the growth can bemaintained, and it looks like it is happening. I am quite happy with the devel-opments so far. Dr. Isaiah Mharapara, CEO Agriculture Research Council Zimbabwe.

“This entire dialogue has been helpful because we got to learn a lot aboutagriculture and how we can actually attain food security. We met different peo-ple from different backgrounds discussing how to attain food security. We aredeveloping nations and we are very vulnerable to climate change which hasled to a lot of uncertainty on agriculture. “ Relebohile Letele SECCAP Lesotho.

“One key thing, youths in this policy dialogue have been prioritised as key ac-tors and equal stakeholders. This gives an opportunity to get theinnovative and creative ideas of African young people concerning issuesof the continents sustainable development.”Lawrence Mdambuka Muli, Advocacy and Communications Associate, Division for Human Resource and Youth Development.

“The theme on the youths was timely and opportune. Many of the USAID proj-ects focus on youths in agriculture, especially in the agricultural value chain.We work with regional economic communities and private sector to supportmore engagement.”

William Benjamin, US Agency for International Development

“Generally, I have learnt a lot from other farmers. As a woman advocate, theexperiences I have got from here will especially benefit women farmers in theTidi village, Chwamba in the Lilongwe district of Malawi.”

Nevelesi Maliseni – farmer from Malawi

“I got new ideas from participating countries on how to reduce the barriers inseed trade. I learnt a lot about seed production from the many delegates -knowledge which I can go and practice in my country.”

Isaac Chiundira, Ministry of Justice, Malawi.

“The workshop was very organised, the facilitator was well vested with thesession especially the HASSP impressed me. I am looking forward to the daywhere all on the African continent would be able to access proper seeds. Countries need to involve youth.”

Innocentia Thioula, Swaziland farmer representative.

“The dialogue has contributed to bringing awareness on transparency between the government and civil society to create good management of agri-cultural activities and resources.”

Joseph Kandiyesa, Salima Civil Society Forum, Malawi.

“It was a good and impressive dialoque particulary the showcasing of youthand women in agriculture - a hallmark conference. The succesful ideas, I believe should be communicated much further thanmeetings like this so that much more people can benefit.”

Dr Olu Ajayi, CTA The Netherlands

"It would have been nice to have an organised trip to see these success sto-ries, so far it’s all talk. but its good because without the dialogue, most of thestakeholders would not have known or interacted with each other." Bright Honou, University of Lesotho

They came, participated, interacted, debated and resolved. This is what some of the 200 delegates from around the continent said.



In line with FANRPAN’S commitment to journalism training, the FANRPAN Tanzania Dialogue News is produced with the assistance of the journalists who underwent training at thedialogue. They are credited for their articles that were also submitted to the various news channels of the media houses they represented. The training was conducted by Junxion Com-munications. www.fanrpan.org . Tel +27 12 804 2966

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Sewing his way to the top

Carolyne Madoshi, Khadja Zimbwe andPaida Mphaso

Small scale entrepreneurs have raised concerns overmarkets, urging the government to intervene by pro-moting and facilitating policies for leather and algaecommodities. Marketing Manager of MangaluShoes Design, Innocent Cosmas says despite thechallenges the market for these commodities isprominent. When the business runs smoothly, Cos-mas is able to make a profit of at least $266 to$300 per month. From his perspective the shoe de-signing market has become lucrative despite havingso many designers in the field.

“We are able to export some of the designs to someparts of eastern Africa. The most important thing isthat I am able to support members of my family,”says Cosmas. Cosmas’ group consists of six peopleand as the head he has to make sure that they haveenough material. He has been in the shoe businessfor a good eight years. I design shoes, slip-ons,belts, wallets and phone bags, all made out of gen-uine leather. People want materials that last andthat is why we are able to support ourselves fromthis business.

“However, raw materials are not sufficient, which leads to diminished production and scarcityof products in the market. The manufacturingprocess of goods takes a long time due to the lackof machinery. A lack of awareness about leathercommodities is a challenge as most customers bar-gain for low prices, compared to quality. While 75per cent of people prefer leather products due toits durability, ignorance jeopardises the local market.

“There are times when we struggle to get the ma-terials as some of them come as far as Zambia andSouth Africa. It’s never easy to import, but we tryour best.” Small scale trader for Bee Harvest Ki-wangwa, Mwajuma Mbwana says the governmentshould foster local markets by providing modernpackaging materials.

“Our group has been financed by the Swedish sinceit was established, but most indigenous people arestill not aware of the nectar and bee honey whichwe have used for producing mosquito spray, fungusand muscle remedies.

