KIKWETE TAKES DONOR MONEY FOR KILIMO KWANZA BUT DOES NOTHING TO PROTECT SILVERDALE FARM

Major boost for `Kilimo Kwanza`
By The guardian reporter


Eight local and foreign companies have formed an alliance committed to support the government’s agriculture first initiative targeting at developing an investment blueprint for agriculture, focusing on the southern agricultural corridor.

This was revealed in Dar es Salaam during the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) by the President and Chief Executive Officer, Yara International based in Norway, Joergen Ole Haslestad.

He said that at the invitation of the government the companies will join a working group of global and local business community, government, farmers, NGOs, donor agencies and other key stakeholders.

Haslestad said that among other things the group will investigate opportunities for public-private partnerships.

He mentioned the companies as Unilever, Yara, Syngenta, DuPont, Land 'O Lakes, Monsanto, SAB Miller and General Mills.

Concluding the WEF plenary session in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, President Jakaya Kikwete said agricultural development is the most effective strategy for boosting economic growth in Africa.
Kikwete laid out a new vision for Africa’s agriculture to provide food security, promote sustainable development and generate economic growth and opportunities. “Africa’s agriculture is plagued by low productivity and food insecurity. Three-quarters of the population reside in rural areas, living from hand to mouth. We need to do things differently”, he added, emphasizing the role of science and technology.
Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia said that agricultural transformation is critical, but the challenge is to overcome policy and institutional barriers that impede agricultural productivity.

He pointed to the urgent need for agricultural policies to reach the grassroots and for successful solutions to be scaled up.

“To break the cycle of poverty and chronic under-investment, market solutions are required. Small-scale farmers, low returns lead to low levels of future investment as such crop yields remain at one-fifth of their potential”, said Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopia Commodity Exchange.

Kanayo Nwanze, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome, welcomed the focus on empowering small-scale farmers saying policy measures must take a twin track – focusing on rural development as well as agriculture, recognizing that women produce most of the farming output.
“Action is required on the ground – we must go beyond rhetoric,” Nwanze stressed.

Dyborn Charlie Chibonga, Chief Executive Officer, National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi, outlined how Malawi was able to unlock the potential of small farmers and change from a country which depended on food aid to a food exporter in five years. “The challenge is to scale this miracle across Africa,” he said.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN