AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT SECTORAL SUPPORT · AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT SECTORAL...

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

SECTORAL SUPPORT

More and Better aidBy J K. Mutunga - KENFAP

Characteristics and nature of support to agriculture

• Introduction• Focus on the Economy as the first priority• A welcome call after economic neglect leading to

deepened poverty and erosion of the social gains of the first 2 decade

• Government efforts in rehabilitation of the collapsed systems to recovery then growth

• Efforts led to the development of the ERS• The strategy recognizes revitalization of agriculture as the

engine of economic growth

Introduction• SRA was developed as a step towards

implementation of the ERS• The strategy addresses issues of productivity per

unit of land after a sharp decline in the land per capita

• It focuses on productivity, intensification and diversification of agricultural activities to raise productivity per init

• The strategy covered several critical issues that require public action

Critical issues that requiring public action1. Reform of the legal and regulatory framework governing

agricultural operations in order to make it fair and just for farmers, processors and others involved in agro-related activities.

2. Promotion of research and technology development3. Reform of the extension service system to create a more

effective linkage between research, extension and the farmers as the ultimate beneficiaries.

4. Establishment and development of a market based agricultural credit and inputs systems.

5. Promotion of domestic processing of agricultural produce in order to provide increased opportunities for value adding employment creation and foreign exchange earnings.

Challenges towards the implementation of the strategy

• Realization of the pronouncements of the policies into the ultimate results of a prosperous Kenya without food insecurity

• Private sector and the beneficiaries participation in the realization of the goals of the strategy

• Progressive reduction of unemployment and poverty

• Ensuring food security, increase real incomes and raise agricultural productivity

• Improving the standards of living of Kenyans

Why focus on agriculture is so important in Kenya

• Direct contribution to GDP = 26%• Indirect contribution to GDP = 27%• Contributes 60% of the export earning• Supports about 80% of the population mainly

living in the rural areas• Supports 80% of the poor people who happen to

live in the rural areas (80% of 56% poor = 45% of the poor)

• Supports the urban poor who rely on the sector• Targets pastoralists who for 50% of the poor

Prioritising support for agriculture (meaning)

• Prioritising food insecurity alleviation of food insecurity

• Addressing hindrances towards provision of effective and adequate support

• Prioritising target to the 50% food insecure Kenyans

• Reducing dependence on food aid and famine relief

• Increasing the productivity of the sector• Increasing agricultural growth and development• Economic and social development of the country

Performance of Agriculture• The two post independence decades; growth at an

average of 6%• Declined to about 3.5% in the 80s• Went further down to among the lowest in the

world I.e 1.3% in the 1990 to 2000• Performed lower than the population growth rate

in the 90s• Decline in the overall economic growth and per

capita income

Government support to the agricultural sector

• To be equated to or relative to the sector’s importance

• Not been realised as yet• Ex. Budgetary allocation for the current year to

the sector is 4%, does not reflect the importance• Expectations are high, level of support to relate

well with associated importance• Kenya , a signatory to the Maputo protocol• National government support sets the

benchmarks

Government support to the agricultural sector

• To utilize correct pointers for other interested partnerships

• Priorities at national level to generally guide the prospective support

• Kenya is yet to display the expected correlation• The sub regional farmers demand a 30% budgetary

support to the sector• Similar sentiments aired even in the southern

Africa and the regional as a whole in line with CAADP

Support by the international community

• Development support on the decrease as donor countries become richer

• Un proposal that 0.7% of their national income would suffice

• Aid has fallen to half the amount given in the sixties– Ex. 1960 – 65 = .48%– 2003 = .24%

• A negation to meeting the MDGs such as – Cutting poverty levels by half– Reducing child mortality

Support by the international community• The paradox

– As the rich become richer, they give less and less• All the more why we should re-examine our

priorities• Oxfam report estimates:

– Between now and 2015, developing countries will lose 45 million more children all factors remaining the same

• Support to peasants production in the developed countries will help in food quality improvement, environmental protection and avoid dumping one single factor that destroys peasants production in the developing countries

The type of preferred and supported agriculture

• Financial support is directed to the large scale, intensive, export oriented production

• Negative consequences:– Environmental destruction– Loss of biodiversity– Destruction of the local peasants production through

dumping– Reconcentration of land and profits– Corporate control of the market and productive resources

etc.All the above undermine public support to agriculture therefore

the campaign. For a model of production that responds to the needs of the population of a given country.

