AGRA

By. Dr. Agnes Kalibata – Article published in the 2019 Change Readiness Index

In a situation that has become predictably familiar, parts of Africa this year faced the horrendous consequences of natural disasters that are linked to climate change.

Cyclone Idai tore through southern Africa in March, killing at least 700 people and wiping out entire villages. Early estimates said that 1.7 million people had been affected.[1] While the sheer ferocity of Idai was new, we can’t say the same about the droughts which have been all too common in Africa. Currently, 10.7 million people are facing hunger[2] across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia following poor rains.

Climate risks has increased global inequality[3] with Africa, where 70% of the population depends on rain-fed, smallholder agriculture, among the worst affected regions. A recent study[4] shows that climate change has driven GDP per capita more than 20% lower that it would have been without climate change in sub-Saharan African countries including Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger.

In the face of such a challenge, the task ahead is clear and not easy. What is also clear is that Africa is not short of tools and technologies to adapt. Deploying these tools and technologies on a transformational scale is the challenge. The continent is also not short of resources or the intention to make these resources available; fragmentation and poor coordination has resulted in wastage of resources and marginal impact.

As evidenced by the Change Readiness Index, in general, African nations are prominent amongst those with high climate vulnerability and the lowest readiness for change. Sudan for example, is ranked at number 136 in this year’s index, meaning that it is not in a strong position to cope with change which is compounded by unpredictability as a result of climate impacts.

Three sectors, one goal

Working together to address these challenges is not a choice we make, it is the only way we can win. Three key partners – governments, private sector and civil society – all have a role to play.

The institution I head, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), is dedicated to painting a new picture and creating a thriving African agricultural sector. We invest in boosting yields through improved seeds, fertilizers and climate-resilient technologies. We have been working to help farmers cope when the rains don’t come, or come too strong.

We do not work alone. We cooperate with a wide range of partners: governments, the private sector, civil society, research institutions and implementing partners to deliver these technologies to farmers. Each of these partners has a unique role to play.

Where governments lead with targeted policies and creating an enabling environment, for instance, results are evident. For example, Rwanda’s vision for 2050 envisages a developed climate resilient and low-carbon economy. This will be driven by, among others, sustainable intensification of agriculture;  agricultural diversity in local and export markets; sustainable forestry, agroforestry and biomass energy; ecotourism, conservation and payment for ecosystem services promotion in protected areas; integrated approach to sustainable land use planning and management;   integrated water resource management and planning. This positive change improves resilience as a result of targeted policies and enabling environment.

The profit imperative of the private sector is a powerful force for good, when properly directed by government policies encouraging investment, ownership and sustainable business practices. And when I say private sector, I also mean farmers. African smallholder farmers provide 80% of the food eaten on the continent. We see them as businesses that could thrive given the right support with a major boost to national economies.

Civil society – technical implementing organizations like AGRA, research institutions especially the CGIAR, think tanks, community organizations and farmer organizations, and many other actors – drives implementation with communities, particularly in places where government and the private sector are weaker. It advocates the needs of vulnerable groups to decision makers and brings new knowledge and skills to local communities

While each of these sectors make a valuable contribution, it is only by collaborating that we will effectively prepare societies, businesses and whole economies for the impacts of climate change.

Coordinated interventions work

There are, of course, many ways to make farmers more resilient to climate change: crop diversification, agroforestry, adoption of more efficient and weather tolerant crop varieties, drip-irrigation, appropriate fertilizers, and soil fertility management. Importantly, the digital and mapping technologies help farmers’ access climate models than improve farming choices, while encouraging innovations in finance and insurance against climate risks.

We are seeing a rise in the adoption of Africa’s staple crops[5] for greater climate resilience. For example, the orange-fleshed sweet potato developed by the International Potato Center (CIP) and enriched with vitamin A is taking root in most parts of the continent. It offers the quickest nutritional returns compared to other tubers and matures in three months compared to cassava and yam that take up to a year. It is a definite winner against climate change. In Uganda, working with Oxfam, the Foundation for Urban and Rural Advancement programme helps smallholders who cannot grow their traditional crops because of changing weather patterns. The program provides training on new crops, distributes seedlings and provides remediation against flooding.

Both of these are valuable interventions. But a project here and a project there isn’t going to transform whole economies and lead to widespread adaptation to climate risks. The public and private sectors need to work with civil society to scale up, avoid fragmentation of efforts and enhance coordination and alignment to what works and to countries’ own efforts and priorities.

Achieving Change at Scale

In Western Kenya, for example, climate resilience is being promoted through a multi-prong approach. The use of improved high-yield seeds, blended crop nutrition supplements and market diversification, are combined with improved biodiversity and forest management. The target is to reach 100,000 farmers who adopt sustainable land management practices, increase maize production by 300,000 MT and put 10,000 hectares of degraded forest land under sustainable forest management.

Our experience is that initiatives like this must develop the capacity of local authorities and country governments to manage, monitor and regulate natural resources. It engages communities, who have now created their own natural resources management committee. It brings in the private sector as a key player in ensuring sustainability of the systems that are being developed. In short, it unites all three sectors in one common purpose.

We must also ensure that scalable solutions are brought to the more challenging environments of countries like South Sudan – which performs below its income level on the Change Readiness Index. In one example, civil society, development partners and the private sector are working together in the Partnership for Recovery and Resilience to tackle food insecurity and health risks, including those caused by climate change. While it is too early to talk of results, the approach shows promise by putting communities and people at the centre.  The hard work of building strong civil society engagement with implementing partners, development partners, and private sector – and linking them with governments are necessary for future success.

Adaptation is Africa’s only hope

If we needed more evidence for action, the recent landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN’s climate science body, showed that if global temperatures rise more than 1.5°C by the end of the century, African countries will face irreversible destruction.

Truth is, end of the century is a reference point, and these changes are already here with us. The short-term approach of reacting after disaster hits with food aid and finance, is no longer sufficient. Every effort must be made to ensure that countries, communities, farmers and business are ready to cope.

Plainly put, we must adapt to live. Promoting ecosystems based adaptation by building and sustainably managing natural capital from the farm level to national and regional levels will be critical. This approach guarantees multiple development outcomes that increase resilience and change readiness capacities. We must also give farmers technologies including seeds that area adapted to local agro-ecological conditions and that are higher yielding.

Climate insurance and finance will also be critical. Efforts like those by the African Risk Capacity (ARC)[6] should be scaled up. ARC targets to insure 30 countries against drought, flood and cyclone disasters by 2020. This translates to the possibility of US $1.5 billion in coverage for some 150 million people

All these efforts will take the kind of inclusive, collaborative partnerships I have outlined above. We cannot be successful if we only plough our own furrows and do not work together for a prosperous Africa.

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47678743

[2] https://www.oxfam.org/en/famine-and-hunger-crisis-ethiopia-food-crisis/drought-east-africa-if-rains-do-not-come-none-us-will

[3] http://time.com/5575523/climate-change-inequality/

[4] https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/04/16/1816020116

[5] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/25/british-government-sparks-new-green-revolution-100m-investment/

[6] https://reliefweb.int/report/world/arc-plans-insure-30-african-countries-against-climate-risks-2020/

Download full report here : https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2019/06/2019-change-readiness-index.html

Remarks by Dr. Agnes Kalibata – Spring Convocation, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences McGill University

June 5, 2019 – I want to start by acknowledging Chancellor Meighen; Principal and Vice-Chancellor Fortier; Mr. Panda, Chair of the Board of Governors; members of the platform party, proud parents and guests; and most of all, the graduating class of 2019 in whose honour we are here.

As a scientist with a lifelong commitment to agricultural research, it is an incredible honor to be part of the convocation of one of the world’s leading lights of scientific excellence.

I can sense the desire to make the world a better place in all of you graduating today and I know I am in good company. Making the world a better place has been my own lifelong mission. I am a daughter of smallholder farmers and my being here is thanks to their unrelenting effort. Just like all your parents, my parents worked hard to send me to school to seek a better life. I had the good fortune to get an education and go on to earn my PhD at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. What makes my story slightly different than yours today is that the odds that I would make it through college, let alone graduate with a PhD were very slim. See, neither my parents nor I, had a vision of what that looked like growing up on a small two hectare farm in rural Uganda.

But I will tell you what my parents knew. They knew that they had to do everything in their power to ensure that my 14 siblings and I would never have to farm a piece of land to make a living. For them, farming the land was a poverty trap. An education for your child even without a clear sight of where that led was what you had to do to send them off the farm. Many people my age saw their parents or their grandparents making these type of choices.

