AGRA

Pay Television Company StarTimes Media is set to facilitate agricultural development across Africa through the broadcaster’s digital media platform. This will be achieved through creating access to tailored digital terrestrial content targeting rural areas across the continent. Speaking during the 10th edition of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), StarTimes Vice General Manager for overseas business Mr. Zhang Junqi noted that Although digitalization is one of the main facilitating efforts for knowledge sharing, it is currently limited due to lack of infrastructure thereby contributing to low penetration of information communication resources in Africa. “We intend to make it our social obligation to make our broadcast platforms available for relevant educational content targeting the rural population. At StarTimes, we have initiated the broadcast of agriculture-related content from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and other relevant resources which have been localized in each country and broadcast in local dialects,” noted Mr. Zhang. AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, pulling together stakeholders in the agricultural sector to discuss and commit to programs, investments, and policies to achieve an inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation across the continent. The more than 2300 delegates gathered in Accra, Ghana for the 10th edition of the Forum under the theme Grow Digital: Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa where leaders from countries across Africa shared their experience in development of agriculture within a digital era and contribution to the goals of the Malabo Declaration (2014) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AGRF rallies the leaders and various stakeholders around a common purpose – to unleash the full potential of Africa’s smallholder farmers and agriprenuers who provide up to 80% of the food and agricultural products consumed across the continent and generate millions of jobs and inclusive economic growth. StarTimes intends to leverage on the Access to Satellite Television for 10,000 African Villages project which the company has since rolled out this being one of the 10 major cooperation programs to boost cooperation between China and Africa enabling the broadcaster to extend television services in rural areas. The project is expected to be completed at the end of 2019 having a total of 10,112 villages equipped with satellite Television.

Mr Chimwemwe Josia, a Technology Transfer Specialist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Malawi, graduated with his Masters in Plant Breeding through the Improved Masters in Cultivar Development for Africa (IMCDA) programme at UKZN. 

Josia evaluated maize hybrids for low-nitrogen tolerance, yield stability and genetic purity. He tested the yield performance and stability of single cross maize hybrids under low Nitrogen (N) stress, and conducted molecular marker-based genetic purity analyses on the maize parental lines and the resultant hybrids to test their quality. Using hybrids from three locations, Potchefstroom, Vaalharts and Cedara, Josia identified 13 single cross maize hybrids that are genetically pure, tolerant to low N, high yielding and stable across locations. 

‘These are potential candidates for further evaluation and release as low N tolerant hybrids in South Africa, and information generated from genetic purity analysis will strengthen the maize breeding programme implemented by the Agricultural Research Council-Grain Crops Institute (ARC-GCI) in South Africa,’ said Josia. 

Josia was inspired to pursue this research as production of maize, which remains the principal source of food security and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, faces challenges owing to abiotic stresses such as low Nitrogen. He hoped to offer a sustainable solution for farmers to achieve resilience as soil fertility declines in Africa. 

He joined the IMCDA programme, funded by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in order to prepare himself to become a scientist working in plant breeding and seed systems who could address the challenges faced by smallholder farmers. The programme’s unique blend of coursework with a yearlong internship in research institutes in Africa, such as the ARC-GCI where Josia was based, contributed to preparing him for industry. 

He selected UKZN owing to its high ranking and reputation for distinguished research, knowing that guidance from its researchers would enable him to make an original contribution to his field. He said that he appreciated the University’s rich cultural diversity and the opportunities it afforded for academic networking. 

Prior to joining UKZN, Josia studied Agronomy at the former Bunda College of Agriculture at the University of Malawi, now the Lilongwe University of Agricultural and Natural Resources. 

Having completed his masters in this multidisciplinary field, several career opportunities arose. At IITA, he conducts research into cowpea and soybean seed production, and works in technology transfer. Following graduation, Josia will join SeedCo, where he will be involved in commercial maize hybrid and legume seed production, as well as related seed production research. He plans to continue with this work while exploring PhD scholarship opportunities. 

Josia extended special thanks to his supervisor, IMCDA project manager, Dr Julia Sibiya, for her support. He also thanked Drs Cousin Musvosvi and Amelework Beyene Assefa for their contributions during his studies. He acknowledged his co-supervisor and research mentor Dr Kingstone Mashingaidze at the ARC-GCI, as well as the ARC-GCI maize breeding team, thanking them for their support and for providing the planting materials and facilities used in his study. He also thanked AGRA for making his studies possible. 