More and better aid campaign• Established to be part of the fight to eradicate hunger and

poverty• Advocates an increase in both the quality and quantity of

aid for agric & rural development• An independent campaign comprising of social

movements, civil society and NGOs• The two global FOs IFAP and Via Campesina,

re[resenting more than 600 million farmer are part of the campaign

• Campaign closely linked to the purpose of the UN IAAH and achievement of MDGs

• The goal of the campaign is to reduce hunger and poverty.

More and better aid campaign• The campaign will lobby for vital changes in

national & international policies geared towards:– - A substantial decrease in the number of

hungry and undernourished people and people living in poverty

– A major increase in development aid for agriculture, rural development and food in the developing countries.

– Significant improvements in the quality of aid for agriculture, rural development and food

Common principles of more and Better Aid Campaign

• MaB recognizes that:– The climatic, natural, political, cultural and

economic situations of countries are diverse and often unique.

– However, there are several common principles, which could improve the quality of aid targetedfor agriculture, pastoralism, fisheries and rural development.


1. Aid should support the programs and policies developed by the recipient communities and countries– Aid should not disrupt local production and markets. – It should support long-term development and respond to

the expressed needs of local communities. – Local and national food security should be a top priority

for aid. – Aid should lead to greater autonomy and self- reliance of

the recipient countries with regard to food production and availability of food for all.

– Aid should strengthen the local control of resources and reach the intended beneficiaries in rural areas.


2. Better aid promotes working with local communities and social organisations:– Better aid supports local communities, CBOs and social

organisations in:• Building political empowerment; • Enhancing the capacity of people to articulate their views• Implementation of their own development models• Enhancing meaningful participation in development

processes. • It recognises that the needs and realities of rural communities

are at the core of solutions to solve hunger and poverty. • Development aid should give priority to strengthening small-

scale production sector to ensure realisation of sustainable livelihoods for the majority.


• 3. Better aid builds on local culture and knowledge:– Knowledge held by communities is based on

generations of people interacting with their unique surroundings.

– Better aid should build on the wealth of local culture and knowledge held by communities, supporting processes that facilitate appropriate technological solutions


4. Better aid promotes diversity: – Aid should promote diversities – human, cultural, biological,

environmental, and production methods5. Better aid supports a culture of participation: - Better aid generates inclusive dialogue and engagement among different development actors. It encourages democratic consultations and meaningful dialogue among agricultural, pastoralism, fisheries, forestry and rural development agents- Must be based on ongoing community participation.- Aid should contribute towards reducing existing inequalities.


6. Better aid recognizes gender as key:– Women play a major role in agricultural

production and in local food security.

– Better Aid facilitates the empowerment of women, recognizing the fundamental importance they hold in providing food for their families and for the community


7. Better aid promotes sustainability:- Creates sustainable Livelihoods capable of coping with and recover from stresses and shocks that threaten food security without undermining their natural resource base. - Building local capital, social systems, financial capital and the natural resources on which they depend is critical. - Better aid should be guided by a clear development paradigm supportive of the principles of social, economic and environmental sustainability and intergenerational equity


• 8. Better aid promotes coherence and linkages:– Efforts should foster linkages between the local,

national and global, opportunities for learning and knowledge sharing.

– Better Aid should provide platforms for the exchange of experience globally, provide nationally coherent programs for delivery of Aid, and should foster linkages among local efforts.

