Annexes to COM(2007)440 - Advancing African Agriculture - Proposal for continental and regional level cooperation on agricultural development in Africa

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dossier COM(2007)440 - Advancing African Agriculture - Proposal for continental and regional level cooperation on agricultural development in ...
document COM(2007)440 EN
date July 24, 2007
Agreements will form the framework to improve the control, monitoring and surveillance of fish resources. Main partners will be AUC, NEPAD, RECs, specialised NGOs, and (sub-)regional land & water management, fisheries and forestry organisations, as well as European and international institutions, networks and platforms specialised in these sectors[19]. CTA will facilitate exchanges of lessons learned.

Livestock Development and Disease Control

This cooperation area will enhance the sustainability of the livestock sector and its contribution to poverty alleviation and growth, with an emphasis on strengthening animal disease control knowledge and systems. Cooperation will aim to reduce animal mortality, lower livestock production risk and improve public health prevention, as well as to improve access to regional and international markets, facilitate rational land use and reduce livestock-related environmental problems. It involves:

- cross-border cooperation on pastoralism, rangeland management, sustainable livestock production systems and livestock trade;

- analysis on the interrelationship between livestock development in Africa and climate change;

- strengthening coordinated networks of veterinary services and disease control systems, applying international standards,

- strengthening the pan-African system for coordinating regional and national health systems to tackle animal diseases; and

- research, trials and knowledge dissemination on disease prevention methods, including vaccine development.

Main partners envisaged are the specialised livestock agencies of the AUC (IBAR, PANVAC and PATTEC), ILRI and livestock agencies at (sub-)regional levels, FAO, OIE, and regional and international livestock and pastoralism organisations. Use will be made of the African Livestock (Alive) Partnership, in which the main stakeholders are involved.

Risk Management

This area of cooperation will address capacities for reducing risks related to climate change, natural disasters and price shocks, with a focus on organisational questions and financial instruments.

Cooperation at regional and continental levels will include:

- institutional and technical capacity building in disaster preparedness, prevention and responsiveness, including to short-term food shortages;

- research, dissemination of information and capacity building on reduced-risk farming methods and coping strategies;

- innovative systems for reducing the risk of crop and livestock losses due to pests and diseases;

- exchanging information on lessons learned, and capacity building in using market-based price risk management instruments, smoothing schemes and insurance mechanisms; and

- developing and applying regional and continental early warning systems and linking them to national ones.

Cooperation will include building up the capacity of key public and private organisations and improving access for African countries to international financial and insurance markets. Main partners will be AUC, RECs, and international organisations. CTA will be involved in information exchange on reduced-risk farming methods and market-based price risk management systems.

COORDINATION, MONITORING AND REVIEW

Coordination

Coordination on EU-Africa agricultural development cooperation will have three interlinked dimensions: (i) with African institutions; (ii) with other donor coordination and (iii) intra-EU.

Coordination with African institutions will use the CAADP framework and will be under the leadership of continental and regional organisations, with a central role for AUC/NEPAD. The CAADP Partnership Platform is the core mechanism for coordinating involvement of all development partners at the continental level. Similar platforms are being set-up at regional levels. At national level, the CAADP Country Round Table process provides a comparative platform. In thematic terms, coordination will increasingly be arranged around the CAADP ‘pillars’.

Donor coordination and harmonisation and alignment around CAADP will be enhanced by the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD), of which the EC and various Member States are members. The GDPRD will act as donor focal point on CAADP, and will assist in organising the CAADP Partnership Platform meetings.

Coordination within the EU will be reinforced through a proposed EU working group[20] on African agriculture, technically supported by CTA. The working group will strengthen synergies in and improve the quality and visibility of EU financing for African agricultural development[21].

Monitoring and review

Progress in implementing CAADP and in cooperation on agricultural development will be monitored predominantly at the CAADP Partnership Platform and the Africa Partnership Forum (APF). Both will use a similar set of indicators that are being reported upon by AUC and NEPAD. In addition, mechanisms are being developed for more detailed progress monitoring within the CAADP pillars.

The GDPRD will assist in the monitoring process, with specific reference to donor funded projects and programmes, to harmonisation and alignment, and to consistency within the CAADP programme.

The relevance of the policy orientations and strategic directions of EU-Africa cooperation in agricultural development will be subject to the same review process as the overall EU-AU cooperation agenda, as currently covered by the EU Strategy for Africa.

Conclusion

Broad-based agricultural growth in Africa is key in progressing towards the MDGs and in ensuring the affordability of social services in rural areas. Recognising this, seven core areas for AU-EU cooperation on agricultural development at regional and continental levels have been set out, based on Africa's agricultural agenda and primarily working through African organisations. They focus on capacity building and institutional strengthening of regional and continental organisations in order to foster improvements in agricultural policies and governance.