Words: Christine Cuénod

Photograph: Abhi Indrarajan

On 3-6 September 2019, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) will take place in Accra, Ghana under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, and the theme of Grow Digital: Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa.

In efforts to drive new business deals and commitments between enterprises, governments, investors and other development institutions, the AGRF features the Agribusiness Deal Room where these actors connect and discuss specific agriculture investments. This year, the SAFIN Secretariat collaborated with AGRA and other partners to design the Deal Room aiming to attract investees and investors from across the network and ultimately contribute to scaling up access to finance and investment for agri-SMEs in Africa.

In this interview, Jennifer Baarn, Head of Partnerships at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), talks about what to expect from this year’s deal room.

Can you describe the main achievements of the deal room in 2018?

The Agribusiness Deal Room at the AGRF 2018 can be described as a pilot with limited time for preparatory work. A few months towards the AGRF 2018, the Rwandese government expressed interest in presenting the country as an investment destination for agriculture in Africa. We worked with the Rwandese government to develop presentations for investment opportunities in the country, and together with the Rwandese Development Board we identified almost 20 companies to be included in this presentation. We then designed a special Deal Room to match these companies and investors to each other.

Even with the short notice, this proposal received a tremendous response, and attracted 16 capital seekers from 6 different sectors along the agriculture value chain, 10 global and regional investors, and 8 investment promotion agencies from across Africa. We hosted about 60 valuable conversations around these investment opportunities throughout the forum, and this indicated to us a strong interest in the Deal Room.

At AGRA, we specialize in value chain construction and facilitating the enabling environment around agriculture value chains and smallholder farming, not necessarily in the investment space. We realized that the strong convening power at the AGRF could be leveraged to better broker deals between investors and investees, to attract the investor community towards agriculture-which is still perceived as a high-risk activity requiring a lot of value chain coordination, and to significantly reduce transaction costs.

The Deal Room in 2018 was also an opportunity to introduce the investor community to risk mitigating activities, many of which AGRA and other partners are currently doing. These include capacity development for smallholder farmers, aggregation, introducing new technologies and engaging in the policy environment, all of which can improve agricultural value chains and the ability of farmers to deliver good quality produce consistently.

What can participants expect from the Deal Room this year?

One of the main takeaways from the Deal Room in 2018 was the need for a pipeline of eligible deals and companies, which cannot be driven by AGRA alone. To facilitate this, we have built a partnership of 12 partner institutions, including the International Finance Corporation, the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund and the African Development Bank who have designed the Deal Room since early 2019.

On top of the 50 investors expected this year, including commercial banks, development finance institutions and private equity companies, we are also engaging governments that can influence the success of investments through policy. This year, 16-20 governments will participate in the Deal Room as investors and as investees, and will be at the heart of discussions on investment bottlenecks.

Strong regional and global anchor buyers and traders, like Dangote Industries Ltd, Unilever and Nestlé will also take part in the discussion on how they can leverage their market power to make value chain work better for small farmers. We are bringing all the different actors together in the context of digitalization, so that digital companies who can present digital solutions and explore how these solutions can strengthen agricultural investments.

Following up on these investment deals to understand success factors and bottlenecks, whether individual or systemic, is another core element this year. We have integrated a yearlong portfolio management and advisory programme to facilitate this.

What types of investments are receiving the most interest from investors this year?

Overall, we’re expecting over 100 investment opportunities this year, ranging from half a million to 50 million dollars per investment, and totaling half a billion dollars. There is a lot of interest in 5-10 million dollar investments in the value-added processing sector and in companies operating in a stable environment and delivering products of reliable quality. We are seeing increased collaboration among different actors, even some consortia of private companies and research institutions, to develop very interesting investment proposals.

What are the key elements of the post-AGRF portfolio management for selected investments? What kind of support will be provided to agri-SMEs specifically?

For the year following the AGFR 2019, we will promote the profiles of capital seekers to a variety of investors, monitor investment deals initiated in the Deal Room and in some cases accompany negotiations until closure. Our goal is to map where investments deals drop off the radar, identify any gaps or bottlenecks, and discuss how different actors can jointly address them.

Many of our Deal Room design partners have ongoing programs that provide technical assistance and matchmaking to agri-SMEs to make them investment ready and programmes to prepare investors for agri-finance, including by providing guaranteed capital. Although such programmes are already in place, fragmentation and high transaction cost in the agriculture finance landscape are continuing challenges.

w, Jennifer Baarn, Head of Partnerships at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), talks about what to expect from this year’s deal room.

Can you describe the main achievements of the deal room in 2018?

The Agribusiness Deal Room at the AGRF 2018 can be described as a pilot with limited time for preparatory work. A few months towards the AGRF 2018, the Rwandese government expressed interest in presenting the country as an investment destination for agriculture in Africa. We worked with the Rwandese government to develop presentations for investment opportunities in the country, and together with the Rwandese Development Board we identified almost 20 companies to be included in this presentation. We then designed a special Deal Room to match these companies and investors to each other.

Even with the short notice, this proposal received a tremendous response, and attracted 16 capital seekers from 6 different sectors along the agriculture value chain, 10 global and regional investors, and 8 investment promotion agencies from across Africa. We hosted about 60 valuable conversations around these investment opportunities throughout the forum, and this indicated to us a strong interest in the Deal Room.

At AGRA, we specialize in value chain construction and facilitating the enabling environment around agriculture value chains and smallholder farming, not necessarily in the investment space. We realized that the strong convening power at the AGRF could be leveraged to better broker deals between investors and investees, to attract the investor community towards agriculture-which is still perceived as a high-risk activity requiring a lot of value chain coordination, and to significantly reduce transaction costs.

The Deal Room in 2018 was also an opportunity to introduce the investor community to risk mitigating activities, many of which AGRA and other partners are currently doing. These include capacity development for smallholder farmers, aggregation, introducing new technologies and engaging in the policy environment, all of which can improve agricultural value chains and the ability of farmers to deliver good quality produce consistently.

What can participants expect from the Deal Room this year?

One of the main takeaways from the Deal Room in 2018 was the need for a pipeline of eligible deals and companies, which cannot be driven by AGRA alone. To facilitate this, we have built a partnership of 12 partner institutions, including the International Finance Corporation, the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund and the African Development Bank who have designed the Deal Room since early 2019.

On top of the 50 investors expected this year, including commercial banks, development finance institutions and private equity companies, we are also engaging governments that can influence the success of investments through policy. This year, 16-20 governments will participate in the Deal Room as investors and as investees, and will be at the heart of discussions on investment bottlenecks.

Strong regional and global anchor buyers and traders, like Dangote Industries Ltd, Unilever and Nestlé will also take part in the discussion on how they can leverage their market power to make value chain work better for small farmers. We are bringing all the different actors together in the context of digitalization, so that digital companies who can present digital solutions and explore how these solutions can strengthen agricultural investments.

Following up on these investment deals to understand success factors and bottlenecks, whether individual or systemic, is another core element this year. We have integrated a yearlong portfolio management and advisory programme to facilitate this.

What types of investments are receiving the most interest from investors this year?

Overall, we’re expecting over 100 investment opportunities this year, ranging from half a million to 50 million dollars per investment, and totaling half a billion dollars. There is a lot of interest in 5-10 million dollar investments in the value-added processing sector and in companies operating in a stable environment and delivering products of reliable quality. We are seeing increased collaboration among different actors, even some consortia of private companies and research institutions, to develop very interesting investment proposals.

What are the key elements of the post-AGRF portfolio management for selected investments? What kind of support will be provided to agri-SMEs specifically?

For the year following the AGFR 2019, we will promote the profiles of capital seekers to a variety of investors, monitor investment deals initiated in the Deal Room and in some cases accompany negotiations until closure. Our goal is to map where investments deals drop off the radar, identify any gaps or bottlenecks, and discuss how different actors can jointly address them.

Many of our Deal Room design partners have ongoing programs that provide technical assistance and matchmaking to agri-SMEs to make them investment ready and programmes to prepare investors for agri-finance, including by providing guaranteed capital. Although such programmes are already in place, fragmentation and high transaction cost in the agriculture finance landscape are continuing challenges.

September 5, 2019

Environmental degradation is a major global issue since the 1970s, when the international community became aware of the negative consequences of over-exploitation of land and related resources.

Worldwide, agriculture contributes 80 percent of land degradation through deforestation, loss of biodiversity, loss of soil fertility, soil leaching, land and water pollution, leading to desertification, floods, drought and erosion.

In Africa, almost 65 percent of cropland, which produces more than 70 percent of the food, has for half a century been affected by land degradation driven by poor farming practices.

It is against this backdrop that the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has entered into an MoU with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for the development of resilient agricultural systems that are based on sustainable environmental practices.