After graduating with a PhD, I returned to Africa where I first worked as a crop scientist and later became Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources. I now work as president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa or AGRA. This is an organization devoted to transforming smallholder farming from a solitary struggle to survive like my parents did, to a business that allows them to thrive and be part of growing economies in their countries. We do that by ensuring that they have access to good seeds, and other inputs that are critical for good farm yields..

I consider myself very fortunate, I have been given the means and the opportunity to do something about farming in Africa and how it impacts people’s lives and the choices they make for their children. I am being asked to ensure that rural households don’t struggle the way my family did to raise and send children to school. That answer for me comes from many places but I will talk about the power of science and the power of courage.

For all of you graduating today, and for your families who have come here to be with you, today is a day focused on the future. And I know many of you are asking yourselves the same questions I asked myself when I was graduating: how will I make my mark on the world? You will find out soon because you have something to do. Today just enjoy your day. If you are like me, you probably don’t celebrate a lot – and that is because your success defines your next challenge as you will learn soon enough. For me the answer in retrospect, was about knowing that if anybody can do it I could, I just had to think hard enough. It was knowing I had survived hundreds of lab hours as many of you did and came out on top. It was about knowing that in those lab hours I had actually come up with more answers than I had going in. In the end it was about courage and determination.

The world is hungry for the skills and knowledge you have acquired. My continent, Africa, has been described by many as the last frontier for global businesses: the market with the greatest unexplored potential. I am here today to encourage you to consider the role you might play in the future hopes and dreams of the people where I live and on the issue that is my passion: the unique power of agriculture to transform Africa. The science but also the education you have acquired here has prepared you very well. The power of the two combined is a dynamite.

My father was determined that I would never be a farmer. Technically I am not. But my career is focused on agriculture because I believe farming is Africa’s path to the prosperity we see in other parts of the world including here in Canada. Of course what my father did not know was that farming is a science and only does well where technologies like good crop varieties and good fertilizers are brought together under good soils and water conditions. In these very words, it sounds like a perfect science and this is actually true and you see it every day on the plains of Canada, one of the biggest agricultural countries of the world.

Increasingly, in places like Rwanda, Ethiopia and Ghana, farming today is emerging as a source of wealth and hope where there was once only poverty and despair. Farmers are gaining access to inputs, skills and resources increasing their yields and incomes. This is enabling them to earn a decent living—good enough to put food on their tables, send their children to school, and pay for medicines and a visit to the doctor. And because so many Africans are farmers, if enough succeed, that can lift the fortunes of entire economies, just as it did for millions of people in places like China and South East Asia.

In Rwanda for example, investing in agriculture has already played a big role in lifting over 2 million people—20 percent of the population—out of poverty while in Ethiopia, poverty is falling at a rate of 4% per annum. Similar progress is happening in many other countries. Together with my colleagues at AGRA, we are on a mission to convince governments, donors, and investors that for Africa to redefine the future of its people and thus economies, it will need to invest in agriculture so that there is massive access to good seeds and other inputs but also to ensure that there are good markets through processing of agriculture goods and through regional trade opportunities. The bottom line is, agriculture is a business and governments need to work had to ensure people can make money from this business especially farmers.

But now I have to tell you we are facing a major threat that could destroy this dream. While Africans have played a very small role causing climate change, climate change is already doing significant damage to our farms. And it will only get worse. In Kenya, where AGRA is headquartered, unusually long periods of drought over the last four years have crippled production of maize, Kenya’s most important food crop leaving millions unable to provide their own food. This year, South Africa is likely to harvest 20 percent less maize. Scores of livestock have perished.

Scientists now warn us that, even if the world dramatically reduces emissions, the changes already baked into the atmosphere will continue to produce rising temperatures, weather extremes and sudden changes in rainfall patterns. Of course these shifts will be even more intense if emissions continue to rise. Harm to food production on a continent working to build its economy can easily drive one to despair.

But I refuse to accept defeat. I choose instead to place my hope and faith in the power of science and innovation to bring Africa what it needs to adapt to climate change.

There are many ways our farmers can survive and even thrive in difficult conditions. There are new varieties of drought-tolerant maize, flood tolerant rice, and more becoming available that can survive conditions that would kill most other crops. There are new varieties of nutritious sweet potatoes, millet and sorghums developed thanks to the CGIAR, specifically for different farming conditions in Africa that can grow in abundance in fields where other crops die.

