House Urges Partner States to Safeguard Agriculture, Food Security and Implement Malabo Declaration

East African Legislative Assembly, Zanzibar, Tanzania: 22 October, 2016: In light of the growing challenges faced in ascertaining food security in the region, EALA is calling on Partner States to prioritize harmonisation of national laws, policies and strategies on Agriculture and Food Security in order to ease the urgent implementation of the Malabo commitments.

The Malabo Declaration calls on States in the Continent to scale up their budgetary allocations to the agriculture sector to at least 10% of total budgets.

EALA passed a Resolution urging the EAC Partner States, Thursday last week to fast-track the implementation of the Malabo Declaration and the attendant commitments in the Partner States.  The Resolution moved by Hon Mike Sebalu received affirmation from a number of legislators.  

The Assembly once again reiterated its plea to Partner States to allocate budgets to agriculture that reach the Malabo Declaration target of at least 10% annually or to strive to progressively get there. At the moment, only the Republic of Rwanda, according to the Resolution, comes close to attaining the Malabo declaration, having surpassed the 6% mark, with regards to its budget allocated to agriculture.

The Assembly says budgets should also focus on financing smallholder centered programmes like extension services, research, input support, improving access to finance and market and on efficient utilization of the allocations.

The domestication of the Malabo Declaration 2014 -2025, the Assembly ascertains, is possible by putting in place regional legally binding protocols and financial instruments, which are responsive to the needs of smallholder farmers, youth and women to ensure regional realisation of goals.

Of importance, the Resolution states, is the need to institutionalize an annual dialogue framework that brings together farmers, non-State actors and the Partner States. Other participants should include the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Results framework Focal Persons, Agriculture Parliamentary Committee Chairpersons and the EALA Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR) Committee. Accordingly, such a conference, the Assembly states, should promote dialogue on the implementation of the Malabo commitments so as to enhance mutual accountability within the agriculture sector in the region, as well as fronting new ideas.

According to analysts, many government policy makers and even Parliamentarians may not be aware of the Malabo Declaration. The implementation of the Declaration would reduce the gap between the rich and the poor in the Community. Emphasis should therefore should be given to value addition to agricultural produce to improve income for the small scale EAC farmers and agricultural produce.

Those who rose in support of the Resolution were Hon Isabelle Ndahayo, Hon Susan Nakawuki, and Hon. Fredric Ngezebuhoro.

The passage of the Resolution comes hot on the heels of the adoption of the Assembly of a Report on the Agriculture Summit 2016 last week.

Essentially, domesticating the regional framework to transform agriculture sector is vital while recognizing the rights and roles of majority smallholder crop growers, fisher folks and livestock keepers, as well as medium and larger scale farmers.

The East African Community has a number of regional agriculture instruments under its belt including the EAC Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Strategy, the EAC Food and Nutrition Policy, Livestock Policy and the regional Fisheries instruments. 

The region is also paying attention to the CAADP Compact, the EAC Food Security Action Plan alongside the Action plan to enhance the Resilience capacity of livestock keepers in the Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) lands of East Africa.

NOTES TO EDITORS

the AU Malabo Declaration of June 2014 on Accelerated Agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods shared 8 goals to be achieved by 2025 as follows:

1. Recommitment to the Principles and Values of the CAADP Process.
2. Recommitment to enhance investment finance in Agriculture by upholding 10% public spending target and Operationalization of Africa Investment Bank.
3. Commitment to Ending Hunger by 2025 by at least double productivity (focusing on Inputs, irrigation, mechanization); Reduce PHL at least by half and reduce stunting to 10%.
4. Commitment to Halving Poverty, by 2025, through inclusive Agricultural Growth and Transformation and sustain Annual sector growth in Agricultural GDP at least 6%; Strengthening inclusive public-private partnerships on agricultural commodity value chains; Create job opportunities for at least 30% of the youth in agricultural value chains.
5. Commitment to Boosting Intra-African Trade in Agricultural Commodities and services by tripling intra-Africa trade in agricultural commodities and fast track continental free trade area.
6. Commitment to Enhancing Resilience in livelihoods & production systems to climate variability and other shocks.
7. Commitment to Mutual Accountability to Actions and Results.

Ends-

For more Information, contact: Bobi Odiko,

Senior Public Relations Officer;
East African Legislative Assembly;

Tel: +255-27-2508240 Cell: +255 787 870945+254-733-718036;

Email:   bodiko@eachq.org  

Web: https://www.eala.org

Arusha, Tanzania