Michael Doane, the Managing Director for Food and Agriculture at TNC, says that the partnership will scale up sustainable land management and agro-biodiversity conservation in the continent, with the intention of supporting agricultural growth.

“We already know that the best way to increase agricultural productivity is to use good seed genetics and improved fertilisers. But soil health is coming up as new knowledge all over the world and it is upon us to ensure that we help manage the biological functions of soil for the benefit of African agriculture,” Mr. Doane said. 

AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata recognized the expansion of farm lands as a major precursor of degradation.

“We are still seeing a lot of people moving to new land and this must stop because the land that currently under production is enough to feed a lot of people, except that it is not being optimised,” she said.

Following the MoU, a $964,000 budget was set aside to fund an Integrated Approach Pilot program (IAP) that fosters sustainability and resilience for food security in Africa.

The project will pursue investments in the integrated management of natural resources in smallholder agriculture to help farmers improve soil health, increase access to drought-tolerant seeds, maintain or increase diversity on their farms, and link them to functional markets.

Dr. Kalibata promised to support the training of farmers to pursue environmentally-conscious agricultural practices.

“We are happy to help in the perspective of intensification, encouraging farmers to plant trees on their land.”

Ultimately, Dr. Kalibata concluded, the failure to protect the environment will impact farmers the most, especially because agricultural enterprises in the continent depend heavily on natural resources like land and rain.

September 3, 2019

The private sector has a major role to play in the transformation of African agriculture. In particular, SMEs will be vital to the continent’s long-awaited green revolution.

But small-to-medium sized agribusinesses often lack the collateral, resources and support they need to realize their potential. As such, they make up what is referred to as the ‘hidden middle’; an overlooked cohort of essential but unrecognized workers and enterprises.

The ‘hidden middle’ is the focus of this year’s Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR). Coordinated and published each year by AGRA, the AASR addresses the tough questions that accompany the challenge of delivering inclusive growth and enhancing government capacity. It serves as a handbook for governments and their supporting partners to deliver agricultural and economic transformation.

Launched at AGRF 2019, this year’s edition of the report was welcomed by Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA and AGRF Secretariat, as an important study on a crucial segment of the private sector. Not the “missing” middle but the “hidden” middle – a crucial distinction made by Dr Kalibata as she described how African farmers and SMEs are ready, waiting and willing to expand into new areas. Through commitments and insights, the AASR 2019 signals a renewed effort to bring SMEs into the light and, through investment and support, help them become “vibrant and visible”.

“The SME landscape needs to work,” said Dr Kalibata as she warned that African agriculture, like an engine in idle mode, cannot presently go forward. With the threat of climate change, it could even start to go backwards – unless we act now to engage and empower the continent’s SME population.

Before presenting the key findings from AASR 2019, Dr Tom Reardon, Professor of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at MSU, set about busting a few popular myths.

According to Dr Reardon, conventional wisdom has it that the African food system is broken. “But the food system in Africa feeds 880 million consumers,” he said. “So, if indeed it is broken, we’re in big trouble.”

What’s more, the research that shaped the AASR 2019 contradicts this conventional wisdom. “Yes,” said Dr Reardon, “the African food system is constrained…but we’ve found a quiet revolution at the grassroots level in African supply chains.” That is, in the segments that are closest to the farmer, made up of agro-dealers, truckers, processors, wholesalers and street vendors, among others. And it’s here, in the hidden middle, that rapid advancements are being made, with huge potential for growth.

Dr Reardon then set out some of the key findings of the AASR 2019. First, the African food system is growing extremely quickly. “From 1970 until now,” he explained, “the total volume of food in Africa has grown by a factor of 350%.” This is on a par with Asia, which is widely perceived as the food system success story.

And over 25 years, there’s been an 800% increase in the volume of food being moved from rural areas to African cities. “Is that a broken value chain?” asked Dr Reardon.

The report also found a very rapid transformation of the nature of the food system. Two-and-a-half decades ago, the urban share of the food economy in Africa was very minor. Today, cities account for 60% of all food consumed in Africa, triggering the jump in urban-rural supply chains.

There has also been a shift away from a subsistence farm economy. “Today,” said Dr Reardon, “80% of the total food basket of rural Africa is purchased, which means it’s also coming through supply chains. So, private supply chains are feeding 80% of Africa. I think that’s really important.”

Next, panellists responded to these findings and insights.

