Nigeria has released two improved cassava varieties in an effort to maintain its lead as the world’s largest producer of the root crop, improve incomes of farmers and make them smile.

The varieties were developed through a collaborative effort between the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Nigerian Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike. The two varieties are originally recognized as IITA developed genotypes: IITA-TMS-I982132 and IITA-TMS-I011206. But with the official release, they are to be known as UMUCASS 42 and UMUCASS 43 respectively. 

“Both varieties performed well in different cassava production regions of Nigeria with high yield, high dry matter and good disease resistance.  The roots of these varieties are yellow and contain moderate levels of pro-Vitamin A,” says Dr Peter Kulakow, IITA Cassava Breeder.

Potential maximum yield of the two varieties is between 49 and 53 tons per hectare, according to pre-varietal release trials that were conducted between 2008 and 2010. Local varieties produce less than 10 tons per hectare. The varieties are also resistant to major pests and diseases that affect cassava in the country including cassava mosaic disease, cassava bacterial blight, cassava anthracnose, cassava mealybug and cassava green mite.

Dr Chiedozie Egesi,  NRCRI Cassava Breeder, who presented the varieties before the Nigeria Varietal Release committee—the body in charge of officially releasing varieties—said the varieties have the following distinct qualities:

1.       Good for high quality cassava flour—a sought after trait by researchers for the cassava transformation agenda in Nigeria.

2.       High dry matter which is positively related to starch and crucial for cassava value chain development

3.       High leaf retention which is positively related to drought tolerance and is crucial for cassava production in the drier regions and in mitigating the impact of climate change, and

4.       Moderate levels of betacarotene for enhancing nutrition.

Over the years, cassava has transformed from being a “poor man’s” crop to now a cash crop and an industrial crop, as cassava is being processed to products such as starch, flour, glucose and ethanol. This transition has placed demand on cassava.

Researchers say developing new improved varieties is one way that will boost the steady supply of cassava roots to this ever increasing demand.

According to Dr Egesi, continuous breeding of such improved new varieties will help in stabilizing production, processing and marketing of cassava products.

“The impact of these efforts will be felt in areas such as rural employment and a virile cassava industrial sector,” he added.

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For information, please contact:

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

By Masimba Tafirenyika

Amid raving economic forecasts thatAfricawill be the next big emerging market, chronic food shortages remain stubbornly immune to solutions. The African Union is aware of this weak link and is working to convince its members to boost investments in agriculture.

It’s a tall order. But there are signs of progress, thanks in part to an innovative plan by the AU’s development agency, NEPAD, called the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

CAADP’s message is simple but powerful: More investments in agriculture will end hunger and lift millions out of poverty. The programme has several elements, but the best-known requires signatories to spend at least 10 per cent of their budgets on agriculture. To date, 30 countries have signed up.

CAADP’s scorecard so far is mixed. Some countries are still grappling with the teething troubles of translating its plans into action. But those that have faithfully followed the programme are seeing positive changes.

CAADP is a noble idea. Yet it suffers from two major weaknesses: It doesn’t have enough money to back its plan and it has no power to compel members to adopt its recommendations.

Take the European Union’s farm subsidy programme, the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), for instance, which was created in response to severe food shortages inEuropeback in the 1950s. CAP has money — in 2010 it was gobbling up about 40 per cent of the EU’s budget — and the power to impose conditions on members that get subsidies. True, EU subsidies hurt farmers in poor nations, but they have raised the incomes of EU farmers and produced more quality food for consumers.

In contrast, CAADP uses moral suasion to induce members to stick to their commitments. Worse still, it relies heavily on donors for investments in countries that have signed on. Equally troubling is that a big chunk of the national budgets of most CAADP signatories comes from donors, subjecting Africa to aid cuts whenever donor economies slump or priorities shift, or when domestic African political fortunes change, as events in Malawi, Rwanda and elsewhere have clearly shown.

CAADP can be effective, but only to the extent that signatories are committed to doing the necessary heavy lifting. To demonstrate its commitment to food security, the AU should move beyond platitudes and follow the EU’s example — make it mandatory for members to contribute to a common fund for agriculture. Each member’s contribution could be based on its ability to pay, perhaps using GNP per capita as a guide. Such a fund could then be used to reduce CAADP’s dependence on donors.

True, setting aside a tenth of the budget for agriculture is a big deal for poor countries often faced with competing priorities. But success in agriculture reduces the pressure to finance solutions to social problems caused by hunger and poverty. Putting money into agriculture is a smart investment.

Africa Renewal

http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/january-2013/africa%E2%80%99s-food-policy-needs-sharper-teeth

By Masimba Tafirenyika

Once againMalawifinds itself in a tight spot. A food crisis set off by erratic rains, rising food prices and economic hardships is slowly unfolding. Sadly and unexpectedly,Malawihas lost its hard-earned status as an agricultural success story. Many are now wondering what went wrong and whether there could be lessons for other African countries.

More than 1.63 million people, or 11 per cent of the population, are facing severe food shortages, according to the World Food Programme, a UN relief agency.Malawineeds $30 million to the end of 2012 to cover the shortfall. Agriculture is the backbone of its economy: four in five people rely on it for income. Most farmers plant on small plots by hand with little irrigation, and therefore are vulnerable to recurring droughts, notes the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.Malawiis home to Africa’s third-largest freshwater lake —Lake Malawi— yet less than 3 per cent of the land is irrigated.

Malawi’s current troubles might seem surprising. Yet to those who follow events in the Southern African nation, it is less an abrupt change in fortunes than a series of self-inflicted injuries unfolding in slow motion.

Increased farm subsidies

Back in 2004, President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office in early 2012, rode into power on a promise to increase farm subsidies as part of his Farm Input Subsidy Programme. Under the plan, the government gave subsidy vouchers to “smallholders to buy a small amount of fertilizer and seed so that they could replenish the soil nutrients, take advantage of improved seed varieties and at least achieve a livable crop from their tiny farms,” says Africa Confidential, a UK-based newsletter.

The results were instant. In 2005, a year after expanded subsidies kicked in,Malawiharvested a grain surplus of half a million tonnes. In subsequent years it exported grain toLesothoandSwaziland, as well as 400,000 tonnes of maize toZimbabwe. Food experts and advocacy groups took turns at international forums extollingMalawias an example ofAfrica’s “green revolution.”

Ironically, even during the years of plenty,Malawicontinued to import large quantities of wheat, maize and other cereals, says FAO, and isolated pockets of hunger remained. In pursuing subsidies, Mutharika defied donor critics who alleged that the programme was riddled with corruption, ran counter to the principles of free markets and was unsustainable. Indeed, by 2009 the government was spending 16 per cent of its budget on subsidies.

Over time President Mutharika became autocratic, amid charges of corruption and cronyism. In 2009 he spent more than $20 million on a long-range presidential jet. Worse, he started promoting his brother Peter, then foreign minister, as his successor, further alienating donors, on whomMalawidepends. When the donors abandoned him, the economy tanked and protesters took to the streets, leading to political instability.

Leadership is key

Rhoda Tumusiime, the head of agriculture at the African Union Commission, notes that while success in agriculture does not have many drivers, leadership is crucial. “There must be a key political champion at head-of-state level to steer and champion a vision on agricultural revolution,” she told the Economic Commission forAfricain an interview.

Mr. Mutharika not only had the political will, but tried to lead by example. And his anti-poverty policies attracted many advocates. The director of the New York–based Earth Institute at ColumbiaUniversity, Jeffrey Sachs, who has worked closely with Malawian authorities to fight poverty, is among them. “We should … remember a positive legacy of the late president Mutharika, because that legacy holds a key for Africa’s future development and escape from poverty,” Sachs wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times.

“Until his final two years, Mutharika had actually engineered an agriculture-led boom inMalawi, one that pointed a way forAfricato overcome its chronic hunger, food insecurity, and periodic extreme famines,” said Sachs. He credited the late president for standing “bravely against the arrogance of an ill-informed foreign aid community back in 2005.”

Food security equals national security

Second, while foreign aid is critical in feeding the hungry and reviving agriculture inAfrica, food security requires the same seriousness and resources as national security, if not more. In fact, national security loses its legitimacy if thousands of citizens die not from enemy firepower but from starvation, or risk their lives crossing borders while fleeing from hunger.

And finally,Africaneeds a strong food policy backed by resources. One tangible African Union response has been the ComprehensiveAfricaAgriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which requires countries that sign up to it to spend at least 10 per cent of their national budgets on agriculture. CAADP itself has a very small budget, but it uses the little it has to strengthen agricultural institutions and build teams of skilled personnel who roam the continent sharing best practices with national authorities.

“There is no doubt that African agriculture needs strong local institutions to avoid the kind of bubble that we saw in Malawi, which was largely driven by external energy,” Martin Bwalya, the head of CAADP, told Africa Renewal, alluding to Malawi’s dependence on donors for its short-lived success. CAADP, which is run by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the AU’s development agency, recognizes thatAfrica needs institutions whose effectiveness and shelf life do not depend on the survival of individuals.

Mr. Mutharika tried to follow the path of subsidies and largely succeeded. Countries that have pursuedMalawi’s lead have “achieve[d] breakthroughs in farm yields and food production for the first time in their modern history,” said Professor Sachs. His successor, Joyce Banda,Africa’s third female president, now has to formulate a new food policy, woo back the donors, stabilize the economy and again get agriculture back on track.

Africa Renewal

http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/january-2013/what-went-wrong-lessons-malawi%E2%80%99s-food-crisis

Although progress has been made ?thanks to improvements in agricultural productivity and renewed attention to agriculture ?such gains are being threatened by spiralling population growth rate coupled with degrading soils.

In an address to participants at the 21st Annual Congress of the Nigerian Rural Sociological Association (NRSA) held at the University of Ibadan, Dr Sanginga said that “challenges to food security in Africa are huge, and that the barriers to wealth creation, food security, improved nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are on several fronts.”

For instance, Africa’s population growth remains high compared to other regions in the world (2.4% in SSA) against 1.3% in non-African countries.

In addition, the urban population is rapidly growing, putting pressure on the rural areas to produce more food at affordable prices. There is also the problem of depletion of soil nutrients, which if left unchecked, could have catastrophic effects. Furthermore, destructive agricultural practices along forest margins in Africa aggravate deforestation.

“While the attainment of food security is a huge and increasing challenge, production per unit area has not increased as elsewhere in the world, and increments in total production have come at the expense of the natural resource base,” he said.

“Clearly there is much work to be done in sub-Saharan Africa,” he emphasised.

To save the situation, Dr Sanginga, who was represented by the Deputy Director General, Partnerships and Capacity Development, Dr Kenton Dashiell, said “there is a need for the adoption of sustainable intensification of agricultural production practices to conserve and recycle soil nutrients and reduce the need for clearing new lands for agricultural production.”

This approach, he said, would increase agricultural productivity. Besides agricultural productivity, food availability, and food safety; Dr Sanginga stressed that the agric sector’s overall performance must all be increased against the backdrop of a growing and larger, more urban population, uncertain effects of climate, increased demand for energy, disease pandemics, rural-to-urban migration, and, in some cases, civil strife.

He commended the renewed attention to agriculture by African leaders which is producing positive results, and urged for more commitment of resources to the sector.

The director general concluded that “IITA is poised to continue working with various partners to improve livelihoods in Africa.”

For information, please contact:

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

About IITA

IITA (www.iita.org) is an international non-profit research-for-development organization established in 1967 and governed by a Board of Trustees. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. Our award-winning research for development is anchored on the development needs of tropical countries. IITA is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

The varieties which were developed through conventional breeding by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and partners are recognized as IITA genotypes as TMS 92/0326, TMS 96/1414, TMS 96/0023, TMS 92/0057, and TMS 92/0067.

The improved varieties were formally released by the Cameroonian Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Essimi Menye; and the Permanent Secretary, Ms Ebelle Etame Rebecca, who represented the Minister of Research and Scientific Innovations.

With an estimated yield of between 20 tons and 35 tons per hectare, the improved varieties have improved nutritional qualities and are rich in caratenoids, iron and zinc.

Partners that worked in the varietal development include the Programme National de Developpement des Racines et Tubercules (PNDRT), the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), non-governmental organizations and local farmers.

The varieties will help close the yield gaps, improve yield and also put more money in farmers’ pockets, said the Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga.

Dr Sanginga also said the release of the varieties would help improve the fortunes of farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihoods.

According to him, IITA will continue to support farmers in Cameroon by offering improved varieties and technologies that address the constraints to development in tropical nations.

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Menye said the new improved varieties would helpCameroonto take advantage of the opportunities of cassava. He also commended IITA’s efforts in developing the varieties.

Grown by most farmers, cassava is one of the major staples inCameroonthat is contributing to food security and wealth creation.

The crop is either boiled and eaten, or processed into local delicacies such as Mitumba, Baton de manioc, Beignets de manioc, gari, and Ndas among others.

The root crop has also gained industrial importance with uses in ethanol production, High Quality Cassava Flour in bread production, and glucose syrup production.

Despite the strategic role, the root crop is challenged by poor yields, pests and diseases, decreasing soil fertility, and climate change.

IITA’s role in addressing these challenges helped Cameroonian farmers to double yields in the past decade.

Farmers who participated in the varietal release process ‘loved’ the varieties for their cooking qualities.

IITA Country Representative, Dr Rachid Hanna said the release of the varieties ‘is significant’ as it would improve the nutrition and livelihoods of farmers in Cameroon.

“We see it as a new dawn for cassava farmers,” he added.

16,278

The Market Place: The key component of the Agri Business Fair was the market place that brought various service and input suppliers and farmers together. This was meant to support deal making, experience sharing and learning. 107 organisations from the private, development and public sector exhibited at the Fair. They included banks, financial institutions, insurance agencies, feed producers, agro chemical companies, seed suppliers, soil testing companies, aquaculture businesses,  NGOs, Government agencies, training institutions amongst others. The exhibitors were so overwhelmed by the numbers and most simply stopped registering potential clients given the large numbers while most had run out of material by mid day!  Products sold out, many bank accounts were opened and new clients recruited. A downpour just after 4pm did not dampen their interest and many farmers stayed on despite the rain. Many exhibitors have already stated their interest in attending the next APF KLPA Agri Business Trade Fair scheduled for 4^th October, 2012 in Karatina.

Open Forums: 15 organisations hosted mini-forums where farmers learnt specific aspects on financial products, insurance, horticultural farming, compost making, seeds, agro chemicals, fish farming and so on. The tents had 25 chairs but had more people standing then sitting! 8000 people are estimated to have benefited from these mini-forums. 600 other people benefitted from the main Open Forum that brought together panels of organization in the Insurance and Financial sectors. This included Equity Bank, SMEP DTM, KWFT, Family Bank, Laikipia Teachers SACCO, Mechantile Insurance amongst others. It focused on financial and insurance products and services available in the market. This covered agricultural loans and insurance services in addition to education, car, mortgage and other loan and insurance products.

An Award Scheme was also held. The farmers voted for winners in 5 categories. The winners of each category were:

1. Most Popular Farmers Bank – Equity Bank

2. Most Innovative Agri Business Loan Product: Kilimo Biashara – Equity Bank

3. Most Innovative Technology:  Petreshah General Supplies Ltd – (Egg incubators)

4. Best Agri Business Support Organization: Winner: Elgon Kenya Ltd

5. Best Stand: Agri Business Trade Fair: Winner: Kenya Meat Commission (KMC)

The next APF and KLPA exhibition will be held on 4^th October, 2012 in Karatina. If you are interested in participating, please contact Patrick Kimani on tel: +254 722 310 996 and e-mail: klpakenya@yahoo.com

Visit Agri-Hub Kenya at: http://apf-kenya.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Ibadan

The hybrids, which are the first generation vitamin A-rich maize, were released on 4 July 2012 by the National Variety Release Committee of Nigeria asIfemaizehyb 3 andIfemaizehyb 4. They are recognized as IITA hybrids A0905-28 and A0905-32, respectively.

“The hybrids are a product of nearly a decade of breeding for enhanced levels of pro-vitamin A,” says Dr. Abebe Menkir, maize breeder with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), who led the development of the new maize hybrids.

The hybrids outperformed local checks with yields ranging from 6 to 9 tons per hectare compared with 2 tons per hectare recorded on most farmers’ fields.

The vitamin A hybrids were developed by IITA in partnership with the Institute of Agricultural Research & Training (IAR&T) using conventional breeding in a project funded by the HarvestPlus—a Challenge Program of the CGIAR as part of strategies to address the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. Other collaborating partners include the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria; University of Maiduguri; International Maize and Wheat Center (CIMMYT), University of Illinois, and University of Wisconsin.

InNigeria, vitamin A deficiency afflicts about 30% of children below five years of age, almost 20% of pregnant women, and 13% of nursing mothers. Vitamin A deficiency lowers immunity and impairs vision, which can lead to blindness and even death.

Researchers say the two hybrids can supply enhanced levels of vitamin A in the diets. Maize is consumed by millions of people throughoutNigeria, whether roasted and eaten off the cob or as a dish prepared from fermented maize flour.

According to Menkir, maize is the most frequently consumed staple inNigeriawith about 20% of households consuming it at different times within a week.

“These hybrids will provide not only increased amounts of provitamin A but also improve productivity in farming communities,” he says.

Farmers who participated in the on-farm trials indicated that they liked the varieties, so there is a high prospect for quick adoption.

IITA and IAR& T, in partnership with private seed companies, now plan to multiply these hybrids so they can begin distributing them to farmers by 2014, and to continue to develop higher levels of vitamin A in maize by conventional breeding.

“We plan to target to areas where maize consumption is high to help address the problem of vitamin A deficiency inNigeria” says Dr. Samuel Olakojo, a maize breeder with IAR &T, who worked on the varieties with Menkir.

The release of vitamin A cassava inNigerialast year should help pave the way for broad acceptance of the vitamin A maize. These new maize varieties are well suited to the tropical lowlands of many West African countries and are expected to spread beyondNigeria’s borders.

In a parallel effort, the International Maize and Wheat Research Center (known by their Spanish acronym CIMMYT) – a sister CGIAR Center of IITA – has been breeding mid-altitude vitamin A-rich varieties for Zambia in a project also funded by HarvestPlus, with release anticipated later this year.

Addis Ababa July 14, 2012

Dr Mayaki was on a panel with Dr Frannie Leautier, Executive Director of the Africa Capacity Building Foundation – (ACBD) and Dr Lethoya Awori of GIMCA – the Gender is My Agenda Campaignnetwork

EWAG is championed by African Heads of States with a renowned record of service for promoting women’s empowerment and agriculture and by key private sector patrons from the Continent. Liberian President Ellen- Johnson Sirleaf and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda are already champions of the initiative as co-Chairs, and preparations are on-going to get more African leaders on board.

The NEPAD CEO stated that the reverse of a top-down process has enabled a bottom up process, which now highlights a redefinition of new priorities in developmental policies. He said Africa cannot transform agriculture without involving women.

Dr Awori said EWAG had found a champion in President Ellen John Sirleaf, who gave impedance to three fundamentals challenges that women face, “There crisis affecting women in Africa centres around three F’s –  Fuel, Food and Finance, and Dr Sirleaf suggested that a panel of heads of state champion the empowerment of women in agriculture, to tackle this crisis.” said Dr Awori.

NEPAD’s contribution to EWAG will be through its African framework for developing agriculture – the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme – CAADP. Several African heads of states have made comprehensive commitments to CAADP and through it, EWAG, to be officially launched later this weekend, will draw support for measures that will benefit women in agriculture directly or indirectly.

Dr Leautier said the partnership with NEPAD will be a very important one because of the specific attention and opportunities women will be exposed to. “When an African Woman grows food, she grows what her pot will look like – not mono-cropping, but integrated farming, she said.

