Le Centre de coordination de la recherche et du développement agricoles de l’Afrique australe (CCARDESA) a, grâce au soutien financier du Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), fait don de matériel de visioconférence dernier cri, flambant neuf, au Royaume du Lesotho.
Dr Lefulesele Lebesa, Directeur du Département de la recherche agricole a, au nom du ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Sécurité alimentaire (DAR), reçu ces dons dont du matériel de visioconférence Max Hub 3 (écran 65 pouces) et cinq tablettes Samsung Galaxy. Les tablettes ont été remises aux agents de vulgarisation en présence des Directeurs de la recherche et de la vulgarisation.
Durant la cérémonie de remise, Dr Lebesa a remercié le CCARDESA pour les précieux cadeaux et indiqué que les tablettes avaient pour but d’aider le ministère à rassembler des informations sur la recherche et la vulgarisation et autres domaines connexes dans les divers districts du Lesotho. Ces informations seront partagées avec le reste de la région SADC à travers les sites Web du DAR et du CCARDESA.
Le Directeur a demandé aux agents de vulgarisation d’utiliser et de prendre soin des tablettes pour servir les intérêts du ministère. Il les a également mis en garde contre « l’appropriation » de ces tablettes car on s’attend à ce qu’ils les rendent en cas de transfert et/ou de démission de la fonction publique.
Dr Lebesa a exprimé sa gratitude et félicité le CCARDESA et le Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) d’avoir reconnu les difficultés engendrées par la pandémie de COVID 19 en matière de communication directe avec les principales parties prenantes du monde entier d’où la décision de donner gracieusement le matériel de visioconférence Max Hub au Royaume montagneux pour lui permettre de continuer à mobiliser ses parties prenantes même pendant le confinement.
Le matériel de visioconférence Max Hub est installé dans la salle de conférence de la station de recherche principale à Maseru au Lesotho.
L’auteure est Spécialiste principale de la recherche au ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Sécurité alimentaire. Elle est également Point focal de l’ICKM du CCARDESA au Lesotho.
Nigeria is full of stories that generate excuses not to develop our potential into wealth. I remember the wheat story in Nigeria dating back to the Second Republic (1979 -1983) when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the president of Nigeria. The country started wheat production on the same land currently being used for off-season vegetables; this effort grew until millers refused to buy locally grown wheat and insisted on importing it because of the price and quality.
The day’s government then abruptly opened the gate for importation and drenched the Nigerian wheat farmers into poverty, spending a considerable percentage of our GDP on wheat importation.
Fast-forward the story to the era of Dr. Akin Adesina, Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria (2011–2015), when the Africa Development Bank-backed the Support to Agricultural Research Development for the strategic crop (SARD-SC), with wheat as one of the crops supported for Nigeria. The minister gave his good backing to the project and supported the production of seeds of improved wheat varieties. Kudos to the great scientists from ICARDA and their unwavering support of the Lake Chad Research Institute to test many varieties with the potential for higher yields.
I recall my participation and the support of my organization, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), to provide training on establishing an agricultural innovation platform for wheat in several countries, including Nigeria. The efforts grew with success but hit a snag when the millers came up again with the same reason given in 1983 not to stop the importation of wheat to the country. At that time, Nigeria spent about four billion US dollars importing wheat annually, which translates to two billion Naira per day based on the exchange rate of N360 to $1. Popular data indicates the cost of importing wheat in 2021 amounted to N1.29 trillion.All research efforts and evidence were suppressed, possibly due to issues of trade balance with countries buying our oil and selling wheat to us. Nigeria lost the opportunity to push through its wheat revolution and opted for the importation of poverty for the farmers; we position ourselves as vulnerable people to food shocks around the globe. The vigor around the wheat revolution in Nigeria has since reduced, although the AfDB came around again through the support of the wheat compact in its TAAT project in Nigeria. `
Now that wheat has become the golden food of our time due to the Russia and Ukraine wars, it presents a much-needed opportunity for Nigeria to optimize its wheat game and increase local production to reduce the import bill. The logic is clear; the exporting countries may stop selling wheat to African countries due to a shortage in supply already. The price of wheat has gone up to $430 per ton and will most likely increase due to the associated increase in fertilizer costs. It is glaringly obvious that the domestic price of wheat-based foods will hit an all-time high in Nigeria.