Dr Abebe HaileGabriel from FAO said that government, rather than stepping aside, should become an important partner for business. He also urged for a broad and integrated approach to the private sector that incorporated the smallholder farmer.

Ms Ndidi Nwuneli, Co-Founder of Sahel Capital, said innovative investment “at the mezzanine level” was urgently required, alongside agri-business education to secure a pipeline of future talent.

Meanwhile Lucy Muchoki, from Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said businesses in the hidden middle are often women-led, so efforts in this area will also help to address gender inequality.

AASR 2019 is also about future commitments, and the session concluded with the launch of the Farm Fit Fund. A unique coalition to improve farmer livelihoods, Farm Fit has strong financial backing from USAID and other key international partners. Through its targeted support for the hidden middle, the Fund represents an exciting new mechanism for engaging the private sector in Africa.

Download the full report – http://bit.ly/2krF6Oq

Read the press release – http://bit.ly/2luqiiu

September 3 2019

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Burkina Faso that will see the organization extend its operations in the West African country.

The MoU was signed in Accra on Tuesday 3 September 2019 by AGRA President, Dr. Agnes Kalibata and Burkina Faso’s Minister for Agriculture and Hydraulic Development, Salifou Ouedraugo, under the witness of international dignitaries meeting in the Ghanaian capital for the 10th African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF).

AGRA has worked in Burkina Faso since 2006 making investments in input and output markets, systems development, innovative finance, research capacity building and policy development. So far, AGRA has invested US$21.5  million in Burkina Faso’s agricultural sector, building an asset base in technologies, partnerships and models that can now be scaled for significant impact on the status of inclusive agriculture in Burkina Faso.

Some of the investment was used to train 413,587 farmers on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), a set of agricultural practices adapted to local conditions maximizing the efficiency of nutrient and water use to improve agricultural productivity. As a result of the training, 86,295ha of land were cropped with the production enhancing technologies. In addition, through AGRA’s intervention, 9,849 MT of produce were commercially aggregated at a value of US$ 1.9M. Similarly, AGRA’s support led to the development and release of 17 varieties of improved seed in Burkina Faso out of which six were commercialized. This is in addition to 38 Burkinabe scholars receiving support in the acquisition of PhD and MSc degrees. All these investments, brought together, contribute to the government’s National Plan for Economic and Social Development (PNDES), which pursues an agriculture-led transformation of the economy.

AGRA promises to maintain its contribution to the government’s quest for a robust agriculture industry strategy that effectively mobilizes resources for the benefit of smallholder farmers and other players in the food value chains. In its role, AGRA will continue until 2023 to invest funds and other supportive resources to meet the Government’s need for a strong agriculture sector that creates employment and improves food security through support for effective coordination and implementation of national plans.

“Burkina Faso is one of the countries where we have received great support since we began our operations in Africa. The signing of this MoU is confirmation of our commitment to our partnership in the fight against food shortage and poverty, with the confidence that by 2025, the country will have achieved the goal of zero hunger,” Dr. Kalibata said.

AGRA will help strengthen Burkina Faso’s agricultural sector systems for improved productivity and the marketing of produce to increase the incomes of at least 1 million smallholder farmers. In return, the Government of Burkina Faso pledges unilateral support for AGRA by providing an enabling environment for collaboration.

“In the years that we have worked with AGRA, we have realised that it is a serious and competent organization and we promise unlimited support for their operations as we pursue food security for our country and the continent at large,” Mr. Ouedraugo said.

Burkina Faso’s economy has grown considerably during the past decade with an annual average growth rate of over six percent. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, forestry and livestock farming, as well as the exploration of mineral resources. Agriculture contributes about 30 percent of the country’s GDP and employs over 80 percent of the workforce. The sector is dominated by small-scale farms of less than five hectares and its main products are sorghum, millet and maize, and cotton.

Before the gold mining boom, cotton was the main commodity exported, accounting for about 60 percent of export revenues. Presently, the country represents less than 15 percent of export revenues, but Burkina Faso remains one of the leading producers and exporters of cotton in Africa. 

Koforidua, Aug 21 – A two day workshop on the production of hybrid seeds and to introduce seed producers to high yielding new hybrid maize seed by the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana, has started at Koforidua.

The workshop was organized by WACCI with support from Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

It is being attended by 46 participants including seed growers, representatives of seed companies, seed technicians, researchers and officials of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the seed sector.

