Tokyo, Japan
June 1, 2009
Twelve African countries
deliver national rice development strategies with support from
the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD)
One year almost to the day after
the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), the
Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the
New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD) jointly launched a major initiative
aimed at doubling Africa’s rice production by 2018, AGRA and
JICA are entering into a long-term pact that builds on the
strengths of each organization to reach their ambitious goal.
The pact will be formalized at the second General Meeting of the
Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD), which will be
held in Tokyo on June 3-4, 2009. Mr. Kofi Annan, Chair of the
AGRA Board of Directors, will attend the signing ceremony, along
with Madam Sadako Ogata, President of JICA. Dr. Namanga Ngongi,
Agra’s President, and Mr. Kenzo Oshima, Senior Vice President of
JICA will sign the agreement on behalf of their organizations.
“In its first year, CARD has been instrumental in nurturing the
development of national strategies to increase the productivity
and production of rice,” says Dr. Ngongi. “Deepening cooperation
between AGRA and JICA is an important step toward significantly
boosting rice production by Africa’s smallholder farmers, which
will reduce costly food imports and move the continent further
toward food security.”
CARD is a consultative group of major donors, rice research
organizations and a number of other development entities, which
together are working with 21 African countries to strengthen
their ability to produce this valuable commodity. Current CARD
members include AGRA, FAO, the Forum for Agricultural Research
in Africa (FARA), the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), JICA, the Japan International Research Center for
Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), NEPAD and the Africa Rice Center
(WARDA). The main target of the CARD initiative is reflected in
the Yokohama Action Plan, which was one of the main documents
adopted at the recent TICAD IV (The Fourth Tokyo International
Conference on African Development) held in Yokohama, May 2008.
Since its inception one year ago, CARD has focused on supporting
the efforts of 12 countries to develop more effective National
Rice Development Strategies. This “first wave” of African rice
producing nations includes Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya,
Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
Tanzania and Uganda.
With the support of the CARD Secretariat, which is hosted by
AGRA, all 12 counties have produced the first versions of their
strategies. During the CARD meeting, Coalition members will
discuss how to best support the national plans while refining
them through policy dialogues. In the coming year, CARD will
work on similar strategies with the “second wave” of
rice-producing countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African
Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Liberia, Rwanda, The Gambia and Togo).
“Our partnership with AGRA moves JICA further along its critical
path of engagement in agricultural development in Africa,” says
Mr. Oshima. “We have a rich history of national, regional and
international partnerships for change, and CARD’s effectiveness
thus far bears witness to the potential of our collaboration.
Rice specialists in Japan – indeed, from all over Asia and other
parts of the world – are eager to bring their expertise to bear
on transforming Africa’s rice sector.”
Currently, the demand for rice in sub-Saharan Africa is double
the rate of population growth and, at about 5.8% per year,
consumption is growing faster than that of any other major
staple food. Across Africa, local production has been unable to
keep up with the rate of increase in demand. In the past 50
years, rice production in Africa has increased to 14.60 million
tons (from about 3.14 million tons), much of that increase based
on expanding the area devoted to the crop. During the same five
decades, Asia has increased rice production on a much grander
scale, to about 570 million tons (up from some 200 million
tons), with most of this coming from higher yields on existing
farmland.
“Rice is quickly becoming a major staple food for urban and
rural consumers alike,” says Mr. Hiroshi Hiraoka, Coordinator of
the CARD Secretariat. “African production increases, which have
been achieved mainly by expanding the area devoted to rice, are
not keeping pace with demand.”
CARD aims to improve African rice productivity by taking a
holistic approach – promoting change both on small-scale farms
(for example the increased use of modern inputs and farming
practices), as well as off farm by advocating post-harvest value
chain improvements, increasing access to markets for small
producers, and promoting enabling policies. “Our goal is to
double Africa’s rice production in 10 years,” Mr. Hiraoka says,
“To accomplish this, specialists from the rice-producing
countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world need
to work together, systematically sharing their experiences and
knowledge about how to promote rice in Africa. Making such
cooperation a reality is the purpose behind the long-term
agreement being signed by JICA and AGRA.”
The MoU between JICA and AGRA will strengthen their cooperation
to promote rice development in Africa and to increase the flow
of support to African institutions engaged in this work – all
toward the realization of achieving an African Green Revolution.
The rice production situation in Africa mirrors the general food
production challenges facing the continent – as well as the
opportunities for overcoming them. AGRA’s goal is to transform
smallholder agriculture through: development and widespread use
of modern farming technologies and methods; promotion of
appropriate policy environments; large-scale changes in soil
management; and better access to local, national and regional
markets. Achieving that transformation will require a large
number of innovative and dynamic partnerships such as that with
JICA, and increased financial support for African agriculture.
The JICA/AGRA pact is a long-term commitment and represents for
both organizations a determination to revolutionize rice
production in Africa. This is a critical step toward improving
food security and reducing poverty for millions of Africans.
About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African
continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their
families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA
programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm
productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the
environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work
across all key aspects of the African agricultural “value
chain”—from seeds, soil health, and water to markets and
agricultural education.
Kofi A. Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations,
chairs AGRA’s Board. AGRA’s President is Dr. A. Namanga Ngongi,
former Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations World
Food Programme. With initial support from the Rockefeller
Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AGRA
maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana. For more
information, go to
www.agra-alliance.org.
About Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is an
independent administrative institution under the law concerning
the Independent Administrative Institution Japan International
Cooperation Agency (Law No. 136, 2002), JICA aims to contribute
to the promotion of international cooperation as well as the
sound development of Japanese and global economy by supporting
the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of
developing regions. With over 10 billion US dollars of available
financial resources, JICA is the world’s largest bilateral
development organizations working in around 150 countries,
providing comprehensive assistance to developing countries, such
as technical cooperation, concessional loan and grant
assistance.
JICA is led by the president, Sadako Ogata, the former the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. JICA’s Senior
Vice President is Mr. Kenzo Oshima, the former Permanent
Representative of Japan to the United Nations. JICA Headquarters
are located in Tokyo, Japan and it has 17 other offices in Japan
and about 100 offices overseas. For further information, go to
www.jica.go.jp/english/.
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