– It should address problematic structures and mechanisms that limit the effectiveness of aid in reaching the world’s poor and hungry.

What is needed to eradicate hunger?

• Public Pressure and Political Will– The lack of political will by the leaders in the world is

one of the main obstacles to eradicate hunger. – There is lack of economic resources because of lack of

political will. – The other main obstacle is wrong policies where the

interests of the big companies are given the priority instead of the needs of people and nature.

– To change the policies and the will of the political leaders, a strong public pressure is needed.


Recognise Food Sovereignty It is crucial that people and countries have the right to

decide their own policies to feed themselves and their population as long as this does not violate the same rights for others. Dumping of highly subsidised products from rich countries and the rules of minimum import are destroying local farming in many developing countries.

Export orientation of the agricultural production for feeding people. To recognise and implement food sovereignty is crucial to succeed in the fight against hunger and poverty


• 2 New International rules for Agriculture and trade.

• The Agreement on Agriculture in the World Trade Organization (WTO) is not in line with what is needed to eradicate hunger. On the contrary, the rules are causing more hunger.

• International trade rules should only be about the small portion of agricultural production, which is exported (about 10% of the total agricultural production in the world), and not deal with the conditions for production for domestic.

New International rules for Agriculture and trade

• The principle of food sovereignty should be the base of international trade rules for agriculture.

• Trade with agriculture products is different than any other kind of trade.

• Food is a basic need, and should be treated different than industrial goods.

• Therefore, either the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) in the WTO has to be changed fundamentally or agriculture should be taken out of WTO and dealt with within the United Nations system.


• 3. Agriculture and Rural Development should be given the highest priority in developing countries and in development assistance.

• Majority of people in developing countries and the majority of the poor and under nourished is living on the countryside and linked to agriculture.

• It is therefore, crucial that agriculture and rural development are given the highest priority both by the developing countries themselves and by the donor countries in their development assistance.

• The development aid for agriculture and rural development should increase significantly.


• 4. Cancel the Debt• The debt burden of most of the developing

countries is one major obstacle in the fight against hunger and poverty.

• A lot of these debts should be recognised as illegal because it is caused by the decision made by dictators and corrupt regimes and the money is never used for the benefit of the people.

• Most of the debt is also paid back many times by the payments of interests at high rates


• 5 National and International Regulation of Production and Prices.

• Over-production on certain agricultural products and low prices are causing major problems. If the prices of tropical products had had the same increase since 1980 as industrial goods, developing countries would have had an extra income of USD 250 billion per year that is five times the total development assistance from OECD countries.

• Agreements on production volumes and prices, which guarantee farmers in developing countries a proper income is an important tool in the fight against, hunger.


7 Agrarian reform and access to resources for farmers

• Millions of farmers in developing countries are landless or have very little land while there are some big landowners.

• Redistribution of land to landless farmers and smallholders is one of the most important reforms to eradicate hunger in many parts of the world.

• It is also of crucial and importance that farmers have access as water, seeds and credits.


• 8 Protect the Biodiversity and local Knowledge• A rich biodiversity in agriculture is important for the food

security both today and for the future. • Local knowledge about the plants and natural conditions is

also very important for the food security. • Protection of the biodiversity, respect for and building on

traditional knowledge, and to combine the traditional knowledge with new scientific knowledge, should be seen as integrated part of programmes to eradicate hunger.

• The use of GMOs should be banned since it is a big threat for the biological diversity unless and until effects are well understood


9. Diversified development of rural areas• With Agriculture as the base, there is necessity

to develop diversified production and service sectors in rural areas.

• Strengthening the infrastructure is also of crucial importance.


• 10. Power to the Poor and to the Women• To eradicate hunger political power for the poor

and for poor women especially is of crucial importance.

• Support to and strengthening the organisations of the poor, strengthen their capacity etc. has to be part of the fight against hunger.

Thank you

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