Women Farmers

86 Pages·2013·4.06 MB·English

2012
From Strength to Strength
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“We are poised to succeed in our quest to
eradicate hunger and poverty in Africa through
transforming agriculture. With the right policy mix,
appropriate interventions by African Governments,
the continued support of donors, and robust
participation of the private sector, both local and
foreign, transformation of agriculture in Africa can
be achieved.”
His Excellency Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of The United Republic of Tanzania,
Opening the African Green Revolution Forum 2012, 27 September 2012, Arusha, Tanzania
Copyright©2013 by the Alliance for a Green Njuguna, David Kimani, Abednego Kiwia,
Revolution in Africa (AGRA). All rights reserved. Mulemia Maina, Liston Njoroge, Mellyne
The publisher encourages fair use of this Ongang’o, Ann Mureithi, Akim Mbeche, Judith
material provided proper citation is made. Naibei, Grace Obuya, Ignatius Mutula, Jared
Odhingo
ISBN: 978-92-990054-5-3
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AGRA in 2012: Moving from Strength to Nairobi, Kenya, and Akim Mbeche
Strength. Nairobi, Kenya: Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA). 2013. Photo Credits:
Pstudio.66, Madlen, AGRA, Google, AGRF
Writing/Editing: 2012, A. Mbeche, Monkey Business Images,
Tiff Harris, TH Consulting, Ltd. Nairobi, Kenya R. Khamis, D. Chavez, B. Brown, S. Mann,
Bikeriderlondon, Lenetstan, N. Laurens,
Notable appreciation to AGRA’s President, Junial Enterprises, W. Chawarung, Humannet,
Jane Karuku, for her leadership and direction J. Hongjan, Africa 924, AGMARK, V.
in the production of this report. Ivashchenko, Symbiot, EAGC, I. Kaenla, S.
Heap, I. Makanda, S. Cakir, H. Shaheed
Editorial Committee:
Team Leaders:-Steven Were Omamo (AGRA Printing:
Director, Policy) and Sylvia Mwichuli (AGRA Smart Printers Limited, Nairobi, Kenya
Director, Communications & Public Affairs),
Members: Vuhya Amulyoto, Augustine
Langyintuo, Nixon Bugo, Andre Dellevoet, Jane
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Contents
A Word from the Chairman 6
Thoughts from the President 8
AGRA Today 10
Our Mission, Goals and Strategic Objectives 10
What We Do 10
Our Breadbasket Strategy 11
Where We Work 11
Our Major Programs and Initiatives 12
The Importance of Building Public/Private Partnerships 13
Hosted Institutions 13
Highlights from 2012 14
Investing in Africa’s Breadbaskets 14
Building Africa’s Seed Systems 16
Overcoming the Soil Health Crisis 19
Opening Markets to Smallholder Farmers 24
Prompting Better Agricultural Policies 28
Encouraging Affordable Credit for Agriculture 30
Strengthening Farmer Organizations 33
Mobilizing Innovative Private Sector Investments in Agriculture 37
Cultivating Development of African Rice Production 38
Casting a Wider Net in Resource Mobilization 40
Giving Attention to Gender 41
Improving Monitoring and Evaluation 42
Increasing AGRA’s Visibility 44
Improving Lives and Livelihoods Across Africa 47
Building the Capacity of Agricultural Researchers 48
Commercializing Smallholder Agriculture 53
Improving Policies 63
Helping Countries Emerging from Conflict 66
The African Green Revolution Forum 2012 68
From
2012 Financials 73
strength
to strength Principal Staff 80
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AGRA Board of Directors
Strive Masiyiwa Sam Dryden
Board Vice-Chair; Chairman of Co-Chair, Programs & Policy Committee;
Econet Wireless International Director of Agricultural Development,
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Kofi Annan Roy Steiner Judith Rodin
Board Chair; Chair, Finance Budget and Co-Chair, Programs and Policy
Secretary General of the Compensation Committee, Deputy Committee; President, Rockefeller
United Nations (1997-2006) Director of Global Development, Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Moise C. Mensah Nadya K. Shmavonian
Chair, Nominations and Governance Chair, Audit and Outcomes
Committee; High Commissioner for Committee
Consultative Governance, Benin
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Rudy Rabbinge Maria Isabel Andrade
Chair, Grants Review Committee; Sweet potato breeder and seed
Professor, Wageningen University, systems specialist, International
The Netherlands Potato Center (CIP)
