2012 African Union Chairperson Thomas Yayi Boni declared that 2014 will be the Year of Agriculture in Africa. The next 12 months present a once in a decade opportunity to shape an African-led moment for agriculture development. ONE launched a major agriculture campaign for Africa in January 2014 at the African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
At the 2003 African Union Summit held in Maputo, African heads of state pledged to transform Africa’s agriculture by committing to increase budgetary allocation to agriculture to 10% of national expenditure and increase national agriculture growth rate to 6% annually. These commitments came as the result of the recognition that agriculture is a driver of economic growth and key to the revitalization of the agriculture sector. Agriculture is effective in Africa because growth in agriculture reaps benefit to 65% of smallholder farmers, who are often among the most vulnerable and food insecure people. These farmers in turn impact the rest of the continent, providing 80 percent of the food consumed.
In collaboration with ANSAF the organization which won the ONE Africa award, Clouds media Group and ONE themselves will launch the Campaign “DO AGRIC IT PAYS” in Iringa Region on 20th February 2014 which will be officiated by the Vice President Dr. Gharib Bilal. The campaign will target to create a consensus on a Tanzania context-specific year of agriculture investment and reform framework that benefits the millions of small holder farmers and small medium sized agri-businesses Identify the priority interventions required to boost small holder farmers and to develop the agriculture value chain in Tanzania’s Year of Agriculture programme of action.
In Tanzania the sector as a whole provides an opportunity for us to encourage economic growth by lifting the most people out of poverty and by strengthening agricultural enterprises among smallholder farmers. Indeed Tanzania’s smallholder farmers are its champions, providing food for over 90 percent of our population. And added benefit of agriculture is that growth in this sector has a greater positive multiplier effect than in other sectors.
The campaign, including a policy product documenting success in agriculture over the last decade; a policy manifesto delineating policy objectives for the Year of Agriculture and a gender gap in agriculture report that provides recommendations to agriculture ministers on how to empower women farmers, utilizing the best new evidence of what works.
The campaign will include both intensive insider advocacy and lobbying (particularly at the level of the African Union Commission and CAADP secretariat, as well as agriculture ministers and heads of states in our target countries, as well as public-facing, member-mobilizing and media-intensive actions, including celebrity involvement.
The campaign will also mobilize members and engage directly with policymakers in these target countries through policy dialogues, workshops and targeted policy materials to advance policy reforms, improve public expenditures, and mobilize stronger nation.