But for these innovations to be accessible and for new ones to be developed,

we need the world to understand the critical importance of adaptation and to support our farmers’ efforts to cope. And so we look to you, the world’s educated and ambitious youth, to take the lead, to demand that the world curb the emissions that are already causing so much misery and insist on a global effort to adapt to the changes already underway. We look to because you are young and smart and will be bring fresh ideas and eyes but we also look to you because this is the reality you are inheriting and for me it can only get better. Getting worse is not an option. I talked about courage and maybe I should add daring, both are going to be important in how you push your brain, your body, your community and the world around you.

If you look across the world today, from Africa to Europe to North America, young people are forcing political leaders to make climate change a priority- so you won’t be alone.

Recent polling shows about 43 percent of Canadians view climate change as a serious threat. But it climbs to 55 percent among those 18 to 34. My guess is that in this audience, it’s far higher–and that fills me with optimism.

Our concern in Africa is that even for those committed to doing something about climate change, the focus today primarily is on mitigation—on reducing emissions. That is critically important, but so too is adaptation.

I am now serving on a new Global Commission on Adaptation. And we are seeking a global movement to support resilience and adaptation, including new investments for Africa’s farmers. If nothing else, this is a matter of fairness and justice. Africans account for less than four percent of the world’s carbon emissions. But our farmers are now among those suffering the worst impacts. Yet only 20% of the funding devoted to addressing climate change is being invested in adaptation. This leaves the African farmer and the continent highly exposed to the impact of climate change. Of course the same is true for Island nations where people go to bed every day wondering whether they will see the light the next day because of rising seas.

Those of you graduating from elite institutions like McGill have a special opportunity—and maybe even a responsibility— to address this imbalance. The world is looking to you to make a difference.

That same survey of climate attitudes included a question asking Canadians who they trust on climate change and global warming. And scientists at universities were by far the most trusted source—much more so even than the United Nations or the news media.

You also can be the source of new ideas—new ways of producing food that work for the way we farm in Africa, the conditions our farmers face, and the crops our consumers prefer.

Be courageous, don’t be afraid to say and test what you know works. Work hard enough to stay ahead of every challenge and every opportunity. In all however, be kind, be helpful and share knowledge. You will discover that in the end this will be your biggest strength- the number of people you touch with what you know and how they move on to be part of changing the world. In whatever you do build good networks around you- it is a global village especially in science and development- everybody seems to know everybody else. You want to be known for the right reasons. If you want to make money go to business, there are lots of opportunities to do well by doing good. The profit motive is an under exploited yet powerful force for good in African agriculture.

Whether it is what President Kagame is doing in Rwanda to turn the country around or what Norman Borlaug did to help feed the world. Or what Bill and Melinda Gates are doing to save millions of lives from diseases and hunger and malnutrion- it all starts with a brief. For these people one thing is common: they all believe that mankind deserves better, that each of us as an individual matters and that we, each as individuals, can do something about it.

Yes, the world has big problems and climate change is one of the biggest- unlike any the world has ever faced. What is also true is that you are the smartest generation to inherit the world today. This is the time in your life where thinking big and aiming high, often called ‘innovation’ is most critical and you are most prepared to occupy and deliver on that position.

Your time at McGill has prepared you well for building a better world. You are our hope that we can overcome adversity. No pressure. Looking at all of you in this room, I am reminded that youthful energy and educated minds remain the world’s most important renewable resource.

To the class of 2019, thank you for letting me be a part of the start of the rest of your life. And congratulations on your achievements of today, and the many more to come.

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Africa’s tech entrepreneurs are generating a global buzz with home-grown start-ups now being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of AirBnB and Uber. Some see emerging technologies as a threat but I see the day coming when visionary young African tech-preneurs will also find themselves launching billion dollar unicorn IPOs with the potential not just to create wealth for themselves but transform the lives and livelihoods of their customers, communities, and even nations.

Last year six African ventures made it onto Time Magazine’s 50 Genius Companies List. They include a Kenyan mobile battery-powered Wi-Fi modem bringing the internet to remote areas, a Ghanaian platform using blockchain to help create land purchase records, and a Nigerian startup providing expectant mothers with pregnancy-related information and contacts.

Exciting tech-enabled innovations like these are springing up across the African continent, spearheaded by a young generation with solution-mindsets, launching edgy start-ups and increasingly using tech skills to tackle some of the continent’s most intractable challenges, such as quality health and education for all.

However, “smart” questions need to be answered – particularly around how countries can bring digital solutions to scale so they reach the poorest and most marginalised, not just the privileged few. Without vision and collaborative development with key stakeholders across different sectors, there is no guarantee, for example, that emerging digital technologies will improve day-to-day life of the people most in need.

It’s a topic of debate in government circles, especially when it comes to the role of digital technologies in transforming education and health as the cornerstones of our human and economic development.

Last month, the World Bank weighed in with a report and human capital plan for Africa, arguing GDP per worker in sub-Saharan Africa could be 2.5 times higher if everyone were healthy and enjoyed a good education from pre-school to secondary school. 

One key question that we and policymakers across the world must increasingly ask is this: What comprises a “good” education in the digital age? What jobs are our education systems preparing young people to do? I have long argued that financial literacy, tech skills, and entrepreneurship classes should be taught before young people graduate from secondary school.

This month, the Oxford University based Pathways for Prosperity Commission, (of which I am a co-chair), releases new research on how countries need to take charge and make positive and deliberate strides to capitalise on the potential of new technologies in education and health to make lives better for everyone.

The report Positive Disruptions: Health and Education in a Digital Age considers examples of tech being used in health and education in Africa and beyond. While it finds many success stories, too often, the research reveals that new technology is introduced (the hardware in a clinic or classroom, for example) without adequate analysis of the problem they’re supposed to solve and the wider management systems they’re supposed to transform.

Systems and processes may not sound exciting but they matter!

An example is Peru’s “One Laptop per Child” programme. In spite of heavy investment, it had little effect on children’s math and reading test scores as it wasn’t supported by necessary changes across the education system; in particular the teachers were not really included in a consultative way.

In Kenya, on the other hand, they’ve had a lot of success with a national literacy programme called Tusome that uses digitised teaching materials and a tablet-enabled teacher feedback system. It’s boosted students’ learning performance by more than a quarter.

In Malawi, a personalised EdTech learning programme delivered via solar powered tablets by onebillion onecourse  (who just won the Elon Musk Xprize for global education) is having a proven impact on math and literacy for children in grades one to three. It has also closed the gap between girls and boys in reading and math in first grade.

In health too, there are measurable impacts. In Uganda, the Mobile Vital Records System, a mobile web-based application has helped raise the proportion of births being registered from 28 to 70 per cent, helping authorities to track – and improve – individuals’ health.

And in Mali, digital monitoring and case-tracking tools used in a program designed by the non-profit Muso have cut child deaths in peri-urban areas where community health workers have used them to seek out the most vulnerable.

These successes are only a brief glimpse of what could be achieved in the near future, given the amazing pace of technological change. Innovations in machine learning, algorithms and communication technologies, for example, will very soon allow us to reimagine the delivery of health and education services, opening digital doors to understanding never possible before.

Used wisely, and scaled successfully, they could help countries across Africa to develop highly responsive, data-driven learning systems with feedback loops at all levels, targeting the most at-risk individuals, to offer personalised – and sometimes virtual – learning and health solutions.

Looking forward, it’s not just about the amount of money spent. Efficiency and sound strategy count for more than dollars. African governments can learn much from this powerful evidence about emerging opportunities in the digital age as well as lessons learned so far.

As the new Pathways report concludes: Data-driven new technologies have huge potential to be positive game changers in service delivery of health and education. But now is a critical moment to reflect on lessons learned to ensure, for example, that technology procurement choice and service delivery is efficient, equitable, appropriate, cost-effective, and genuinely improves lives, especially of the poor and most marginalized. Data privacy and other issues also need to be tackled urgently.

In short, smart choices are required by citizens and policymakers alike, so millions of men, women and children who have been left behind, can have better access to better education, better health and get better jobs, thanks to innovations of the digital age. #PositiveDisruption isn’t just a hashtag. It’s an imperative for future generations across the world.

Strive Masiyiwa is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Group, a pan-African telecommunications, media and technology company with operations and investments in over 20 countries.

Masiyiwa serves on a number of international boards including Unilever Plc, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Advisory Board, the Africa Progress Group, and the Hilton Foundation’s Humanitarian Prize Jury. Masiyiwa also serves as Chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a position he took over after Kofi Annan’s term.

As a philanthropist, Masiyiwa is a member of the Giving Pledge, and his contributions to education, health and development have been widely recognized. Masiyiwa and his wife finance the Higher Life Foundation, which has supported the education of over 250,000 African orphans in 20 years. Their family foundation provides scholarships to over 40,000 African orphans every year.

