First Malabo Biennial Report: Good Progress but More Remains to be done.
30 January 2018
CARE International (CI), the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) and the Food, Agriculture Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) welcome the first Malabo Biennial Report on the Malabo Commitment to accelerate Agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods.
Reflecting on the launch of the report,1 Dr. Tobias Takavarasha, the Chief Executive Officer of FANRPAN said,
âThe timely release of the report is a demonstration of commitment by Member States and the African Union to increase investment in agriculture. We commend African Heads of States and Governments and the African Union Commission (AUC) on the expeditious biennial reporting process. We especially congratulate the 20 countries that have reported to be ontrack for achieving the commitments by 2025. This process will certainly prevent Governments and other non-state actors from backtracking on the Malabo commitmentsâ
When African leaders signed the Malabo Declaration in 2014, they reconfirmed that agriculture should remain high on the development agenda of the continent as a means to end hunger and halve poverty by 2025. This calls for a significant shift in the way agriculture has been handled across the continent. However, inspite of the threat of climate change, a significant number of AU member states continue to rely on rain-fed agriculture.
Millions of Africans are directly affected by the adverse effects of climate change which undermine current efforts to reduce hunger and promote nutrition. Undernutrition in turn undermines climate resilience and the coping strategies of vulnerable African communities, further exposing existing weaknesses in the continentâs food systems.
In view of this observation, the Managing Deputy Regional Director (MDRD) of CARE International for Southern Africa, Ms Michelle D Carter Managing Deputy Regional Director, said,
âThe future of agriculture depends on the management of climate change. There is need for national investments that are targeted at efforts that address the threats to food and nutrition security within the context of the changing climate. It is therefore disappointing that only one
1 https://au.int/en/newsevents/20180129/breakfast-meeting-malabo-declaration-biennial-review-and-africa-agriculture
country (Mauritius) is on track on the commitment to enhance resilience to climate variability. We are hopeful that Governments will implement recommendations to improve adoption and uptake of climate resilient agriculture by smallholder farmers especially womenâ.
Cimate change and improving food security and nutrition are interlinked issues that would benefit from being dealt with simultaneously. However, during the two years of implementing the Malabo commitments, evidence suggests that there is still a fragmented approach to addressing these issues within the Member States. African governments have foregone the benefits arising from the opportunity of exploiting the trade off effects presented by synegizing climate change and nutrition sensitive agriculture interventions.
In anticipation of the Malabo Biennial Report, CARE International, the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) and the FANRPAN have released a position paper which provides recommendations and proposes key actions required to advance progress on Climate Smart Agriculture, Nutrition and Agriculture Investment in southern Africa. The position paper calls for improved investments, multi-sectoral coordination, commitment and political will to integrate nutrition-sensitive actions into climate-resilient sustainable development efforts.
Whilst the release of the first Malabo Biennial Report is cause for celebration, more needs to be done for all countries to reach the targeted threshold of 10% of national budgets being invested into agriculture.
Ms Nomsa Daniels, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Graça Machel Trust in South Africa, commented,
âIt is disappointing to note that only ten (10) Member States have met the CAADP commitment of allocating 10% of annual public expedinture to agriculture during the review period. Governments should adopt a step-wise approach towards realizing the 10% national budget target in the shortest time possible, and investments in agriculture should be sustainable, nutrition sensitive, climate resilient and equitable. Ultimately, these investments should safeguard the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers, especially women farmers who are most affectedâ.
To request a copy of the Position Paper: Informed Growth: Advancing Progress on Climate Smart Agriculture, Nutrition and Agriculture Investment in Southern Africa contact:
1. Vitumbiko Chinoko, Advocacy and Partnerships Coordinator, CARE International, Email: vitumbiko.chinoko@care.org, Tel: +265 996 893 692, Website: www.care.org
2. Sithembile Ndema Mwamakamba, Climate Smart Coordinator, FANRPAN, Email: sndema@fanrpan.org : Tel: +27 82 799 1382, Website: www.fanrpan.org,
3. Rachel Toku-Appiah, Program Manager, Nutrition, Graca Machel Trust (GMT), E-mail: RachelT@gracamacheltrust.org, Tel: +27 (0) 71 403 4647, Website: www.gracamacheltrust.org
About CARE International
Care International is a confederation of 14 member and 4 affliate organizations working together to end poverty. In Africa CARE is working in 27 countries implementing poverty fighting development and humanitrain aid projects. In 2016 Care International reached out to 80 million people directly and 256 million indirectly. Care International focus is women and girls because we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunites. Website: www.care.org
About FANRPAN
The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) is a pan-African network that provides independent evidence to inform policy processes at national and regional levels. FANRPANâs membership includes food, agriculture and natural resources (FANR) related government departments, parliamentarians, research and farmer organizations, private sector, civil society organizations and the media. Website: www.fanrpan.org
About Graca Machel Trust
The Graça Machel Trust is an organisation that works across the continent to drive positive change across womenâs and childrenâs rights, as well as governance and leadership. Through our support of local initiatives and connecting key stakeholders at a regional, national and sub-national level, we help to catalyse action where it is needed. By using our convening power the Trust seeks to: amplify the voices of women and children in Africa; influence governance; promote womenâs contributions and leadership in the economic social and political development of Africa. For more, please visit www.gracamacheltrust.org/new
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.