INVESTMENTS NEEDED TO SCALEUP AGRO-ECOLOGY
PRESENTED AT RIO+20
Wilfred Miga
PELUM ASSOCIATION
REGIONAL SECRETARIAT
15th June 2012
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
•Introduction
•Current trends
•Required investments
•Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
• Agro ecology is a form of agriculture that
integrate natural, regenerative processes;
minimize non renewable inputs; involves locally
adapted practices and encourages biodiversity.
• Agroecology has strong historical roots in
traditional farming systems globally
• Small scale farmers in Africa have used this
system for both subsistence and income
generation
• It is deeply rooted in their traditional and cultural
agriculture practices because of its low cost input
requirements.
CURRENT TRENDS
• Agriculture sector provides employment to about
70% of the population and contributes around 30%
of GDP in almost all the countries in SSA.
• Women are 80% of the population employed in the
agricultural sector.
• Currently, most governments in Sub Sahara Africa
spend less than 10% of their national budgets on the
agriculture sector despite the AU Maputo declaration
commitment.
• Of the budget allocated to agriculture about 60% is
spent on subsidizing external farm inputs specifically
on seed and chemical fertilizers.
REQUIRED INVESTMENTS
• Water management systems like provision of
Irrigation facilities to complement the high
dependence on rain fed agriculture and
appropriate drainage in highly flooded areas
• Infrastructure development like improved rural
road network, transport and communication, post
harvest handling and storage facilities, accessible
and convenient market premises and value
addition processing plants.
• Improve extension service delivery to build
farmers capacity in agroecology farming practices.
REQUIRED INVESTMENTS cont.
• Community based seed production to grantee seed
sovereignty and consequent food security.
• Effective markets access by strengthening farmers
marketing skills and supportive policy frameworks.
• Participatory agriculture research that taps into
farmer innovations and indigenous knowledge. This
will provide the scientific evidence and increase
farmers appreciation and demand for agroecology.
• Policy formulation and implementation should be
participative and open to all stakeholders. CSOs and
farmers should be facilitated to advocate for
agroecology supportive policies and engage policy
makers appropriately and skillfully.
CONCLUSION
• There have been huge calls for increased private
sector investments in the agriculture sector led
by the G8 and G20 that promote MTNCs. This
approach of foreign direct investments is a threat
to agroecology and the livelihoods of small-scale
farmers that are being displaced from the
markets and the land.
• More investments are needed to support
agroecology practices to increase production,
develop appropriate value chains and market
access that will result into improved livelihoods.
THANKS FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION