AGRA

Dar es Salaam Tanzania / Washington DC, USA, 12 December 2022 – Tanzania will host the AGRF 2023 Summit, the announcement was made by Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of the United Republic of Tanzania and H.E Hailemariam Dessalegn, the Chair of the AGRF Partners Group on the sidelines of the U.S. Africa Leaders’ Summit currently taking place in Washington, DC. 

The AGRF, Africa’s Food Systems Forum, is the premier platform for advancing the agriculture and food systems agenda on the continent; from food security to agri-food investments. The annual Summit convenes leaders, policymakers, scientists, heads of governments and private institutions, farmers, and the youth in the agriculture and food systems landscape to discuss and agree on practical actions and solutions that drive Africa’s food security and better livelihoods for all. 

The 2023 Summit aspires to position Africa as the place for innovation, investments, and to advance a stronger more diverse, and resilient food system. The Summit will look to energize and spotlight continental progress beyond the call for aid. The Summit will showcase Africa’s solutions to Africa’s food systems transformation while spotlighting leadership, accountability, inclusion and investment opportunities in Africa in general and in Tanzania in particular. 

Tanzania will be the first country to host the AGRF Summit since the forum was rebranded to Africa’s Food Systems Forum in 2022 as a reflection of the partnerships’ ambition to move forward the transformation of Africa’s food system and sustain engagement year-round.

In her remarks, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan welcomed agriculture and food systems experts, investors and stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to Tanzania for the Summit and emphasized the importance for Africa to lead on its food security for national and continental development. She highlighted that Africa’s food security can collectively be attained if all parties join hands to advance localized solutions that drive prosperity for all urging the youth to participate in agriculture to enable faster growth of the continent’s growth.

“I am pleased to announce, that Tanzania has been selected to host the AGRF 2023 Summit. This important Forum will bring together global and local voices, will highlight investment opportunities and will be looking to do business. We must chart ways to  protect our people from the current drought and climate change impacts and we must make it possible for investments to move into this important sector. 

“I have no doubt, that this Summit will provide actionable solutions for the continent and our people,” President Samia said.

H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn congratulated and recognized Tanzania’s leadership in advancing food security and shared his appreciation to President Samia for hosting the AGRF 2023 Summit. 

“The AGRF, Africa’s Food Systems Forum 2023, comes at an integral time when the continent, battered by the effects of climate change, is coming together to find solutions that safeguard lives and livelihoods. It is commendable that Tanzania is developing a national blueprint to drive its economy forward and food and agriculture will play a huge role in ensuring the country’s prosperity. We urge all stakeholders ahead of the Summit to kickstart these vital discussions and conversations while surfacing innovative ideas that can be shared and deployed across the continent.” 

The AGRF 2023 builds on the AGRF 2022 hosted by the Government of Rwanda in Kigali. It was attended by more than 2700 delegates In-Person and over 4000 online. In 2023, the AGRF secretariat and partners will build on the conversations, agreements, and critical decisions from the AGRF 2022 Summit through in-country meetings and roadshows with leaders, farmers, and the youth.  The Summit is expected to convene critical voices in Tanzania with the aim of strengthening Africa’s food systems transformation through consensus.

ENDS

Catherine Ndungu- Senior Communications Officer, AGRF
+250791568865 cndungu@agra.org

Media contact – agrf-media@hudsonsandler.com
Evelyne Wangui – +254 726 087 451

About AGRF 

The AGRF, recently rebranded to Africa’s Food Systems Forum, is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward. Under AGRF’s current strategy, the Forum is particularly focused on driving progress of the Malabo Declaration by 2025 as the priority set of commitments African Heads of State and Government have made to strengthen agricultural development at the center of the continent’s overall development and progress. The AGRF is organised by the AGRF Partners Group, a coalition of institutions that care about Africa’s agriculture transformation.   
https://agrf.org

About the AGRF Partner’s Group 

The AGRF Partners Group is made up of 26 leading actors in African agriculture all focused on putting farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies. Members include: African Development Bank (AfDB), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), African Union Commission (AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), CGIAR System Organization, Corteva Agriscience, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Government of Rwanda, Grow Africa (AUDA-NEPAD), Heifer International, IKEA Foundation, International Development Research Center (IDRC), International Fund  for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mastercard Foundation, OCP Group, Rockefeller Foundation, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Syngenta Foundation, The Tony Blair Institute, UPL Limited, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yara International ASA.

AGRA participated in the Beans is How global launch, an ambitious campaign mobilised by the SDG2 Advocacy Hub to double the global consumption of beans (as well as peas, pulses and legumes) by 2028. Eating beans is an affordable, accessible solution to the world’s growing health and climate challenges. The seed for the initiative was planted at the AGRF – Africa’s Food Systems Summit in Rwanda, during a Presidential dinner hosted by President Kagame.

