Transcript Anselmev - Svenska Kyrkan

AGRICULTURE AT CROSSROADS –Global challenges to food security
under increasing environmental stresses:
Agro-ecology as a response .
Stockholm, Sweden, 8 Sept, 2011
Dr. Sarah A. H Olembo, Technical expert and
advisor-SPS and Food safety ,
RURAL ECONOMY and AGRICULTURE,
AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
Overview of my Presentation
1.
2.
3.
Introduction-AU-DREA ‘s Comprehensive African Agricultural
Development Program (CAADP)
Some reflections on different strategies on food security for
small scale farming systems in Africa ie agro-ecology and its
rationale for food security in the wake of Global climate
change.
Conclusions
1.AU-DREA ‘s CAADP- The place of agroecology.
1)
AUC-DREA’s Mission is: “To work with
Member States, RECs, African Institutions,
Civil Society and development partners to
strengthen the agricultural sector, rural
economies and the environment in order to
improve the livelihoods of the African people
and ensure food security”
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2). AUC-DREA’s Vision is: “A transformed
African agriculture that provides the basis for
continental sustainable growth and
prosperity, food security and poverty
reduction, reinforced by prudent
management of the environment and natural
resources including proactive responses to
climate change
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4). CAADP has 4 pillars and responsibilities in:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Extending the area under sustainable land
management and reliable water control
systems;
Improving rural infrastructure and traderelated capacities for market access;
Increasing food supply, reducing hunger,
Agricultural
research,
technology
dissemination and adoption
CAADP’s Pillar 3, for example, recognizes the
need to direct agricultural development
towards the most vulnerable populations for
them to benefit from economic growth.
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2.Some reflections on different strategies
for agriculture and food security in
Africa in the context of climate change,
The challenges:
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THE CHALLENGES
1). In most developing countries, agriculture
accounts for between 20-60 %GDP, and
employs up to 65% of the labour force,
providing a livelihood for approximately 2.6
billion people globally. Despite increased world
food production in the last decades, the global
effort to meet the MDG of reducing hunger by
half by 2015 now appears beyond reach. In
fact the number of people suffering from
chronic hunger has increased from 800 million
in 1996 to over a million recently.
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CHALLENGES contd
2.Global warming poses significant threats to
agricultural production and trade, and
consequently increases the risks of malnutrition
and extreme hunger , Preliminary projections to
2080 suggest a decline of some 15-20% of
agricultural productivity in most climate
change-exposed developing country regions :
sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. For some
countries in these regions. a total agricultural
production could decline by 50%
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2). Challenges contd

Africa’s agriculture and especially the rural
economies majority of who are the small scale
farmers, face the multiple challenges of
achieving food security, mitigating and adapting
to climate change, as well as developing the
institutional and policy challenges associated
with these.
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The Thika concept and initiative (May 2011) on
agro ecology therefore proposes to contribute
to addressing the above challenges and

To scale up ecologically sound strategies and
practices among diversified stakeholders through
institutional capacity development, scientific
innovations, market participation, public policies and
programs, outreach and communication, efficient,
coordination, networking and partnerships in response
to the African Heads of States’ decision, as a value
addition to CAADP.
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Conclusions
1)
2)
There is an URGENT need to increase financial support to programs that
improve the livelihoods especially of millions of small-holder farmers in
Africa, the majority of whom depend only on agro-ecological systems as
the only means for household food security, and as the only means out of
poverty.
International development cooperation needs to re-focus on agriculture
whose share as a portion of ODA flows declined sharply from a high of
18% in 1979 to 3-4 % recent years. Much of this fund should go to
improvements in agro-ecology, agricultural extension and advisory
services to support national, regional and global policy and development
agenda, and particularly to support small-holder producers, including
resource poor farmers and women, to assist their capacities for building
self-reliance for agro ecology in Africa.
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
Conclusions contd
3) Agriculture through agro-ecology has the potential of
becoming part of the solution to reinstate stable
parts of the environment that have long been
associated with security, warmth, food; and for
providing life in its fullest
colours during the
evolution of the species.
4) To reinstate degraded lands and landscapes, and
contribute to mitigating and adapting to climate
change, to ensure the survival of the marginalised
small scale farmers in Africa;-who form the majority
of farmers and of whom 80% are women; and to
achieve the MDG1 of ensuring food security for all, is
to enlist agro- ecology and to include it in all
discussions on food security in Africa.
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