T.Morrison . Rwakakamba

Manager Policy Research and Advocacy, Uganda National Farmers Federation, Plot 27, Nakasero Road, P.O.Box 6213, Kampala, Uganda, Email: rwakakamba@yahoo.co.uk, unfa@starcom.co.ug Blog:www.farmersenclave.blogspot.com

Fundamental Financing Areas Neccessary to achieve Food and Energy security in Africa:

Farmers Perspective

OUTLINE

1. Introduction

2. Situational Context

3. Financing/ Investiment areas

a) Production and Productivity

b) Access and sustainablity of Markets

c) Farmer Institutional Development

d) Fund for Farmers ecosystem and Carbonoffset servies

e) Conclusions

Introduction– The fundamental role of agriculture is to

ensure food security for consumers and secure livelihoods for producers

– Water, food and energy constitute an increasingly inter-dependant nexus in which agriculture takes a central position

– Forexample, Energy is important for Irrigation, agroprocessing, storage etc

– 90% of Agriculture in Africa is rain fed– Solutions to food, water and energy insecurity

in Africa majorly lie in strong and independent Producer Organisations

Situational Context– Africa’s population growth is at 2.4% per

annum– Sub-Saharan Africa suffers severe food

energy deficiency at 51%– Climate change: The continent is, on

average, 0.5C warmer than it was 100 years ago

– Temperatures have risen much higher in some areas - such as a part of Kenya which has become 3.5C hotter

Cont’d

• Africa is now experiencing deepenig water crisis

• Rivers,lakes and waterworks drying up

• Floods and intermittent Elininos have ravaged the continet

• As such, Droughts, Famine, Diseases and Coflicts rampant

• Increasing needs for productivity and markets continue to press emergency needs of energy security in Africa

Unprecedented Droughts and deepening water crisis

Deepening Water Crisis: River Nyamwamba in Uganda getting extinct

The case for Financing Agriculture Food and energy security in Africa depend upon investing in agriculture and allocating resources appropriately within the agricultural sector : Forexample,•Without roads and basic infrastructure; farmers cannot receive basic inputs or get their products to market. •Without secure land tenure and modern equipment for farm production and processing, yields will continue to be low and post-harvest losses high. •And without a firm national, regional and international commitment to agricultural development and a stable and conducive policy environment in which it can take place, investment will not come.

Production and Productivity

• Technology Development/Research

• Disease, Pest and Vector Control

• Water for Production

• Sustainable management of land and Water resources

• Improves access to high quality inputs

• Labour Saving Technologies including Appropriate Mechanisation

Fundamental key Financing / Investiment Areas

Sustainable Farming Paractices (Farmers adopting to Climate Change)

• Railways, and telecommunications• Increased Value-addition in Agriculture• Strengthening warehouse Receipt System• Increased capacity of farmers’ organizations to

build up skills in management, entrepreneurship, and group dynamics• Building Market information infrastructure • Community Access Roads and trunk roads

Access to and Sustainability of Markets

• Farmer institutions are important forums for mobilising farmers for delivery of services.

• They play a leading role in technology promotion, market organisation and value addition

• They must be independent • Through the PPP, consider channeling

development funds through organised farmer groups

• They play a key role in monitoring public sector programmes and ensuring accountability

Farmer Institution Development

• Farmers are custodians of our Environment • Africa must create and fund a package incentives

that encourage and enable farmers to continue providing ecosystem services

• Farmers carbon offsets must be aggregated and compasated

• Fund renewable energy initiatives in Africa• This will be realised ifonly Africa pushes for

Agriculture Chapter in the Copenhagen Climate treaty in December 2009

Fund to Reward Farmers for Ecosystem Services and Carbonoffsets

• Investiment in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation programmes

• Credit incentives e.g loan guarantees through commercial banks for farmers to access affordable credit and enhanced financial literacy for farmers

• Stamp out Corruption in Africa through strengthening the Citizen Agency (Strong and independent Farmer organisations)

• African Governments must increase % of funding for the agriculture sector in line with the Maputo committments.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Rehabilitate irrigation schemes and build new ones• Remove taxes on low cost irrigation technologies

e.g money maker irrigation pumps• Promote Rain water harvesting technologie and

drip irrigarion • Farmer/ Producer organizations must be central

actors in CAADP implementation• IFAP looks forward to working with all stakeholders

to exploit the full potential of agriculture for ensuring food and energy security in Africa

Cont’d

Thank you

Asante sana

Farming is Honorable and dignifying