8 TH REGIONAL CONSULTATION MEETING

1. 8TH REGIONALCONSULTATION MEETING IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF 7TH RCM AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (AFSRD) CLUSTER Presented by Weldeghaber Kidane FAO, Senior Agricultural Policy Officer Addis Ababa, 5 November 2007

2. GENERAL • Cluster held only one meeting • Did not have a formal work plan • Did not develop a monitoring and evaluation system • But two or more AFSRD cluster members collaborated in supporting the AU/NEPAD AFSRD agenda • AFSRD input appreciated by partners

3. FRAMEWORK FOR COLLABORATION • CAADP-SIRTE • OTHER - CONTINENTAL, REGIONAL AND SUB-REGIONAL AGR DEVPT, FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

4. HIGHLIGHTS OF • INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION IN SUPPORT OF AU/NEPAD/RECS AGR, FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

5. FAO/AU TECHNICAL AND MINISTERIAL MEETING • Held in Libreville, Gabon, 27 November – 1 December 2007 • To advance CAADP implementation focusing on water control and infrastructure development, and intra-African trade • FAO, AfDB, WB, WFP and ICRISAT collaborated • 160 participants from 25 African countries

6. SPECIAL SUMMIT ON FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA • Held in Abuja, Nigeria, 4-7 December 2006 • discussed progress in the implementation of past AU Summit Decisions related to food security and agriculture development • AU and Host Govt supported by An International Technical Committee (ITC) that included FAO, IFAD, AfDB, WFP and UN-ECA, with FAO as its chair; • Four Thematic areas (Intra-African Trade, Resource Mobilization, Nutrition and Trasfer of successful experiences. • UN agencies members of Ad-hoc Follow-Up Committee assisting the AU in follow up. • Committee met in May 2007, in Addis Ababa, and agreed on strategies and activity plan to implement the Summit decisions.

7. HOME GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (HGSFP • An initiative under Pillar 3 of the CAADP supported by WFP and other partners • Seeks to benefit local communities by linking school feeding to agricultural development and enhancing market access  buying locally produced food • Initiative in line with collaboration agreement of Rome-based Agencies • Supports the Abuja Food Security Summit declaration of expanding HGSFP to reach 20% of African countries by 2008 and 25% of the needy children by 2015.

8. Sahel Agricultural and Rural Development Initiative (SARDI) • A joint IFAD/FAO and WFP initiative with CILSS • Launched to avoid the recurrence of draught induced food insecurity • Aims at addressing the structural problems in agricultural development and food security in the region • A joint FAO, IFAD and WFP initiative with two-pronged approach: • (a)  a short-term response focused on recovery from the food crisis; and (b) a medium-term programme aimed at reducing rural poverty and household food insecurity through, inter alia, increased agricultural productivity. • Workshop held in Ouagadougou in March 2007, involving major Organizations in the region: UEMOA, ECOWAS, CILSS, - farmers’ organizations, government representatives, etc. • Discussed a Concept Note and approved the initiative • Followed by a technical meeting in June 2007, involving WFP, IFAD, FAO and a representative of the Government of France, to discuss and agree on a proposal for a multi-donor and multi-agency fund

9. Supporting CAADP as members of CAADP Partnership Platform • FAO, WFP, ECA, AfDB, WB are active members of the CAADP PP • Attended the CAADP PP meeting on 27 and 28 September 2007 in Addis Ababa • Meeting assessed progress made in the CAADP and agreed on steps to accelerate implementxn • Noted Reanda CAAPD Compact signed and three others - Malawi, Uganda, Zambia – to be signed before the end of 2007, • Called upon Members States to honour their commitments including the Maputo 10%

10. CAADP PILLAR 3 REFERENCE GROUP • WFP, FAO and other AFSRD partners are members of the CAADP Pillar 3 Framework Reference Group • Attended the Reference Group meeting in May 2007 in South Africa NEPAD to brainstorm on the draft Framework for African Food Security (FAFS)

11. CLIMATE INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA • Initiative focuses on integrating climate information into development planning in Africa and mainstreaming climate in achieving the MDGs • A Steering Committee Under the leadership of the joint Secretariat of AUC-UNECA-AfDB established involving WFP, UNDP, WMO, among others • An Action Plan and Implementation Strategy prepared during stakeholders’ meeting in April 2006 was approved at a Steering Committee meeting in January 2007 • Plan endorsed at the AU Summit in January 2007

12. REGIONAL FOOD INSECURITY - HORN OF AFRICA • FAO and WFP worked together on a regional food security initiative in the Horn of Africa • Initiative responding to chronic food insecurity in the region • Identified policy and investment options • Process culminated in a high-level multi-country consultation in Nairobi in June 2007 involving Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda, as well as the AU Commission (AUC), COMESA and IGAD • Uganda to host a follow-up meeting in 2008. • Strong country ownership of the process evident

13. NATIONAL VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS COMMITTEES (VACs) • WFP and FAO have been providing technical support VACs in SADC countries since 2004, • Support has been critical to the development and strengthening of the analytical capacities in member states.

14. AFRICA FERTILIZER INITIATIVE • FAO and AfDB assisted in the preparation and convening of the AU/NEPAD Fertilizer Summit in 2006 • Instigated by agenda items of two preceding FAO Regional Conferences for Africa  need for an African Green Revolution • Attended by some Heads of State and Government and 15 Ministers for Agriculture, and agreed on a twelve-point resolution to increasing fertilizer use in Africa • An Africa Fertilizer Action Plan adopted that included establishment of subregional fertilizer strategic stocks • Fertilizer Fund established with contribution of member countries (Nigeria) to be administered by AfDB. • FAO assisted AfDB define guiding principles for operation and management of the Fund

15. AFRICA LAND POLICY AND LAND REFORM • AUC, AfDB and ECA established a Joint Secretariat to develop an Africa Land Policy and Land Reform Framework and Guidelines • Aim, secure land rights, increase productivity, improve livelihoods, enhance natural resource management, and contribute to broad-based economic growth • FAO provides technical input and attended the high-level Consultative Workshop (Addis Ababa, March 2006) • Made available to the Secretariat information generated from national reports prepared in connection with the holding of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD) in Brazil • FAO funding to support the process in being considered under a TCP project • The proposed Regional TCP would link the policy development process of the Africa "Land Policy Initiative" consortium to the follow up activities of ICARRD

16. MANAGING CLIMATE FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT • FAO, UNECA, WFP and WMO assisting AU and the NEPAD Secretariat to develop an Action Plan to address the impact of climate change in Africa • Action Plan will be based on the report prepared by the AU with the title of “Managing Climate Change in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities”. • Aim is ensuring that African Governments, Regional Economic Communities, the AU Commission and the NEPAD Secretariat integrate and implement climate change adaptation and mitigation measures into their agricultural development activities and programmes.

17. GREEN WALL FOR THE SAHARA INITIATIVE • FAO, WFP and UNECA participated in the launching of the Initiative by President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, in Dec. 2006 • Attended a workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17 - 21 September 2007 to develop an programme of action • Supporting the AUC in facilitating implementation of the Initiative by African Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) concerned: CEN-SAD, ECOWAS (CILSS