Masiyiwa has been selected twice, in 2014 and 2017, to Fortune Magazine’s list of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders”. Over the last few years, Masiyiwa has devoted his time to mentoring the next generation of African entrepreneurs through his Facebook page, which has a growing followership of nearly 3-million young people from across the continent. Facebook has identified his platform as the most engaging of any business leader in the world.

Significant threat to health

Concerted efforts needed

To overcome the economic and social burden of aflatoxin contamination, it is now imperative that key institutions such as those from the agriculture, health and governance sectors act together to first educate the public on the effects of the fungi, and to provide the tools and skills needed to control it.

Among the strategies being developed to fight aflatoxin contamination is Aflasafe, a biological control developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to prevent the fungi in soils from reaching maize cobs while in the fields. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is now working with governments and the private sector players to promote and commercialise the technology, which is complemented by a new ozone treatment to degrade the fungi on grains already attacked. Ozone is a powerful oxidising agent with a demonstrated ability to reduce populations of bacteria and fungi.

But even with the availability of technologies to fight the fungi, for a widespread impact, it is important that effort is directed towards policy formulation and public education. The Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa was established in 2010 at the 7th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program Partnership Platform gathering in Yaoundé Cameroon, and is leading the awareness efforts at both regional and national levels and is quickly gaining the support of various governments.

Ghana, for instance, in December 2018, inaugurated the National Steering Committee for Aflatoxin Control, with support from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. The Committee, which is being coordinated by the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute in Ghana will, among other duties, assist in the development of the national policy and technical regulation for aflatoxin control.

“For a widespread impact, it is important that effort is directed towards policy formulation and public education.”

Boaz Keizire, The Alliance for a Green Revolution for in Africa

In its practice, this committee will propose recommendations for appropriate management practices such as timely planting, weed and pest control, early harvesting, good sanitation, proper cleaning and sorting of agricultural produce.

Private sector engagement crucial

While the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is working in support of the design of aflatoxin control policy and technical regulation to boost the control efforts around the continent, it is important to pursue private sector engagement. The input of the private sector will inform a demand-driven approach that influences the behaviour of key actors such as farmers by setting the standards of produce, which in turn translates to better aflatoxin management techniques.

In addition, the establishment of a strong regulatory system remains key to preventing dangerous crops from getting to the marketplace. However, the same regulations must speak to the quality of inputs supplied to the millions of smallholders across Africa.

The ultimate goal is to have in place a policy-driven approach that brings together all the players across the value chain in the pursuit of long-term solutions to tackle aflatoxin contamination in Africa.

Boaz Keizire is the head of policy and advocacy at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and 2017 Aspen New Voices Fellow. He can be reached at BKeizire@Agra.org

Originally produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Desalegn, who is currently a Board member of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), said he hopes African governments undertake activities soon to put in place measures that launch an African green revolution.

“I hope in the coming 5 to 10 years, African countries will undertake activities to transform traditional agricultural practices into modern ones that can kick start agricultural revolution,” said Desalegn.

The former Ethiopian Prime Minister was speaking at an event in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that was discussing possible ways forward that can initiate agricultural revolution in the continent.

“Most African farmers farm on small acres of land, so far the approach to changing their lives has been a fragmented one. African governmental and non-governmental organs need to collaborate to reach out to smallholder farmers to fundamentally change their livelihoods,” said Desalegn.

The former Ethiopian PM said African governments should have their own agricultural domestic policy and programs that can transform subsistence agricultural practices into modern ones.

“We should transform subsistence agriculture in African countries into commercial agriculture. Our farmers should be able produce surplus both in amount and quality, so they can compete in global markets,” said Desalegn.

Hailemariam Desalegn was Prime Minister of Ethiopia from September 2012 to April 2, 2018. He was succeeded by current Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Enditem

“My age-mates reckon I am getting younger every year,” says Mary Muthoni from Kimunyu Location in Gatundu, Kiambu County.

After her husband died in a car accident several years, ago, 80-year old Muthoni was left to fend for six boys and two girls, with little else but her one-acre plot of land. Hers is not an uncommon story in many households in Kenya, where women head about one in three households.

Land in Kiambu is scarce, and farm sizes are generally small, meaning the women must struggle to get the most out of it to feed their families. Unfortunately, many farmers have relied on traditional knowledge around farming, including how to prepare land, space seeds, and choice of seeds, and harvests are generally poor.

They were difficult times for Mary and her family; upon finishing secondary school and with little prospects, three of her sons ran away to Nairobi city, where they fell into crime and alcohol.

“Mary was the first person I thought about when I was recruited as a village-based advisor,” says Damaris Njeri, one of the VBAs in Gatundu sub-county, who approached Mary to introduce the small pack DK 8033 in September 2018.

Mary says that because she knew Damaris as a neighbour, she had no hesitation in trying out the seed on a small part of her farm. “After all, I could always borrow something from her if the experiment turned out badly,” she says.

She says that she was most impressed by the faster maturity and size of the maize from her first harvest and decided to purchase the 2-Kg pack for the following planting season.

Mary Muthoni shows off her new cooking gas, which she purchased after selling green maize last year.She says that unlike before when all the harvest was consumed in the house, she was able to sell some green maize to middle-men who come around to collect from fellow farmers.“I can now feel some money in my purse like other women here. I never thought I would ever afford a mobile phone, but now I can talk to my children and friends even at night, says a beaming Mary.

She has been able to purchase enough iron sheets to construct a separate house for her physically-disabled son and has just put up a coop where he can start keeping chicken. In addition, she has purchased a small gas cooker and no longer relies on firewood.

“I used to avoid the company of other women a lot, as I always felt inferior. Now I can join in their discussions without fear,” she says.

One of her daughters, seeing the transformation on her mother’s farm, has now purchased the new variety maize to plant at her matrimonial home.

“I wish I had known about this new maize earlier. Perhaps my children would not have left in such despair, but at least I can take better care of myself in my old age,” says Mary.

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, signed a partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to enable Ethiopia’s cereals, fruit and vegetable farmers get better solutions that boost productivity.

The partnership will safely and sustainably maximize productivity, the company said in its press statement. The heritage companies of Corteva Agriscience – DuPont Crop Protection, Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer – have been working for more than 25 years in Ethiopia. The companies have been offering Pioneer® brand seed and crop protection solutions to more than one million maize, wheat, teff, fruit and vegetables farmers in the market, it said.

Nutrition
Ethiopia has a population of more than 100 million and thus has a strong nutritional need for high quality, sustainable protein foods. There is a significant need to increase food productivity in Ethiopia.

“As the largest global company solely dedicated to agriculture, we are ready to support the government in making the agriculture sector more efficient, innovating so that output is maximised and Ethiopian farmers are more successful, “said Prabdeep Bajwa, President of Corteva Agriscience, Africa Middle East.

“We will work with our farmers to introduce new agricultural practices that cause minimal impact to the environment and innovate to produce food ingredients which are healthier, taste better, and are designed for different diet requirements.”

Agricultural productivity
Corteva Agriscience, through its collaboration with government and USAID implemented the Advanced Maize Seed Adoption Program (AMSAP), which resulted in 250,000 smallholder farmers increasing their productivity from 2.2 metric tons per hectare to 7 metric tons per hectare and their incomes by $1,500 USD annually.

The program aims to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers by giving them new, high-quality options for maize seeds as well as improving seed distribution and post-harvest storage. Close to 10,000 smallholder maize farmers have benefited from agronomic education and training.

Forty thousand farmers have improved access to agricultural inputs such as hybrid seed varieties. These farmers have also increased their yields and increased incomes by an average of 20 percent. More than 30 agronomists are engaged in delivering training to farmers and 80 local retailers have been fully enabled to distribute seed to farmers.

“The future in farming lies in increasing yields and we have a track record of helping farmers boost their agricultural production through the AMSAP program in Ethiopia. We also have proven crop protection solutions, including a post-emergence herbicide for annual grass and broadleaf weed control in wheat and teff. This herbicide has provided a solution for farmers to control and eradicate weeds in teff, thereby increasing their yield from less than 1.5 metric tons per hectare to metric tons per hectare,” said Bajwa.

Ethiopia is one of the few African countries to have made significant progress in achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs), with one of highest reductions in poverty rates globally. Between 1995 and 2011, the country’s poverty rate decreased from 63 to 37 percent.

The Corteva Agriscience™ brand launch event, attended by sector representatives and ambassadors from key countries in East and Central Africa, also focused on strategies to scale up current collaborations to accelerate agricultural development as an engine of broad-based economic growth in the region.

Speaking at the launch, the United States ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Raynor said, “The U.S. private sector, including companies like Corteva Agriscience, plays an impactful role in Ethiopia’s broader society as well, by encouraging sustainability and corporate social responsibility. By this, I mean the kinds of win-win commercial activity that benefit both our countries by bringing meaningful job creation; respectful and responsible labour practices; strong training and skills-development programs; technology transfer; and sound environmental practices to bear. Global companies like Corteva understand that they only succeed when their host communities succeed as well.”

At the official brand launch ceremony today in Ethiopia, Corteva Agriscience™ signed a collaborative agreement with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to improve the productivity, livelihoods, food security, income security and well-being of smallholder farmers across Africa, including in Ethiopia.

“This collaboration will, among other things, boost our work to transform the lives of smallholder farmers by improving their access to yield enhancing technologies including but not limited to hybrid seeds, good agriculture practices, and post-harvest management,” said Vanessa Adams, VP for Country support and Delivery at AGRA.

By Thierry Hoza Ngoga, AGRA’s Head of Support to State capability

State capability, the ability of government to administer effectively, defines a political system. A government must be able to produce and deliver economic and social goods as its populace expects, since if able to steer adequately its economic system, it will ultimately succeed. This makes the building of state capacity the one of the most transforming devices in African development.

In recent years, African governments, often working in partnership with third parties, have accelerated growth using new-style programmes to build public sector capacity. This has allowed governments to harness innovation, learn lessons from the past and enlist the enthusiasm of the leaders who matter.

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has found that supporting flagship programmes is one of the most effective ways in which it can support governments in their quest for agricultural transformation. Using global best practice to spearhead the targeting of resources unites activities under a single focus that can then be adapted by local offices. It allows smaller, ad hoc initiatives to continue alongside, but the strategic intent of a flagship program is the relentless focus on making an impact in a chosen issue area to deliver on a key priority of the government while leveraging its assets, operations and core capabilities. Most importantly, it is a way to tell the story in a way that is easy for others to join and support a flagship program. This is because it is clearer to see the intent and therefore buy in to it.

The design and launch of an inaugural agricultural flagship programme is critical as it becomes the template for future endeavours and provides a modus operandi for others to follow. A true standard-bearer program can only be the result of a collaborative process involving government players, private sector partners, development partners and other interested parties that all work together to hone the specific issues to tackle, allocate the necessary resources, forge the right partnerships for implementation and ensure a measurement framework is in place. Finally, it must be aligned to the government’s overarching agricultural development strategy and vision.

There are 5 key steps as to how AGRA supports governments to achieve an agricultural flagship program:

1. The government, through responsible ministries, takes the lead and identifies a priority area within the National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) or national development framework. While AGRA can provide the necessary technical support, ensuring adequate input from development partners and other stakeholders, the government owns the entire process and leads from the start.
2. The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), consults other relevant ministries, partner organisations, research institutes and NGOs to ensure the programme is fully representative, giving AGRA the opportunity to contribute to the process. These consultations can be done through the Agriculture Sector Working Group (ASWG).
3. Based on these inputs AGRA, in collaboration with relevant ministry, drafts the terms of reference.
4. A steering committee is initiated by the MoA to oversee the flagship design process and appoint relevant consultants. The committee initiates the design process ensuring everyone understands the tasks involved and expected outcomes, encapsulated in the terms of reference.
5. The programme’s inception report will most likely be through the ASWG with the MoA ensuring all partners have the opportunity to have their comments included. Consultation meetings with AGRA’s technical teams follow and feed in the necessary expertise to the draft report submission. Once this is validated it can be handed over to the MoA to be presented to the various stakeholders and trigger the release of necessary resources.

The process embeds a tried and tested path to scaling up sustainable agriculture interventions while building institutions and systems. It includes a way of facilitating the role of private sector investors and brings together all key agricultural stakeholders in the effective delivery of agriculture programmes. By encapsulating the very best practice of leading-light programmes with proven track records it is possible to emulate their success, build on lessons learnt and avoid past pitfalls, allowing governments to make the most of limited resources while enhancing their capabilities.

Strong partnerships with government and its understanding of the African agricultural landscape mean AGRA is ideally placed to support this process. They work with governments on the deliberate prioritisation of programmes at the highest level of leadership to produce up to date and evidence-based policies, including delivery mechanisms and mutual accountability frameworks. Supporting flagship programmes is key to helping millions of smallholder farmers in the quest to reduce poverty and hunger in Africa.