Landcare food security and value chains in East Africa

Landcare, Food Security and Value Chains in East Africa

Presentation to ALI AGM16 November 2012

Bernie Wonder

AIFSC Project

2012-13

Apologies for the acronyms!!

• BW – ABARE, DPIE, DAFF, PC

• NSCP, FWRAAP, NLP, NHT, NAP, MDBC,

WSSD

• AIFSC (www.aciar.gov.au/aifsc)

Food Security is the issue of our time.Hilary Clinton 2011

• AIFSC announced October 2011

• $A 33m over 4 years

• Initial focus-sub Saharan Africa

• Canberra, Nairobi offices

• First Centre Director-Mellissa Wood

AIFSC Themes

• Sustainable & Productive Farming Systems (R)

• Markets, Value Chains & Social Systems (R)

• Food Nutrition & Safety (R)

• Communications & Knowledge management (CB)

• Education, Training & Capacity Building (CB)

Food Security-Context & Conditions

• Availability - Sustainable production, NRM,

Enabling Policies

• Access - Income, Cash crops & Livestock

Products, Purchasing Capacity,

Market Access

• Utilisation - Nutrition, Diet, Reduced waste,

Adding value

The Big Picture• World Population grows from 7B (2012)

to 9B (2050)

• Accounted for entirely and approximately equally by Africa and Asia (1B each)

• Sub Saharan Africa fed 80% by smallholders

• Declining farm size & yields + urbanisation

Where to Focus Food Security Effort

• Increased food Production

• Increased Income

• Improved Nutrition & Diet Diversity

• Improved Access to Knowledge

• Increased Institutional & Individual Capacity

Agri-Food Value Chain (1)

• Much of what needs to be done captured by Value Adding chain

• Production, Storage, Processing, Distribution, Trading, Consumption

• Value Chains for Transforming Smallholder Agriculture Conference

• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Agri-Food Value Chain (2)• Not new-used by Agribusiness for long time

• A tool for describing segments, linkages, points of co-operation, risks and opportunities from input to market decisions

• Aid organisations now using to help smallholders & guide interventions

• Can involve public as well as private sectors

Agri-Food Value Chain (3)

• Demand driven by customers• Can work for Subsistence as well as

Commercial smallholders • Both have potential partners, decision points,

knowledge requirements, capacity needs• Helps with linked journey of Subsistence,

Small surplus, Commercialisation

• Eg. Cereals 1 to 2t/ha gives +100Mt

Farmer & Landcare Groups (1)

• The importance of Scale

• Landcare Groups have Landscape focus

• Business Groups have joint enterprise focus

• Common interest farmer groups

Farmer & Landcare groups (2)

• Farmer Groups throughout East Africa

• Landcare one common purpose

• Kenya Landcare Network origins in farmer groups

• Kalama & Kola (Machakos) groups focussing on Landcare & Business Opportunities






Evergreen Agriculture Trees (for holes)

Group 1-Nursery

• Landcare Group-nursery focus for erosion protection. Formal constitution. Local markets

• Also mangoes, oranges, potatoes grown for household consumption & cash crop

• Water scarcity & tree security challenges

Group 2 – Evergreen Agriculture

• IFAD sponsored, ICRAF advice

• Fertiliser trees (Caliandra & others) & conservation agriculture focus with intercropping of maize, beans & pigeon peas. Bees for honey as well

• Low tree survival-water stress & predator attack

Observations on Groups (1)

• Highly enthusiastic & committed, Group 2 established in 1989

• Average age of farmers in Kenya-60, Youth leaving. Overwhelmingly, women members

• Poor planning, budgeting, marketing skills. Very limited capital, agricultural skills and partnerships but KENDAT & AusAid providing valuable support

Observations on Groups (2)

• Groups social capital can be broadly applied beyond NRM

• Enable market power for procurement and marketing relevant to Landcare & enterprise projects

• Capacity building needs concern business skills, budgets, risk management, input usage, marketing decisions and technology

Some Tentative Inferences (1)

• Remoteness and infrastructure limitations often mean non-perishable focus but not always (eg. Carribbean smallholders supplying supermarkets)

• Groups give scale for engaging value adding chain

• Marketing channel choices include local village, supplying a large farm, contract farming, co-operatives, farmer collective, supermarkets

Some Tentative Inferences (2)• Group capacity to make decisions critical –

business, technology, financial as well as what they do in the chain – produce, store, process – and who they choose to value add (pack, transport, market)

• Partnerships central to progress. NGOs play key role but potential to link with researchers, LG, Agriculture agencies as well as private players (seed, fertiliser, chemical companies)

Some Tentative Inferences (3)

• Innovation Platforms having broad focus look useful. Kapchowra, Uganda example?

• Innovation triangle embracing farmers, service providers (seed, fertiliser, chemicals, credit) & Enablers (Government policy, research, science) also useful

• Good governance needed-eg. market power, contract terms and law

Success story-Honey-Ethiopia (1)

• Located Adama, 135km SE Addis Ababa• Established 2003• 2000 smallholder outgrowers (mostly women)• Honey production-36t (2003) to 196t (2012)• Wax & pollen sales• Demonstration sites• Pre & post harvest handling training (SNV)• EU accredited, Fairtrade certified


• HACCP, ISO 20000• NGO training (SNV) embedded• Germany, Belgium, UK, US sales• Market channels include co-op & traders• Whole of Chain stakeholder meetings• Price varies based on quality specifications• Mobile phone communication (eg container

requirements)


• Investment in trust and commitment• Competition central-growers have several

sales outlets• Processor/marketer sources of smallholder

finance• Improved incomes, food security, livelihoods,

standard of living

A Landcare Based Approach to food Security in East Africa-Scoping Study (1)

• Contribution made now to food security through Landcare

• Whether Landcare approach can be more broadly applied along agri-food marketing chain

• What partnerships might assist this broader focus

A Landcare Based Approach to food Security in East Africa-Scoping Study (2)

• Undertake a pilot study of how the Landcare approach might work in a broader, through-chain food security context

• Propose ideas on areas worthy for further research

Next Steps for Project

• Analyse Group Capability

• Better understand Food Security status

• Identify smallholder development needs

• Assess Innovation Platform requirements

• Kenya through chain pilot study