AGRA also was in panel discussions to explore how the climate-resilient African crops (e.g. Sorghum, Millets, Teff, Fonio, Cassava) could be promoted and integrated in the wider food systems, given their high nutrient density and resilience to climate risks and infertile soils.  There has been a call for research investment, value addition and improved market linkages.

There are a range of climate-friendly technologies available for agricultural value chains that could improve the resilience of food systems, and reduce climate risks, many of which are suited to SMEs and small farmers.  However, they remain in their early stages because most value chain actors have not yet priced the effects of climate change. The AGRA delegation participated in several events that unpacked innovative components for a sustainable transformation agenda. Participants identified private sector players as key champions for enabling the participation of smallholder farmers participate effectively in climate programs to address their challenges and seize opportunities. 

The private sector’s role in developing technologies and practices for carbon removal and the reduction of carbon loss is at its infancy. Small scale farmers would benefit from incentives to improve and restore their farms and landscapes if they benefit from carbon credits. However, from the context of African farmers, the intervention areas and technologies that would attract carbon markets need to be piloted and fine-tuned to make it fit to the context and significantly easier for agri-SMEs to afford the climate products and services they need to adapt. 

AGRA convened key partners and stakeholders at COP27 in a dinner session to explore the tangible ways of mobilizing investments and interventions that target smallholder communities.

COP27 was a critical event to recognize and ensure that the mechanisms are put in place to not only raise $100bn per year of climate actions but also unleash the opportunity for large scale financing of climate resilience as part of the global recovery package. 

Presently, only 1.5% of global climate finance is currently channelled to small-scale agriculture of which 95% is sourced from public sources, and of the annual $30 billion spent on adaptation in Africa in 2019/20, just 3% came from the private sector. The intent to reform the mechanisms for climate funding and the establishment of a fund for loss and damage to support the most vulnerable communities in developing countries is, therefore, a step in the right direction. 

Participants at the session remarked that several commitments by AGRA partners and governments have increased funding towards adaptive food systems.  However, it was noted that the pipeline of scalable programs and investments driving transformation at the farm level is not sufficient and that public and private actors fall short in prioritizing African Food systems as a core driver of resilience. Speakers called for continued multi-stakeholder collaboration, more effort for innovative design and the need for prioritization of climate action through food systems.

The AGRA delegation joined the Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA) in a session titled, “Scaling Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Livestock Systems in Africa”, to reflect on the recently published State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2022. The discussion highlighted the need for more granular data to support evidence-based decision-making at the farm, regional and national levels. The expert panel concluded that data collection has to be driven by country-level leadership. 

AGRA has contributed to the data mapping of community vulnerabilities to different types of exposures (drought, flood, pests and diseases) and the response capacity of the respective communities to absorb these shocks and adopt the best practices for bringing sustainability and resilience to farming systems.

Microsoft, through its Africa Transformation Office (ATO),  partnered with AGRA to promote data-driven agriculture in improving food security and promoting climate-smart practices in smallholder agriculture. In a session focused on Big Data and smallholder farmer interventions, experts discussed the parameters for successful digitization and scaling of climate smart initiatives. Key issues highlighted were the importance of prioritizing the needs of the beneficiaries in the design and implementation (i.e. smallholder farmer communities), and addressing the current data fragmentation in Africa’s food systems.

A majority of women in Africa derive their livelihood from agriculture. Their already difficult situation is exacerbated by the consequences of climate change, including erratic rainfall, droughts, floods, cyclones, and pest attacks. 

It is against this backdrop that AGRA hosted a CoP27 side event seeking to highlight the role of women in climate change adaptation under the theme: ‘Delivering for people and planet- The role of African Women in Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Response’. The session brought together leaders, researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs from around Africa to evaluate the policies, opportunities and investments that deter women from fully harnessing the benefits of climate change adaptation. 

Sabdiyo Dido, the Head of Gender, and Inclusiveness at AGRA, appealed for the development of a policy and social-cultural environment that promotes women’s engagement in the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation plans and investments.

“The challenge is with the policies and practices that are out there… and it’s high time that we try to elevate the voices of women to participate effectively in determining how policies can reach them, how practices can become responsive to them, and how investments can be channeled to boost their adaptation,” she said. 

In agreement, AGRA President, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, noted that the biggest opportunity to drive climate change adaptation and mitigation is through investment in women, particularly those in agriculture and food systems. 

“If we focused on removing the impact of climate change coming from agriculture it would contribute 37% to net zero, but to do that we have to invest significantly to make the sector work for the people that are most impacted, especially on the African continent,” she said. 

Amb. Josefa Sacko, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development Rural, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, at the African Union Commission (AUC), in her keynote speech shared a four-point strategy for driving women’s inclusion and leadership in climate change response post-CoP27, as summarized below:

1. Women are powerful agents of change, they have indigenous and local knowledge related to water harvesting and storage, land restauration; food production and rationing and natural resources management, which can be harnessed for lasting and scalable change.
2. We must amplify the voice of African women in face of climate change to create awareness for policy, strategy, and practices, whilst entrenching their leadership in climate change mitigation, adaptation and responses … we must ensure that we have enough women specifically those working in agri-food systems as negotiators at CoP28 next year and make sure that their voices/propositions are taken into account.
3. We must mainstream gender in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) with the aims to reduce gender inequalities and ensure that men and women can equally benefit from any intervention in the agri-foods systems to reduce risk link to climate change.
4. There is a need for Sex and Age disaggregated data and evidence on the impact of climate change on women and youth- we are making a call for AGRA to assist us (AUC) in generating this Sex and Age disaggregated data. 

Picking up from Amb. Sacko’s point on the need for evidence and data in deriving solutions for women’s participation, Dr. Susan Chomba, the Director of Vital Landscapes at the World Resources Institute, reiterated the need to give women scientists a voice in global platforms like the climate change conventions.  

“I am very conscious of the underrepresentation of women, particularly women scientists in these kinds of international forums. It is a call to all of us to do all that is within our means to increase the number of scientists, because we need not just the voice of women but also their expertise in defining food systems transformation,” she said. 

Other contributors to the discussion were Tony Simons, a Senior Fellow at Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, and Prof. Antony Nnyong, Director at Global Center on Adaptation, as well as entrepreneurs Fatou Manneh (Jelmah Herbella – Gambia), Judith Marera (Lanforce Energy – Zimbabwe), and Lily Singelengele (Green Agriculture Youth Organization – Zambia). 

Food and land use systems stakeholders in Kenya re-affirmed the need for an urgent transformation as the country faces multiple and interconnected challenges in food and nutrition insecurity, land degradation, increasing inequalities and low agriculture output. This follows a 2-day strategy meeting of the FOLU Coalition in Kenya that was held in Naivasha Kenya between 1^st-2^nd November 2022. 

The strategy meeting was convened by AGRA, WRI Africa and GAIN. With around 49 stakeholders drawn from government, county government, private sector, development partners, farmer organizations and civil society organizations, the meeting was a follow up to a workshop that was held in June 2022 that led to the formation of the coalition. The Naivasha meeting was primarily to identify key bottlenecks and prioritise action areas in the food and land use systems in Kenya. 

Josephat Muhunyu, the Agriculture Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, (State Department of Crops) speaking during the official opening of the meeting observed that “Food and Nutrition Security is beyond maize production. Kenya food reserves has expanded beyond maize as an indicator of food security”. He also highlighted, that environmental changes have resulted to increase in pests and diseases such as the locust invasion and the fall army worms outbreak. He further mentioned that 83% of Kenya’ s land is arid, there is. Therefore, need to improve on the production and distribution systems taking into account the reduced and shifting rainfall patterns. He noted that Government recognizes the need for an urgent transformation in Kenya’s food and land use systems to achieve food and nutritional security. He acknowledged the role played by various partners and encouraged the coalition partners to do more in the generation of evidence, development of pilots, to supplement government efforts.

The programme Officer for FOLU Kenya emphasized the opportunities to shape and influence Kenya’s transformation due to the fact that the Coalition was still in its formative stages. Further, FOLU Kenya is part of the larger FOLU global network that is operating in Australia, United Kingdom, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and the Nordics which allows for more South-South learning. 

The coalition in Kenya agreed to prioritize 4 transitions areas – Healthy diets, Productive and regenerative agriculture, Protecting and restoring nature and Food loss and waste towards a sustainable food and land use system. The 4 areas will be complimented by three cross cutting transitions (Local loops & linkages, Digitization, and Gender and Demographics). “The 2^nd strategy meeting is being held at an opportune moment when there is a new government in Kenya that is committed to addressing climate change while ensuring major gains in the agriculture sector” – Jeremiah Rogito FOLU Programme Officer. FOLU Kenya will main operate through as evidence-based advocacy approach to contribute to the achievement of food and nutritional security goals in Kenya. Realizing that agriculture is a devolved function in Kenya, FOLU Kenya will establish action groups at the local level to ensure the goals and aspiration of FOLU are achieved.” He added.

Officials from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture (Veronica Kirogo and Jane Wambugu respectively) observed that “…there need for diversification of food production beyond maize production as a measure of food security. With climate change, there is need to diversify the food stapples by promoting and embracing innovations such as biofortification. There exists a wide range of biofortified foods such as the high iron bean, orange fleshed sweet potato and zinc rice that can form a significant part of Kenya’s stapple foods.” Ms. Veronica Kirogo highlighted that Kenya already has policies and legislation that recognises citizens right to adequate food in various documents. The Kenyan Constitution, specifically article 43 (1) (C),  explicitly recognizes the right to ‘adequate food of acceptable quality’ as an integral part of the right of citizens.

Dr Abednego Kiwia, representing AGRA Kenya`s Country Manager highlighted that are already several initiatives in productive and regenerative agriculture and emphasized the need for stronger collaborations for greater impact. Speaking during event, Charles Opiyo from GAIN and James Wangu from WRI Africa also highlighted several initiatives that GAIN and WRI Africa are undertaking towards a sustainable food and land use system in Kenya in the areas of nutrition and natural resources management respectively. They encouraged the participants to enhance local loops for a greater and more sustainable impact. 

The two-day workshop reaffirmed the need for an urgent food and land use systems transformation. Further, the stakeholders affirmed the need to concentrate efforts in the four critical transitions (Healthy diets, productive and regenerative agriculture, protection and restoration of nature and food loss and waste) of FOLU as identified in the FOLU global growing better report. Participants identified the impact pathways for sustainable food and land use system. They also affirmed the need to address cross cutting issues such as gender and demographics, digital revolution and strengthening local loops and linkages. 

Assan Ngombe Resilience officer at AGRA speaking at the close of the strategy meeting highlighted that “it is no doubt that our food and land use systems in Kenya need an urgent transformation. Going forward the FOLU Kenya secretariat (AGRA, WRI Africa and GAIN) will consultatively work towards the development of an action agenda or programme of action for the sustainable food and land use transformation in Kenya which will be launched by March 2023. “This strategy meeting has provided valuable input that will be incorporated in the action agenda that will be launched in March 2023,” he added.

 The FOLU efforts in Kenya acknowledge the support of Norway´s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) through the FOLU global secretariat. Key partners on the ground include WRI Africa that is leading efforts to address food loss and waste and protection and restoration of nature, and GAIN that is leading efforts to address healthy diets.

3rd National Seed Forum
Tomriek Hotel, Accra. November 7 – 10, 2022

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE PARTICIPANTS

The Third National Seed Forum, under the theme: “Facilitating Seed Industry through Knowledge, Collaboration and Strategic Planning”, was held in Accra on November 7 – 10, 2022. 

The Forum was organized by the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG) and the National Seed Council with support from the Ghana Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (GIAT) Program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) acting through AGRA, The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) and the Feed the Future (FtF) PolicyLink programme. The forum was attended by participants from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), research institutions, farmer organizations, seed companies, civil society organizations, research institutions and development partners. 

The main outcomes of the Forum were a draft Ghana Seed Sector Strategy and Investment Plan; an enhanced awareness of responsibilities and required skills for actors along the seed value chain; enhanced opportunities that led to effective networking among seed industry players; and discussions that led to the validation of the 2022 TASAI Ghana Country Report. A committee was established to undertake a process of country-wide validation of the draft Ghana Seed Sector Strategy and Investment Plan, which process will give the wider range of seed sector stakeholders in all the Regions an opportunity to make their inputs into the Plan which, at the end, will be submitted to the Minister for adoption by MoFA as an update to the 2015 National Seed Plan.

 At the end of the Forum, the Participants, having considered all the main outcomes and recommendations made in the draft Ghana Seed Sector Strategy and Investment Plan, as well as other issues relating to the current status of the seed industry, its opportunities, constraints and aspirations for the future, adopted, for presentation to the Minister and the key partners of the seed industry, a COMMUNIQUE as follows: 

1. Research, Variety Development and Release 

• Participants recognize the critical role of research and reminded Government of its commitment to implement the Malabo Declaration by which 10% of GDP is to be dedicated to Agricultural development, requesting that at least 1% of the quantum be reserved for the support of varietal research and development.

