Focus:
FAO Special Programme for Food Security
continued from previous page
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| FAO Photo |
Mountain ponds have been rehabilitated to increase water storage capacities. Trees have been planted on hilltops. The work on water control and
irrigation has had a particularly beneficial effect, reducing vulnerability to drought, wastage of water, waterlogging of land and soil erosion. In a recent report from SPFS staff in the area,
farmers were quoted as saying: “No more worry about drought and waterlogging after building irrigation and drainage ditches in field. Because water storage ponds are built in upland area, water
can be stored for emergency use. It is really easy to grow crops now!”
But the improvements did not stop there. Better soil conditions and water management were the foundation for improved farming practices, using
improved seed varieties and modern crop production techniques, which include raising seedlings and then transplanting them into the fields, using plastic sheet covers, fertilization with a
combination of organic manures and chemical fertilizers, and concerted prevention and control of pests and diseases. Annual per capita farmer’s income has more than doubled since improvement
work began in 1994, jumping from an average of 667 Yuan in the period 1992-1994 to 1,277 Yuan in 1997.
At the heart of the FAO South-South cooperation initiative is exchange of knowledge and experience between developing countries. In this scheme,
more advanced developing nations send experts and technicians to work directly with their counterparts and farmers in other developing countries. An example is the South-South cooperation agreement
between Egypt and the United Republic of Tanzania. Egypt’s long-standing expertise in irrigated agriculture can be particularly useful to Tanzania. Most of the land under cultivation there is
rainfed, leaving farmers at the mercy of weather patterns and conditions. The first group of twelve Egyptian experts and technicians are in Tanzania working side by side with local farmers on
irrigation, plant nutrition and soil fertility, marketing, cooperatives, rural credit and finance, seed production, agricultural engineering, and animal and crop
production.
South-South Cooperation is currently operational in 21 countries, namely: (recipient/provider) Senegal/Viet Nam,
Ethiopia/China, Eritrea/India, Niger/Morocco, Burkina Faso/Morocco, Benin/Viet Nam, Mauritania/China, Tanzania/Egypt, Gambia/Bangladesh, Djibouti/Egypt, Madagascar/Viet Nam, Bangladesh/China,
Mali/China, Malawi/Egypt, Equatorial Guinea/Cuba, Cape Verde/Cuba, Ghana/China, Cameroon/Egypt, Swaziland/Pakistan, Haiti/Cuba and Mozambique/India. Another 17 similar agreements are in different
phases of preparation. To date, some 20 advanced developing countries have expressed interest in the initiative and are willing to support one or more countries.
The programmes have succeeded, even with difficulties in communication because of different languages, since the focus is on practical and readily understood examples (as in this instance (see photo) of ensuring health and survival of infant poultry by the
correct use of vaccines).
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The key to the success of SPFS in Tanzania has been the active participation by stakeholders at every stage. Using participatory techniques such
as Participatory Rural Appraisal, various stakeholders-farmer’s groups, input suppliers, credit institutions, research and extension officers, policy makers and authorities at the regional and
district levels-were consulted first to identify and then, at a later stage, estimate aspects of Phase I applications, such as increased production, expertise and human requirements, and collection
of information. Community involvement was such that 78 participatory farmers’ groups were formed in Dodoma and Morogoro, pooling the resources of 1,116 men and women in common bank accounts and
saving and credit associations (SACAs). Backed by these savings accounts, farmers and women in particular improve their negotiating position towards input suppliers and traders in transport,
marketing and temporary credit for inputs, in procuring timely tractor hiring services and marketing produce. Rice production has increased in areas with SACAs, since the farmers have had greater
access to inputs. In Kilombero district, for instance, inputs bought by a group of women farmers raised production from 17 bags of paddy per acre to as much as 35 to 40 bags. The Government plans to
extend SPFS to all areas of the country as a national special programme. This poses a challenge, and the arrival of experts from Egypt will provide valuable support.
A number of bilateral and multilateral donors are supporting pilot phase activities in countries where SPFS is already under way, as well as the
formulation of the programme in newly participating countries. The donors include Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Libya and the United Nations Development Programme. Several
financial institutions have shown an interest in collaborating in the implementation of SPFS. The FAO Director-General signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the World Bank on 13 January 1997
and with the African Development Bank on 20 January 1997 for the promotion of rural development and food security. Both banks agreed to consider providing loan funding of up to $1.5 million for the
pilot activities of SPFS in Africa, subject to requests from the Governments concerned. Working with the Government of Burkina Faso, a joint FAO/World Bank mission has identified a project for the
promotion of private irrigation development, which builds heavily on SPFS experience in demonstrating improved irrigated crop production systems. Negotiations are under way in a number of countries
to implement these agreements. Collaboration is also expected with the Islamic Development Bank, with whom the Director-General signed an MOU on 21 June 1997. The Bank has shown interest in
supporting SPFS in its least developed member countries.
The MOUs with the three banks stipulate that the collaborative activities will be in the context of SPFS and in the fields of low-cost,
small-scale water control and improved land management, soil fertility enhancement, crop intensification, and diversification. The MOUs with the World Bank and the African Development Bank also
include collaboration on the analysis of policy constraints and capacity-building in policy analysis and programme lending. Joint work in these areas of strong mutual interest is intended to
contribute to the three banks’ future investment pipeline for agriculture and rural development, especially in the area of food security, leading to support for an expanded SPFS. Annual review
meetings will be held by the concerned parties. In addition to this, Union Economique et Monetaire Ouestafricaine, the Asian Development Bank, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for
Agricultural Development are also collaborating with FAO.
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