L. K. Mohohlo (nee Tsiako) Josette Sheeran Usha Barwale Zehr
Governor of the Bank of Botswana Vice-Chair of the World Economic Joint Director of Research at
Forum; Former Executive Director Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds
of the World Food Programme Company Limited, India
Jane Karuku Mohammed (Mo) Ibrahim Monty Jones
Ex-officio Member Founder and Chair, Executive Director, Forum for
and President of AGRA Mo Ibrahim Foundation Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
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A Word from the
Chairman
A Word from the Chairman
African agriculture New public/private partnerships focused on scaling up
what works are now being formed all along the continent’s
remains at the top of
food value chains. We are witnessing a faster pace of
the world’s development
public and private investments in agriculture, in part
agenda. We are seeing because of improving national policies and regulatory
measures. These include significant investments by AGRA
a rapidly rising level of
and its partners in large breadbasket areas in Ghana, Mali,
interest and action by Mozambique and Tanzania, as well as in several important
agricultural growth corridors.
African lawmakers to
strengthen agricultural
We are encouraged, as well, by the significant promises of
policy, to the benefit of support made by a number of donor country governments,
international agricultural development organizations, and
small and large-scale
emerging market and private sector entities, even in the
farmers alike.
face of continuing fiscal uncertainties caused by the recent
global financial crisis.
In reality, however, those who will transform African
agriculture are the millions of farmers who earn their
livelihoods from the soil. Improving farm-level productivity –
especially that of smallholders, but also larger commercial
farmers – commands our full attention. We must scale
up efforts to move subsistence farmers towards market-
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oriented operations, while working closely with
larger commercial farmers that can afford to test
new technologies and aggregate smallholder
production for market.
I firmly believe that the transformation of African
agriculture has moved beyond its tipping point,
and that we now – for the first time – have the
momentum needed to achieve our vision of a
uniquely African Green Revolution. The evidence
is all around us.
Smallholder access to more efficient input and
output markets is increasing rapidly, and so is
the use of higher yielding, disease- and drought-
resistant crop varieties. These improved varieties
are often grown using more affordable fertilizer
and environmentally sound techniques for its and reduce risk, and that encourage public and
application, such as microdosing. The combined private investment in agriculture.
effects of these changes: higher incomes and
greater food and nutritional security across Africa. Our shared focus on improving the productivity
and profitability of smallholder farmers – most of
In general, we are witnessing a growing whom are women – cannot waver. They are the
emphasis on “climate-smart” agriculture and ones who put food on our tables. They are the
cutting-edge technologies that are helping ones who care for our land and water resources.
farmers to both cope with the effects of climate And in the end, they will be the ones who propel
change and help mitigate the problem. In Africa’s economic growth and development in the
addition, major investments are now being 21st century.
made in Africa’s rural infrastructure and key port
facilities by governments, the donor community, All African farmers – small and large – must be
and private companies. involved in transforming agriculture across the
continent. It is their practical local knowledge and
We must maintain this welcome momentum. skills, coupled with the products of high-caliber
We must significantly scale up investment and agricultural research and many other public and
innovation in sustainable agriculture, not only to private sector interventions, which will ultimately
reduce poverty and increase food and nutritional lead to the success that future generations of
security, but also to enable the sector to play Africans are counting on us to achieve.
its rightful role in driving economic growth and
development. African leaders are doing their part, Kofi A. Annan
putting policies in place that inspire innovation Chairman
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Thoughts from the President
In October 2012, AGRA
Our job now is to look to the future, and to move from
began its sixth full year of strength to strength as we promote the continued
operation. The story of our transformation of Africa’s agriculture. We are far from
done; in truth we are only getting started.
first five years is one of
commitment, learning and
We now have under one roof most of the relevant
accomplishment. In close expertise and support programs that matter to farmers
– access to quality seeds, fertilizers and other inputs;
partnership with others,
access to credit and to markets; an ability to help
much has been done in
develop better agricultural policies; a capacity to
a short time to stimulate facilitate the transfer of knowhow; the skills needed
to strengthen farmer organizations and promote their
African agricultural
common interests; and the gender expertise required
innovation and change. All
to ensure attention to the needs of women, youth and
those involved in bringing other vulnerable groups.
us to this point – and
AGRA’s work starts with investing in the agricultural
especially my predecessor,
scientists of the future, those who will make the R&D
Dr. Namanga Ngongi – breakthroughs that will benefit generations of African’s
as yet unborn, and strengthening seed production and
deserve recognition for
delivery systems across the continent.
what has been achieved.
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We support governments as
they design agricultural policies
that reduce risk, improve
market stability, and encourage
innovation. We have tested
novel ways to increase the
availability of more affordable
credit to farmers and small-scale
agribusinesses, and are helping
governments and others scale up
promising approaches.
We invest in activities that focus
on Africa’s long-neglected soil
health crisis, improving farmer
knowledge about integrated soil
fertility management practices has been achieved in partnership with many
and their access to more affordable soil other organizations, both public and private.
nutrients. We fund work that seeks to improve We understood early on that transforming
the profitability of smallholders by increasing African agriculture requires working closely with
their knowledge about and participation in others – those who share our vision of a more
markets. productive and profitable agricultural sector –
while listening carefully to alternative points of
Much of what we do is motivated by the view.
desire to help smallholders join forces and
move towards capitalizing on commercial AGRA and its partners are catalyzing a true
opportunities. In addition, we are investing in transformation of African agriculture, reducing
the agricultural sectors of African countries that poverty, ensuring food and nutritional security,
are only recently emerging from conflict, such and helping to fuel broader economic growth
as South Sudan. and development across the continent. We
are in this for the long haul, and always on the
Highlights of our progress in these and other lookout for new opportunities to join with others
areas are provided in this Report. We are also who share our commitment to Africa’s
pleased to share selected examples of how future.
lives and livelihoods are changing as a result
of some of our interventions. It will not come Jane Karuku
as a surprise that the progress reported here President
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AGRA Today
Our Mission, Goals and
2) Increasing incomes, improving food and
Strategic Objectives nutritional security, and reducing poverty
among Africa’s smallholder farmers;
AGRA’s mission is to trigger a uniquely African 3) Encouraging agricultural policies and incentive
Green Revolution, one that transforms agriculture systems that improve farmers’ access to new
into a highly productive, competitive and technologies, knowledge, credit and other
sustainable system that assures food security necessary resources;
and lifts millions out of poverty. 4) Helping to forge effective alliances among
public and private donors, national
We have set our sights on achieving three major governments, research and civil society
goals by 2020: organizations, farmers’ groups and others;
1) Reducing food insecurity by 50% in at least 20 5) Inspiring action by demonstrating what is
sub-Saharan Africa countries; possible; and
2) Doubling the incomes of at least 20 million 6) Identifying critical gaps in the human
smallholder farmers across the continent; and resources and financing needed to achieve a
3) Moving at least 30 countries onto a Green Revolution in Africa.
sustainable path towards transforming their
What We Do
agricultural sectors.
We organize our work around six strategic Agriculture is a driving force behind economic
objectives: growth and development in Africa, and we work
1) Developing technologies to rapidly increase with many public and private partners to improve
agricultural productivity in environmentally the long-term productivity and profitability of this
sound ways; vital sector. We focus primarily on making things
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