“One of the challenges facing the local market is

the mentioning of expiry dates on packaging sincenectar and honey do not expire. It becomes verydifficult for customers to believe that products madefrom nectar such as soap and oils do not have expirydates – an information campaign is essential.”

Tanzania is passionate about agriculture

Ayanda Mdluli

Tanzania is passionate about agricultural productionand the sale of, for example, poultry products andfresh mangoes on the streets of Dar es Salaamshows the degree of agricultural activity that takesplace. One is, however, brought down to earth bythe reality of the dependency of international aid.But there are always entertaining stories like theone of a sausage made out of mushrooms. LuitgardLupenza is a Tanzanian small holder farmer thatgrows oyster mushrooms and makes sausages outof this commodity.

“It is nutritious and healthy for people with allergiesand other illnesses like mild flu. There are morethan 100 varieties of the mushroom. However, thedominant one is from the pleurotus species. Everyseason I harvest about 600 kg.”

The mushroom has enabled her to take her kids andgrandchildren to school. She is just one out of manyexamples, but the country still lags far behind interms of agricultural development and proper in-vestment to assist with innovation.

SUGECO – for the youth by the youth

Dismas Mgunda

SUGECO – the Sokoine University Graduate Entre-preneurs Cooperative - exhibited local products likeoil from baobab seeds, wild grass which locals useas tea spice (mchaichai) and fresh spices in innova-tive packaging at Tanzania Day.

Mmeta Abdallah and Elifadhili Ezekiel represent agroup of 40 who offer various products for sale.Abdala says at university they leant to become en-trepreneurs. “Many young people want to engagein agricultural activities but financial capital is thebig problem - where do you get basic capital tostart? Ezekiel says usually there is no problem toacquire land in Tanzania. “So I have a portion offive ha and used my savings to buy sunflower seeds

and to hire labour power. However, if you want todevelop you can’t go it alone. So through SUGECOwe can acquire assistance from financial institu-tions. The local market is big and demand is biggerthan supply. The challenges are raw materials, weused to import from China, which is very expensive.This is certainly an area that can be explored.”

Local is good

Gloria Nakiyimba

Tan Dairies, a local milk producing company in Tan-zania, has embarked on the production of animalfeeds. The group, based in Dar es Salaam, says thebrand DESA animal feeds offers a variety of feedsranging from cattle and chicken feed. Tan DiariesSales and Marketing Manager Erick Mrema says theDESA animal feed project was established in re-sponse to the high demand for quality animal feedsby farmers. The group deals in dairy product andrecently added value to their products when theystarted producing cultured milk mixed with honey.

“The product Mtindi wa Asali is also very popularin Tanzania as it can be taken on its own as refresh-ment or can be taken with food. Apart from dairyproducts, the company also produces drinkingwater, juice and honey.”

It’s all in the packaging

Mantoe Phakathi

Although aspiring Tanzanian winemaker Teddy Davisis getting the highest yield from the fields while herwine sells by the gallons, she feels she could domore had she had access to packaging material. Aformer housewife who makes wine from rosselaflower which she plants on her three-hectare farm,Davis often fails to find bottles in which she bottlesher wine before selling it.

“Some of the bottles I need are not available inTanzania,” said Davis. “The bottles are importedfrom South Africa by other businesspeople but thesupply is not reliable.”

The director of Smoke House Store said she alsooften struggled to get containers for some of herother products such as chilli sauce and juice. Davisfeels synergies are important in agribusiness to en-sure that farmers do not only have access to mar-kets, but that they also have the material in which

to pack their products to ensure consistent supply.

“I wish we had companies manufacturing the bot-tles so that they are not only readily available butthey are also cheaper,” she said.

She employs five young people who help with thefarming of the rossela flower to the processing ofthe end products. She sells her products in her hometown of Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam where themarket has not disappointed.

“Working with the young people is interesting be-cause they are full of energy and are passionateabout the job,” said Davis. However, RaphaelMichael Temi, one of the company’s staff, said thereis a need to also improve the mechanisation at theprocessing factory because for now it is still labourintensive.

“We use hands to process the products and thattakes long and it’s tedious,” said Temi. SmokeHouse Store was one of the Tanzanian exhibitors atthe 2012 Food Agriculture and Natural ResourcesPolicy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) dialogue in Dares Salaam, who showcased their products to 250delegates from 23 African countries. The 35 youthparticipating at the dialogue also called for policiesthat would help modernise agriculture to make itless labour intensive, while bringing more rewardsto farmers. According to FANRPAN board chairmanSindiso Ngwenya, the youth’s involvement in agri-culture is key because young people have the po-tential of improving agriculture and food securitythrough the use of technology.

“We often forget that the youth forms the majorityof the African population. They are techno savvywhich makes them vital role players in agriculture,”said Ngwenya.

Tanzania Day

Mushrooms can become sausages!

Thursday, 6 September was Tanzania Day at the FANRPAN Dialogue in Dar es Salaam. Exhibitors from far afield broughttheir wares to display at the dialogue. FANRPAN Dialogue News spoke to some of the exhibitors.

Don’t ignore the youth – FANRPAN chairpersonPaida Mpaso, [email protected], Mantoe Phakathi, [email protected], Carolyne Madoshi, [email protected]

“Failing to recognise and involve the youth in agri-cultural issues are like sitting on a volcano.“

Officially opening the FANRPAN annual dialogue in Tanzania, Chairperson Sindiso Ngwenya saidAfrica is mostly made up of the youth and, therefore,ignoring them would mean ignoring agricultural de-velopment.

“About 62 percent of the African population con-stitutes of youths, so ignoring this big part of thepopulation spells disaster. We need to involve them.They need to be empowered and as agriculture isthe biggest employer, involving them will improvethe economy. I appeal to African governments torespect and implement the youth charter.”

FANRPAN Chief Executive Officer Dr Lindiwe MajeleSibanda said youths are the leaders of today andtomorrow and cannot be ignored. “We need to in-volve them in the agriculture value chain. We don’tmean the youths should only go out and till the

land, they could be involved indelivering of goods,selling or in the information department – whateverwe do, they need to be involved.”

As the youth call for their involvement in the for-mulation of agriculture and food security policies, agroup of African young people is making use of so-cial media to promote stomach politics.

Nawsheen Hosenally from Mauritus is one of the 70 youths from different African countries who are tweeting from the 12th annual FANRPANdialogue in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She said theuse of social media such as twitter and Facebook ishelping in educating the youth so that they take aninterest in agriculture, a sector of the economywhich is perceived to be less lucrative by the youth.

“Through our tweets, we’re able to help thousandsof young people throughout the continent to engage in the issues that we’re discussing here,”said Hosenally. And the use of new media tech-

nologies will help attract the youthto agriculture because for now fewyoung people are into farming, al-though they are the group that formsover 60 percent of the African popu-lation, said FANRPAN youth coordi-nator Sithembile Mwamakamba.

“In most of our countries we havean aging farming population whichwon’t be there in the next 50 years.Besides the use of technology toimprove agricultural production,there is also a need for countries tocome up with financing mechanismsto help young people get intoagribusinesses. Countries need toemulate best practices that promote the establish-ment of businesses by young people. Right now itis very difficult for the youth to access funding be-cause they do not own resources that can serve as

collateral, such as land. It is, therefore, encouragingthat in Swaziland the Ministry of Youth is providingfunding for the youth to start businesses,” saidMwamakamba.

“Don’t ignore the youth” - from left, Laurence Muli ofthe AU Youth Division, Sindiso Ngwenya and Dr LindiweMajde Sibanda


6

Sustainable development in the agriculture sector was high on the agenda at the FANRPAN dialogue in Dar es Salaam, which included discus-sions about the Comprehensive Africa AgricultureDevelopment Programme (CAADP).

Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry ofAgriculture, Mohammed Said Muya said agricultureis the backbone of the economy of almost allAfrican countries and that seeking solutions forfood sufficiency in the region is crucial. As a mem-ber of CAADP, Tanzania has been able to implementa green revolution – “Kilimo Kwanza” (agriculturefirst) - which is practiced from regional to districtlevels.

Tanzania is a good example where the agriculturalsector is sufficient enough. For three years now Tan-zania has not imported maize and it has become amajor supplier of maize to other countries likeKenya, Congo and Zambia.

However, in order to sustain and excel in agriculture,good conditions for the growing of crops must bemaintained, regardless of the world climate changecrisis. People no longer only depend on seasonalrainfall for production and irrigation systems arebecoming increasingly important. Muya said Tan-zania has various resources for the facilitation of ir-rigation schemes and the country has longforgotten about seasonal rainfall.

In order for agriculture to sustain and grow, he saidfarmers need need more private sector investmentto complement government’s allocated budget forthe sector. In general, however, the agricultural

sector in Africa is still facing a lot of challenges, in-cluding climate change and low investment.

“CAADP member states have to implement the objective of the agreement to become self-sufficientin food production and to reduce poverty,” said Muya.

CAADP a catalyst for agriculturaltransformation in Africa

Khadijah Zimbwe, [email protected] Rweyemamu, [email protected] Malundo, [email protected]

FANRPAN has launched a quarterly publication tar-geting stakeholders in the food, agriculture and nat-ural resources sector focusing on differentprogrammes.

The AGRIDEAL magazine series is set to become acontinent-wide as well as a global leader in em-powering stakeholders deliberately chosen to alignwith FANRPAN flagship events.

FANRPAN board member Lynette Chen launchedthe magazine during the Dar es Salaam dialogueand said it will package the work done in terms ofinfluencing food security policies.

“The September issue coincides with the FANRPAN Annual Regional Policy Dialogue. The Jan-uary magazine will coincide with the annual plan-ning and common vision meetings, while the Maymagazine will coincide with the FANRPAN AnnualPartners meetings,” she said.

In the first issue of AGRIDEAL, FANRPAN has high-lighted the milestones of the Women Accessing Re-aligned Markets (WARM) project that focuses onthe plight of women farmers who have no voice inthe development of agricultural policies designedto improve their productivity.

The WARM project leveraged on FANRPAN’s expe-rience as a multi-stakeholder policy network tobridge the gaps between women farmers and policyprocesses. WARM was born out of the realizationthat although women farmers produce more than90 percent of the food on the African continent byproviding agricultural labour, processing and stor-age, they have very limited access to credit, fertil-izer, seed and other production inputs.

Chen said the first edition of AGRIDEAL is dedicatedto the women of Africa. She says about 80 percentof agriculture in Africa is done by women.

According to FANRPAN Chief Executive Officer, DrLindiwe Majele Sibanda, women farmers are thepillars of African agriculture, and according to theUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organizationover two thirds of all women in Africa are employedin the agricultural sector and produce nearly 90 per-cent of food on the continent.

The January 2013 edition of AGRIDEAL will focuson the Limpopo Basin Focal Project, while the May2013 issue will focus on the Comprehensive AfricaDevelopment Programme (CAADP).

Brand newmagazinefor FANRPAN

“The first edition of AGRIDEAL is dedicated to the women of Africa”- Lynette Chen

Basil Msongo, [email protected]

Agriculture should not be treated in isolationif Africa is to realise the full potential of the sectorto feed its billion people, said Tanzania’s permanentsecretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and FoodSecurity, Mohamed Said Muya.

Interviewed at the FANRPAN annual dialogue inDar es Salaam, he said all government sectorsshould be linked to agriculture because they are in-terdependent. “For example, you need farmers toproduce food but nutrition is also part of the healthagenda,” said Muya. “You also need healthy farm-ers to be able to produce the food.”

Muya said governments need to invest in good roadinfrastructure which would reduce the costs of pro-duction so that food becomes cheaper.

He said it was for that reason the government ofTanzania was committed towards implementing theComprehensive African Agriculture DevelopmentProgramme (CAADP), an initiative endorsed byAfrican heads of state in 2003 to boost agriculturalactivity.

Tanzania is a shining example in the implementa-tion of CAADP after launching a 15-year agriculture investment plan, which is aligned to other nationaland regional policies including the SADC develop-ment plan and Millennium Development Goal One.

“All the government ministries, private sector, farm-ers and other non-governmental organisationsshould know the role that they have to play to pro-mote agriculture,” said Muya.

However, observed Muya, very few Tanzanians areaware of the role CAADP has to play in policy for-mulation, which was why he said the FANRPANCAADP multi-stakeholder meeting was importantin creating awareness about the programme. “Thisis a useful forum for sharing among countries onthe best practices for the implementation ofCAADP,” said Muya.

FANRPAN CAADP programme manager IanMashingaidze could not agree more, adding thatmany African countries need to be assisted to takethe CAADP process forward after signing the com-pacts.

As a result, FANRPAN is helping non-state actorsincluding farmers, academics, private sector andother members of civil society to participate in theCAADP process.

“In some countries, the government was runningwith the process without taking non-state actorson board,” said Mashingaidze. “As FANRPAN wesay non-state actors have a big role to play in theCAADP agenda.”

He said governments need the participation of theprivate sector through infrastructure investment inthe implementation of CAADP.

We need the private sector to realise the long-termbenefits of participating in CAADP because weknow business is interested in the bottom line,”said Mashingaidze.

He agreed that many countries have a lot to learnfrom Tanzania in driving forward the CAADPagenda.

Agriculture should not beisolated - Muya

Mantoe Phakathi, [email protected]

“All government sectors should be linkedto agriculture” - Mohamed Said Muya


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