SADC member states have initiated a pro-active strategy for agricultural development to address food security on a sustainable and regional basis, rather than rely on food aid from outside the region.

Heads of State and Government meeting at an Extra Ordinary Summit in the United Republic of Tanzania in mid- May, committed themselves to promote agriculture as a pillar in national and regional development strategies and programmes in order to attain short, medium and long-term objectives.

Following months of preparation and a week of meetings of officials and ministers, the leaders adopted and signed the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in the SADC Region, reaffirming their commitment to accelerate agricultural development, upon which most people in the region depend for food, income and employment. (See pages 8-9)

The tone was set in the opening address by the SADC chairperson, President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, whose regional term of office over the past year has been notable for his insistence on results and time-bound targets.

Urging his colleagues to ensure that the region can feed itself on a sustainable basis, Mkapa said bluntly, “unless we, the leaders of SADC, feel ashamed of having to beg for food – sometimes receiving it with all manner of conditions – we cannot bring honour to our countries. Let us work together to bring honour, not shame to independent southern Africa.”

He reminded the Summit, “We are here to help each other build the political will to put the question of agriculture and food security at the heart of our national and regional priorities.”

The problems are already known, he said, “the solutions have been debated for years.”

Mkapa called for a Plan of Action with activities “that are specific, have measurable targets, and are time bound,” with clear responsibilities at national and regional levels.

Member states have agreed to ensure availability of key agricultural inputs, to support vulnerable farmers, and to vigorously embark on water management programmes including flood control and implementation of the Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses.

They have undertaken to accelerate the use of irrigation technologies such as treadle and motorized pumps, canalisation and water-saving technologies, as well as to mobilize resources for agro-processing and increase the use of savings and credit schemes, and rural mobile banks.

SADC leaders also agreed to consider establishing a regional agricultural development fund, and a regional food reserve facility.

The Dar es Salaam Declaration identifies a number of priority areas on which SADC will focus in the next two years, as well as medium to longterm activities. The multi-sectoral strategy contains an agreed set of short-term objectives (2004-2006) including the provision of key agricultural inputs; agro-industrial development and processing; control of crop and livestock pests and diseases; crop, livestock and fisheries production; water management and irrigation.

The short-term targets are for two years, and progress will be reviewed at the end of every two years from the date of signature. The SADC Integrated Committee of Ministers has been tasked with initiating implementation and monitoring of the Plan of Action.

In the medium-to-long-term commitments (2004-2010), SADC leaders agreed to address the sustainable use and management of natural resources; disaster preparedness; research, technology development and dissemination; agricultural financing and investment; training and human resource development; gender equality; human health and mitigation of HIV and AIDS, and other chronic diseases.

They also resolved to institute support mechanisms aimed at strengthening private sector involvement in agriculture and rural development, and to undertake a series of measures to increase market access.

In identifying their goals, the SADC leaders reviewed past lessons as well asthe grave state of poverty in their individual countries and the region, based on an analysis of why agriculture is under-funded and underdeveloped, and why the rural farmers are the poorest in their nations.

A concept note prepared in advance of the Summit was critical of efforts to date: “While the developed countries are forging ahead harnessing the application of modern technology to increase productivity in their agricultural sectors, in [southern Africa] … agriculture remains under-funded, underdeveloped and its farmers remain poor.”

Agriculture is a major employment sector in the SADC region, contributing 35 percent of the regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 13 percent of total export earnings.

The final communiqué noted the potential for expansion: “Given the huge land mass available in SADC suitable for the production of food crops and livestock farming, agricultural productivity remains at very low levels.”

Unequal access to land and water, desertification, limited mechanisation, little or no credit and poor communications have all contributed to the continuing poverty of rural farmers.

The Summit called on all SADC governments to progressively increase financing to agriculture by allocatingat least 10 percent of national budgets within five years, in line with their commitment of a year ago under the African Union’s Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security.

Summit also expressed appreciation to the Government of the Republic of South Africa for a donation of Rands 100 million to be used for agricultural inputs, food aid and for a vulnerability monitoring system.

Summit noted the prevalence of gender inequality in access to land ownership, credit and agricultural inputs, and agreed to advance gender mainstreaming by enacting non-discriminatory laws on finance, credit and land. Member states were urged to promote gender-sensitive technologies, particularly for agro-processing.

The regional leaders also stressed the need to mainstream in agriculture and natural resources policies and programmes, their efforts to combat HIV and AIDS and other chronic diseases.

Other priorities cover the development of rural infrastructure including electrification, water and sanitation; information and communications technology; acceleration of land policy reform initiatives; eradication of crop and livestock pests and diseases; ensuring sustainable use and management of natural resources; increasing production of crop, livestock and fisheries resources; strengthening market access; and engaging the private sector.

Mkapa stressed the need to encourage training in sustainable methods, the use of traditional technologies for agro-processing and food storage and to focus on food security at the family and community level. He said SADC countries need to learn from each other and from regional best practices – “best not in terms of theory, but in terms of practicality, results and impact.”

He quoted his inspirational predecessor, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, as saying in times of apparently insurmountable opposition such as that confronting the region when apartheid was still in place in South Africa: “It can be done, play your part”. ?