As part of the training programme, three new high yielding hybrid maize varieties developed by WACCI were introduced to the participants of the workshop.

The three new hybrid maize varieties with capacity to produce ten tons per hector include Abeefo Aburo, Akuafo Aburo and Aburo Lego.

All the three maize varieties are early maturing maize varieties and take between 85 to 90 days to mature.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Professor Pangirayi B Tongoona of WACCI, said many seed producers and seed companies were now focusing more on hybrid seeds, because they provided high yields, which enable the companies and producers to increase their revenue and stay in business.

He explained that the workshop was aimed at educating the participants on how to maintain the parent lines to enable them produce high quality hybrid seed maize.

Mr Solomon Atipo, Desk Officer for Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) at the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, said the demand for hybrid seed maize under the PFJ was increasing due to the yields achieved by farmers who were privileged to plant some hybrid maize seeds, however, most of the maize seeds supplied to the municipality under the PFJ were open pollinated varieties.

Mr Attipo therefore appealed to seed producers in the Municipality to produce hybrid maize seeds to meet the demand of farmers in the Municipality.

The outgoing Eastern Regional Seed Inspector, Mr Joseph Agayaba, said the region did not have a seed laboratory and so for any scientific information on seeds, samples had to be sent to Accra.

He therefore called for the establishment of a seed laboratory in the Region.

The Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Crop Improvement Center (LCIC),  Mr Amos Rutherford Azinu, urged seed producers to take advantage of the new technology and the high yielding hybrid maize varieties to increase their productivity.

He called on seed companies to collaborate with researchers to develop more high yielding seed varieties and own the patent to enable them boost their business.

GNA

The Interim Vice President – Program Development & Innovation of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Dr. George Bigirwa, has said there is need to help smallholder farmers in the region to access markets to reduce poverty levels in the East African Community (EAC) member states.

Bigirwa noted that research organizations continue releasing improved crop varieties and technologies, yet uptake by the majority of farmers remains low because of the constraint of the market. The result is that they cannot adopt these new innovations and technologies as well as improved crop varieties for fear of wasting their efforts.

“Technologies that will increase production have been developed and even shared among farmers, but we know that those technologies can only benefit smallholder farmers if there is a ready market. That is the main hindrance to increased production and farmers’ incomes,” Bigirwa said.

He added that they have supported the development of improved technologies like seeds in Uganda and the harmonization processes within the EAC member states for such technologies to be accessed by the farmers

Bigirwa, who visited the ministry of East African Community Affairs recently, said the member states should also play their role in helping their smallholder farmers to access bigger markets. 

He had led a team from Nairobi, to assess the impact of the Regional East African Community Trade in Staples Project (REACTS) II Project, which his organization funds through Kilimo Trust.

“With assured markets and improved technologies, we can easily improve their incomes and food security. 

It is along those lines that AGRA agreed to support the REACTS project because we know that one of the key bottlenecks is to do with markets,” he added.

Quality of Agric produce

Bigirwa also insisted that quality and standards must be observed for smooth trading in the region adding that low standards with dirty and broken produce still persist. 

“Apart from contamination with aflatoxin, there are still quality issues like dirty grain because some farmers still don’t have proper drying facilities, discoloured grain, broken grains which affect the quality of the final product,” he added.

In Uganda, the project is supporting maize and pulses value chains hoping to increase house old incomes by 20% for over 3 million smallholder farmers, according to Dr. Birungi Korutaro, the Kilimo Trust country team leader.

“The support is in form of training on best farming practices, how to access storage and post-harvest handling technologies, financial literacy, links to off-takers, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to ensure the product meets standards needed when trading across the region,” she added.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of East African Community Affairs (MEACA), Edith Mwanja, commended the REACTS project saying it has helped some farmers improve. 

She said the government of Uganda has contributed $6.4million over a five year period and called for donour support to raise an addition of $1.2 million.

“We believe that in the next five years, there will be increased use of structured markets and more trade volumes in beans and maize that meet regional market standards. And I believe this will have improved the livelihoods of Ugandans in more than 25 districts,” Mwanja said.

Nairobi, Kenya August 16, 2019 – The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has announced the appointment of H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, as its Board Chair replacing Mr. Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman of the Econet Group, a pan African telecommunications, media and technology company

Mr. Masiyiwa has been on the AGRA Board since it was established in 2006 and served as its Chair since  2013 replacing the late Kofi Annan. Under his leadership, AGRA grew its operations in 11 countries, empowering over 30 million African smallholder farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs to feed 150 million people.

“I have been involved with AGRA since its inception. Over the years, the institution has contributed tremendously to repositioning Africa’s agriculture. We now need to move the conversation from agriculture systems to food systems that will underpin the continent’s prosperity.  While I leave AGRA, I will stay engaged in Africa’s agriculture to ensure we achieve food self-sufficiency by 2030,” said Mr. Masiyiwa.

Under Mr. Masiyiwa leadership, AGRA contributed to the development of numerous sectoral and national policies that favour growth across the agricultural value chains in Africa, leading to an increase the application of yield raising seed and fertilizer technologies, market sourcing and better financing opportunities for farmers.

This is in addition to developing over 650 improved seed varieties of close to 20 key crops and training over 700 scientists at both PhD and MSc levels who are now actively working in seed production in Africa. AGRA has also supported the establishment of 112 local, private seed companies, up from 10 in 2007 in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa. As a result, over 600,000 MT of high-quality, high-yielding seeds have been produced and distributed to an estimated 15 million farmers, with

“AGRA has an excellent board. I have been very fortunate working with such an incredible group of people. There are 17 of us from over 14 countries around the world with close to 50/50 gender balance. I am excited to have a greatly committed leader, H.E. Desalegn take over. I recognize H.E. Desalegn as a forward-looking leader and I am confident that he will steer the organisation and, indeed, African agriculture to greater heights,” added Mr. Masiyiwa.

H.E. Desalegn served as the second executive Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018 and is credited with sustaining the country’s rapid and double-digit economic growth driven by a thriving agricultural sector.

He also served as the Chairperson of the African Union from 2013 to 2014 and was appointed the AU’s champion of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a continental leadership role that required him to rally fellow African leaders behind policies and strategies to end hunger in the continent by 2025. He joined the AGRA Board in September 2018.

“I received the invitation to chair the AGRA Board as an opportunity to continue influencing African leaders to accelerate the implementation of the AU’s Malabo Declaration to ascertain that food is available, accessible and affordable to all,” said H.E. Desalegn.

“I am also thankful that I succeed Mr. Masiyiwa, a remarkable continental leader, who leaves behind a solid organisation and an impressive track record. I wish him well in his future endeavors and I remain certain of his support in the journey to achieving the continent’s major agricultural prospects.”

AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata hailed Masiyiwa as a revolutionary leader, who helped get the institution on track to transform African agriculture from a struggle to survive to a business that thrives.

“Mr. Masiyiwa has been instrumental in the achievement of our organisational objectives for Africa and it is under his leadership that we reached most of our critical milestones in the drive to transform Africa’s agriculture as the surest path to economic prosperity. I would like to thank him personally, and on behalf of AGRA and the continent, for his contribution to our success,” Dr. Kalibata said.

“In the same way, I am pleased to welcome our new Chairman H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, a truly African visionary, who, by deed, showed that African agriculture can be properly managed to make the continent food secure. His diverse experience in African leadership is a resource that will help us continue to achieve critical goals.”

H.E Hailemariam will be leading an AGRA Board comprising global leaders with a passion to transform the lives of a majority of Africans living in rural areas through investment in agriculture.

His first engagement as Chairman will be at the 2019 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), on 3-6 September in Accra, Ghana, where he will engage various African Heads of State and other continental and global leaders in discussions around Africa’s agricultural transformation.

About AGRA

Established in 2006, AGRA is an African-led, Africa-based and farmer centered institution working to put smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming their farming from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives.

Working in collaboration with our partners—including African governments, researchers, development partners, the private sector and civil society— AGRA’s work primarily focuses on smallholder farmers – men and women who typically cultivate staple crops on two hectares or less.

In the new strategy for 2017-2021, AGRA is supporting 11 African countries and 30 million smallholder farm households (150 million individuals) to increase their incomes and improve their food security.

AGRA drives the bulk of its investments Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa (PIATA). The founding members of the partnership include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has recently joined the partnership, bring greater focus on regional food markets and food trade through policy predictability and market systems development. The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, is currently a non-voting member and a resource partner, co-financing AGRA’s strategy in Burkina Faso and Ghana.

For more information, please contact Waiganjo Njoroge, AGRA’s Interim Head, Communications, Tel: +254 (703) 033 294, Mobile: +254 723 857 270, E-mail: WNjoroge@agra.org or visit www.agra.org