Cooperation will combine a competitiveness orientation, focused on productivity and growth, with broad-based development, focusing on poverty alleviation and social cohesion. For both aspects, regional markets for agricultural products will need development, underlining the importance of regional integration and trade facilitation. Moreover, sustainable production systems will be promoted, recognising the need to adapt to external challenges like climate change.

Cooperation will be in line with the Paris Declaration, by providing support for an African agenda and by using harmonised mechanisms for dialogue and review.

Annex 1 - Acronyms

ACP : Africa, Caribbean, Pacific

AGRI : Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (EC)

APF : Africa Partnership Forum

ARD : Agricultural Research for Development

AU : African Union

AUC : African Union Commission

ASARECA : Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa

CAADP : Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme

CGIAR : Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

CILSS : Comité Permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel

COMESA : Common Market for East and Southern Africa

CORAF/WECARD : Conseil ouest et centre africain pour la Recherche et le développement Agricole/West and central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development

CTA : Centre Technique de Coopération Agricole et Rural/Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation

DG : Directorate-General

DRC : Democratic Republic Congo

EC : European Commission

ECART : European Consortium for Agricultural Research for the Tropics

ECCAS : Economic Community of Central African States

ECOWAS : Economic Community of West-African States

EDF : European Development Fund

EIARD : European Initiative for Agricultural Research for Development

ENPI : European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument

ENV : Directorate-General Environment (EC)

EU : European Union

FAAP : Framework for African Agricultural Productivity

FAO : Food and Agriculture Organisation

FARA : Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa

FISH : Directorate General Fisheries and Maritime Affairs (EC)

FLEGT : Forestry Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade

FP : Framework Programme (Research)

FSTP : Food Security Thematic Programme

GDP : Gross Domestic Product

GDPRD : Global Donor Platform for Rural Development

GFAR : Global Forum on Agricultural Research

IAPSC : Inter-African Phytosanitary Council

IBAR : Inter-Africa Bureau for Animal Resources

IFAD : International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFAP : International Federation of Agricultural Producers

IFPRI : International Food Policy Research Institute

IGAD : Inter-Governmental Agency for Development (Horn of Africa)

ILRI : International Livestock Research Institute

JRC : Joint Research Centre (EU)

MDG : Millennium Development Goal

NARS : National Agricultural Research Systems

NATURA : Network of European Agricultural (tropically and sub-tropically oriented) Universities Related with Agricultural Development

NEPAD : New Partnership for Africa’s Development

NGO : Non-Governmental Organisation

OIE : Organisation Internationale de la Santé Animale/World Organisation for Animal Health

PAEPARD : Pan-African-European Partnership on Agricultural Research for Development

PANVAC : Pan-African Veterinary Vaccine Centre

PATTEC : Pan-African Tsetse and Tryponosomiasis Eradication Campaign

REC : Regional Economic Community

REGIO : Directorate General Regional Policy (EC)

RFO : Regional Farming Organisations

RIP : Regional Indicative Programme

RTA : Regional Trade Agreement

RTD : Directorate General Research (EC)

SADC : Southern African Development Community

SADC-FANR : SADC’s Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Directorate

SANCO : Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (EC)

SPS : Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary measures

SRO : Sub-regional Research Organisation

SSA : Sub-Sahara Africa

SWP : Staff Working Paper

TP : Thematic Programme

UN : United Nations

WFP : World Food Programme

WTO : World Trade Organisation

[1] (2006/C46/01)

[2]. COM(2005) 489.

[3] Covering crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry.

[4] Women produce about 80% of all food in Africa.

[5] Like livestock disease control, research and SPS

[6] Including the advent of peace in some countries.

[7] See the accompanying Staff Working Paper for an elaborate presentation of the six areas.

[8] Markets for biofuels, but also for fair-trade and organic products, are expanding.

[9] In the 'Maputo Declaration' of July 2003, which committed countries to allocate at least 10% of national budgets to agriculture and rural development by 2008/09.

[10] Summit on Food Security in Africa, Abuja, Dec. 2006. At the summit a number of strategic commodities were identified for which intra-African trade and marketing would be enhanced.

[11] The Centre for the Development of Agriculture, a joint EU-ACP centre set up under the Cotonou Agreement.

[12] DG AGRI may assist in exchange of best practice, provide links with farming organisations and information about standards and research.

[13] Including farmer-to-farmer exchanges.

[14] Through both scientific (e.g. INCO, RFP) and development policy instruments.

[15] Developed by EIARD.

[16] ECART-EEIG and NATURA

[17] Building on the FLEGT initiative for forestry resources.

[18] e.g. TerrAfrica

[19] Including the JRC ACP Observatory for Sustainable Development.

[20] The working group is proposed to report to CODEV

[21] No new financing facility is envisaged.