Bread is everyone’s food in Nigeria; if this becomes unaffordable, the pressure will divert to other commodities, and its effect on food inflation will be very harmful. The excuse of the millers about the wheat produced in Nigeria has been debunked by research, save for the need to establish the aggregators and possibly provide destoning facilities, to produce clean grains for flour production.
A functional system needs to create a shock-absorbing facility for its food and nutritional security; it should have a stability mechanism, to prevent its food system from falling due to every external issue. The resolve of the current government to eradicate the importation of wheat by 2023, as a legacy of the Buhari government is laudable; it does not only bring smiles to our faces but gives a note of hope for Nigeria’s food and nutritional security.
This represents an unprecedented political will and must be followed by concrete action.
The Nigerian government must rise to the occasion and invest heavily in our wheat production. Stakeholder consultation will be the first step toward a long-term change, followed by sound investments, starting from the current production domain and spreading gradually to other regions, where wheat can be grown profitably.
It is known that the government system is never quick due to lengthy processes, red-tapes, and bureaucracy; nonetheless, government support is essential to have successful interventions. To catch the moment and establish a pathway for gains, the farmers’ association, especially the wheat growers’ group, needs to wake up the sleeping wheat innovation platforms for action, to deliver the Nigeria wheat revolution.
About the Writer
[1] Wole Fatunbi (PhD) is a front-line farming systems agronomist. He currently works as the Senior Technical Cluster Leader and the Innovation systems specialist with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Accra, Ghana.
L’équipe de coordination technique du Programme relatif à la création de Parcs agricoles africains communs (ECT du PAAC) a organisé, du 25 au 29 avril 2022, son atelier de planification 2022 à Nairobi au Kenya. L’atelier a réuni des membres de l’ECT du PAAC venus de la Commission de l’Union africaine, de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECA), du Forum pour la recherche agricole en Afrique (FARA), de la Commission économique des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique (UNECA), de l’Organisation panafricaine des agriculteurs (PAFO) et de la Chambre faîtière panafricaine d’agribusiness (PAAAC). L’atelier visait à évaluer les progrès accomplis dans l’application des décisions du comité technique spécialisé et du comité directeur du PAAC, à affiner la feuille de route pour la coordination des PAAC, à examiner les nouveaux enjeux et à déterminer les produits livrables pour 2022 et le plan de mobilisation de ressources.
Dr Janet Edeme, Présidente de l’ECT du PAAC et Chef de la division du développement rural à la Commission de l’Union africaine a ouvert l’atelier. Elle a souhaité la bienvenue aux participants puis donné des renseignements sommaires sur le Programme relatif à la création de Parcs agricoles africains communs (PAAC). Selon elle, « le programme PAAC est l’une des mesures concrètes du Programme détaillé pour le développement de l’agriculture africaine (PDDAA) qui doivent être mises en œuvre dans le cadre de l’Agenda 2063 de l’Union africaine en vue de la réalisation des engagements de la Déclaration de Malabo sur le PDDAA et des objectifs de la ZLECA, notamment celui consistant à tripler la valeur du commerce intra-africain de produits et des services agricoles ».
L’atelier a principalement porté sur la préparation de la troisième réunion du comité directeur du PAAC et de la réunion de mobilisation des dirigeants entre la Commission de l’Union africaine et l’ONUDI sur les PAAC. Par ailleurs, la feuille de route du comité de coordination technique du PAAC et le plan de mobilisation des dirigeants ont été révisés. Les discussions ont également porté sur les activités de mobilisation de ressources et la création d’un groupe de travail chargé d’élaborer les critères auxquels les États membres doivent se référer pour accueillir un projet de démonstration pilote.
Les principaux résultats de la réunion seront présentés lors de la troisième réunion du comité directeur du PAAC qui sera présidée par S.E. l’Ambassadrice Josefa Sacko, Commissaire à l’agriculture, au développement rural, à l’économie bleue et à l’environnement durable de la Commission de l’Union africaine. Le Commissaire au développement économique, au commerce, à l’industrie et aux mines (ETIM), le Secrétaire général de la ZLECA, le Directeur exécutif du FARA et le Président d’Afreximbank sont également membres du comité directeur du PAAC. La troisième réunion du comité directeur du PAAC est fixée à la mi-juin au Caire, en Egypte.
Pour de plus amples renseignements, prière de prendre contact avec :
Dr Janet Edeme, Chef de la Division du développement rural, Département de l’agriculture, du développement rural, de l’économie bleue et de l’environnement durable, Commission de l’Union africaine – E-mail : [email protected] Addis Abeba, Ethiopie
Mukulia Kennedy Ayason, Spécialiste des politiques, Division du développement rural, Département de l’agriculture, du développement rural, de l’économie bleue et de l’environnement durable, Commission de l’Union africaine – E-mail : [email protected] Addis Abeba, Ethiopie
Personne-ressource pour les médias : –
Mme Peace Lydia Mutuwa, Département de l’agriculture, du développement rural, de l’économie bleue et du développement durable, Commission de l’Union africaine ; E-mail : [email protected] Addis Abeba, Ethiopie
Molalet Tsedeke, Direction de l’information et de la communication ; Commission de l’Union africaine ; E-mail : [email protected]Addis Abeba, Ethiopie
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The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA) has through the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), donated brand new state of the art virtual conferencing facilities to the Kingdom of Lesotho.
On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Director of the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Dr. Lefulesele Lebesa received these gifts which included a Max Hub 3, 65 inches conferencing equipment and 5 Samsung Galaxy Tablets. The tablets were handed over to extension personnel in the presence of both Directors of Research and Extension.
During the hand over, Dr. Lebesa thanked CCARDESA for the valuable gifts and indicated that the purpose of the tablets is to assist the Ministry in collection of agricultural information on research and extension and other related fields in the various Districts of Lesotho. This information will be shared with the rest of the SADC region through both DAR and CCARDESA websites.
The Director pleaded with the extension personnel to use and protect these tablets for the benefit of the Ministry and cautioned them against “owning” these tablets as they are expected to return them in cases of transfers and or resignation from the Civil Service.
Dr Lebesa expressed gratitude and applauded CCARDESA and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) for recognising the challenges that were brought by COVID 19 in terms of face-to face communication with key stakeholders globally hence the decision to graciously donate the Max Hub conferencing equipment the Mountain Kingdom to enable her to continue engaging with its stakeholders even when the world was in lockdown.
The Max Hub conferencing equipment has been mounted in the conference room at the main research station in Maseru, Lesotho.
The author is the Chief Research Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and also a CCARDESA ICKM Focal Point person for Lesotho.
The climate smart agriculture project in Zambia has begun to bear fruit with close to 5000 farmers in Mufumbwe district benefiting from tomatoes, green vegetables, egg plants, ginger, garlic, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and bananas produced under the project.
The project in Zambia is being run by Save the Environment and People Agency (SEPA), a non-profit making organisation which strives to improve the standard of living of rural communities and the poor in the country.
The project is also receiving extension services from the Agriculture Ministry, and beneficiaries have been trained in partnership with the ministry. Project manager Mailes Zulu said 200 farmers undertaking the project, spread over 14 hectares, have improved their livelihoods after selling the produce to the local communities. The farmers are using the produce to feed their families and selling the surplus to the communities surrounding them.
She said SEPA was a small group of people which had brought agricultural benefits to Mufumbwe district. Zulu added the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) were also supporting the project.
“When we ask for money, this is where we take the SADC money,” she said, pointing at the flourishing crop of groundnuts and pumpkin leaves.
Project’s success
The project has been a success, and has received recognition from the Government of Zambia., with Mufumbwe district administrative officer, Mr. Agrippa Chambala, recently writing to Ms. Zulu expressing appreciation of the project by the government.
“As district Administrator, we commend you for these great works that are contributing to improved livelihoods of your members as well as the general public,” said Agrippa Chambala, Mufumbwe district administrator said in a letter addressed Zulu.
“As you may be aware, the new dawn government is creating an enabling environment for business and encouraging individuals and organisations to be productive. Hence, we are urging you to continue with your good works and be an example to others. I wish you the best in your business ventures.”
The Mufumbwe project is managed by SEPA under close supervision by CCARDESA, with funding from the European Union (EU) under the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) programme, in collaboration with the SADC secretariat to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and climate change on food and nutrition security.
A borehole and a drip irrigation system were drilled and installed to provide water for the vegetables and fruit trees planted by the beneficiaries. The project is one of the four Climate Smart Technologies projects launched in neighbouring Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe by CCARDESA in November and December 2020, with support from the EU.
The projects are an extension of the GCCA+ programme which seeks to strengthen the capacity of SADC member states to undertake regional and national adaptation and mitigation actions in response to the challenges caused by the effects of climate change.