For more detail contact;

Maureen Nkandu – Head of Nepad Communications

Phone: +251 922724415

Email: MaureenN@nepad.org

For more on CAADAP and NEPAD visit our website on www.nepad.org

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 4, 2012 – An appeal has gone out to African nations to use agriculture to combat food insecurity, unemployment and population increase in the continent. Mrs. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission, made the appeal at the 8^th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s Partnership Platform in Nairobi.

The Commissioner, who was among the main speakers at the conference, praised countries that have increased their funding of agriculture in line with the goal of CAADP initiative. She urged them to ensure implementation of their agricultural investment plans and to meet their funding commitments. Noting that this year’s meeting was taking place when the Horn of Africa and the Sahel regions are experiencing drought and food insecurity, she said 70 percent of the population in the Horn lack food security. Food insecurity and malnutrition are a recurrent situation in the region, she added. The commissioner informed the meeting that the AUC, NEPAD Agency and the World Economic Forum would soon launch the Grow Africa Partnership platform, with the goal of “accelerating investments for sustainable growth in Africa agriculture.”

Also, the Director of Programmes at the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, Mrs. Estherine Fotabong, who represented Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, the agency’s chief executive officer, said Africa would need to match Asia’s agricultural productivity if it hopes to address the problems posed by rapid urbanisation, unemployment and massive population growth. According to her, Africa’s agricultural production doubled in the last 50 years while Asia’s output tripled during the same period. But with the right policies and support for the agriculture sector, the Asian success story could be replicated in Africa, she said.

Development partners, in an address delivered by USAID’s Jeff Hill, commended African countries and regional economic communities for raising their agriculture and food security agendas through the CAADP process. He assured African countries of partners’ collective political, technical and financial resources provided the CAADP initiative continues to impact positively on agricultural growth, poverty reduction and improved food and nutrition security.

The two-day meeting with the theme “Accelerating CAADP implementation for results and impacts” attracted about 200 experts, policy makers, multilateral bodies, civil society groups, development partners and farmers’ representatives from within and outside Africa.

CAADP is an Africa-owned and Africa-led initiative endorsed by the AU Assembly in July 2003 as part of the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to boost agricultural productivity.

For more information, contact:

Paul Okolo, NEPAD Agency; Paulo@nepad.org

Carol Jilombo, African Union Commission; Jilomboc@africa-union.org

Midrand, April 30, 2012

The annual forum will review progress and country-level experiences in implementation of its activities since the previous meeting held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in March 2011. Delegates will share and examine experiences and lessons emerging from country and regional level implementation of CAADP in advancing increased agriculture performance. The meeting is happening at a time when Africa and the rest of the world are experiencing in some significant shifts and changes as well as emerging new issues from climate change through to volatile food and energy prices, land and water acquisition as well as food and nutrition security concerns. These issues are high on most African countries’ development agendas.

‘’The partnership presents an ideal opportunity for partners to contribute to the strategic review of progress on agriculture by collectively identifying actions that will sustain CAADP’s momentum,” said Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency and chief driver of the CAADP initiative. “CAADP must move beyond its recent focus on support for investment planning to support countries to accelerate implementation for impact and results,” Dr. Mayaki said.

Among those expected to attend are African ministers of agriculture, the African Union’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Regional Economic Communities, representatives of multilateral and development partners, farmers’ bodies, civil society groups and business people.

“The AUC continues to work closely with AU member States, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, Regional Economic Communities, Pan African institutions and our development partners towards accelerating the implementation of CAADP in order to increase Africa’s agricultural productivity, food and nutrition security,” Commissioner Tumusiime said.

Established as part of the African Union’s NEPAD programme, CAADP was endorsed by the AU Assembly in July 2003. It is in this regard that the NEPAD Agency works through CAADP to raise the amount and quality of food that Africa produces, in order to make families more food-secure and exports more profitable.

Among its achievements, the programme has succeeded in getting 30 African countries to sign the CAADP compact which also brings out national consensus and commitment to give agriculture top priority in terms of budgetary allocation. Also, more than 24 have established agriculture and food security investment plans.

For more information, and to arrange for interviews, contact:

Martin Bwalya, Head, CAADP: bwalyam@nepad.org,  Paul Okolo, Communication Unit: paulo@nepad.org

www.nepad.org or www.nepad-caadp.net