• Innovative ways, including levying of agricultural imports and commercial transactions on agricultural inputs, in the context of an active Plant and Fertilizer Fund, should be adopted to ensure sustainable funding for varietal research and development.
• Participants also urge that the process of variety release and registration and its adjunct, the National Seed Bank operations, should be properly resourced and technically structured, as per international norms and standards and the process streamlined to cut down on cost and duration to encourage breeders to be more productive and make Ghana a preferred site for corporate variety release in the ECOWAS Region

2. Biotechnology in crop improvement 

• Participants encourage the Government to progressively create the necessary platform for safe and effective use of biotechnology applications and Genetically Modified (GM) crops in the national seed industry as a means of rapidly attaining the national food security goals. In that regard, participants recommended that Government should support the training of all categories of staff in biotechnology, provide infrastructural and logistical support, and support the setting up of laboratories in the appropriately mandated agencies, in their work of unearthing technology innovations to find effective and sustainable solutions to the current global food crisis.

3. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) (Plant Variety Protection)

• Participants urge the Government to continue to facilitate the implementation of the Plant Variety Protection Act (Act 1050) by enhancing the process of passing the legislative instrument that will establish the Regulations for implementing the Act which is aimed at  encouraging breeders in their work and enhancing the business aspects of the seed industry and farmer confidence as well as boosting agricultural productivity through the development and release of improved varieties, improved seed accessibility and protection of plant genetic products.

4. Data on Seed Sector

• Participants recognize the catalytic role of data and statistics in seed sector development and urge MOFA to take leadership in the establishment of data and database platforms that will enhance the operations of the seed industry. Towards that end, MOFA and the seed industry must partner up in the collation of data so that all information requested might be consistent and accurate regardless of the source. Further, issues relating to data on informal seed sector operations, internet-based technology on seed demand-forecasting, and the establishment of a user-friendly online resource database that incorporates all relevant extension and agricultural training materials must be seriously addressed.

5. Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)

• Participants advise that Government should endeavour, as a matter of urgency, to settle all arrears for seeds supplied over the past two years under the PFJ program. The non-payment has had a negative impact on seed businesses, impairing ability of seed companies to produce adequately to meet national goals as well as earn enough income for improved livelihoods.
• The NSC and NASTAG should work closely together to develop a post-PFJ marketing strategy that will enhance seed growers’ effective marketing skills in a possible non-subsidized period.

6. Capacity Building within the Seed Sector

• Participants recommend that NASTAG, in cooperation with MoFA and development partners, should prioritize capacity building among all seed industry players, particularly to address the need for adequate knowledge and skills to implement the policy, plans and legislation that govern the industry. Priority issues in that regard are the proper processes to introduce hybrid seed production, training and capacitation of public and private extension officers as well as the capacitation of seed distributors. 
• NASTAG is further urged to cooperate with GSID in joint efforts to train and improve the processes of recruiting seed growers, private seed inspectors and other processes that will enhance the effectiveness of the regulatory work of GSID.
• Further, NASTAG should seek the assistance of MOFA and all other partners to facilitate capacity building in business management, product knowledge and agronomy and scaling for seed distributors to improve sustainability and quality of service provision, drive the establishment of more outlets for farmer access to quality seed, and diversify the supply of crop seed varieties with emphasis on improved varieties.

7. Seed Quality and Certification

• Participants noted the critical role of GSID-PPRSD in certification and urged that adequate resources be allocated to the Division to enhance its regulatory function. In that regard, the expectation is that a properly resourced GSID would be more effective in checking the incidences of adulterated and fake seeds sold to farmers; build the capacity of custom officers to minimize delays in cross border seed movements. and develop seed certification protocols for admitting into seed certification, additional priority scheduled/focus crops, including vegetatively propagated crops.

8. Seed Sector Infrastructure

• Participants noted the sad stage of the national seed infrastructure and lauded the Government’s current effort to rehabilitate the aged public sector seed stores and processing plants sited across the Regions and recommended that Seed Companies should also be assisted with concessionary financing to acquire their own seed storage and processing structure that are in tune with their own requirement. 
• Government may also prioritize allocation of irrigation facilities for deployment by seed companies particularly for off-season seed multiplication and to meet the needs of high value and specialized crop types and varieties. 

9. Seed Regulatory Framework

• Participants accepted that all stakeholders are enjoined to promote the implementation of the protocols of the seed regulatory framework and particularly in the engagement of Public extension agents (AEAs) to be trained as third-party seed certification personnel, training and effective deployment of third party seed certification personnel.
• Participants finally urge Government to provide adequate support to National Seed Council to effectively carry out its mandate of oversight of the seed sector, particularly, overall seed sector planning and coordination

The 3rd National Seed Forum was an outstanding opportunity to enhance dialogue among seed industry stakeholders to facilitate the continuous consultation on emerging issues for the rapid and effective growth of the national seed industry and was an outstanding success which requires the further input from Government and developing partners by way of commitment of needed resources for the sustained implementation towards vibrant and buoyant Seed industry.