I heard about the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in September 2011 for the first time. Like I was unaware, I am certain that many African youth in Agriculture do not know what the CAADP is about.
The CAADP was launched by the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in 2003, and it aims to stimulate agriculture-led development that eliminates hunger and reduces poverty and food insecurity (which is in line with the Millennium and Development Goal 1). This is to be achieved by raising agricultural productivity by at least 6% per year and increasing public investment in agriculture to 10% of National budgets per year. This has been endorsed by all Heads of State who agreed to increase their national budget allocation to Agriculture and Rural Development.
The NEPAD vision for Africa are that by the year 2015, Africa should
- Attain Food Security
- Improve Agricultural productivity to attain an annual 6% growth rate
- Develop dynamic regional and sub-regional agricultural markets
- Achieve a more equitable distribution of wealth.
The CAADP initiatives takes a continent-wide view, but builds on national and regional plans for the development of agriculture. It is entirely African-led and African-owned and represents African leaders’ collective vision for Agriculture in Africa.
CAADP works on 4 thematic pillars (Pillar 1: Land and Water Management, Pillar 2: Market access, Pillar 3: Food supply and hunger, Pillar 4: Agricultural Research) that serve as policy frameworks for national and regional programmes for investment and action in pursuing increased and sustainable productivity in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and livestock management. These programmes at the national and regional levels follow a specific process in a ’round table’ format that result in country and regional CAADP Compacts. During the CAADP country round tables, key stakeholders come together to assess the realities of their own particular situation and develop a road-map for the way forward. This process leads to the identification of priority areas covering policy reforms and guiding public and private investments and interventions through the CAADP Compact.
To date, some 30 African countries have signed the CAADP compact and Mauritius is not in that list.
The evolution of the CAADP since 2003 is very well explained in the following videos:
More information on the CAADP can be obtained from the CAADP Library
I personally believe that Africa has a lot of potential to meet the objectives of the CAADP by 2015, but in order for it to happen, head of states must start by signing the CAADP compact and get into ACTION now since we are already in 2012. Moreover, there are so many challenges that are being faced in agriculture (smallholder farmers vulnerable, climate change, lack of youth interest, unemployment, lack of access to land, finance and markets etc.) and there is a serious need to review agricultural policies and invest more in the sector.
Information on CAADP obtained from the NEPAD Website
