Averting future crises requires sustained investments in agriculture, agricultural research, improved land use, and smart partnerships with communities and local enterprises

NAIROBI, KENYA (8 September 2011)— Greater investment in agricultural research, and an increased cooperation between scientists, governments, local enterprises and rural communities are critical to reducing the Horn of Africa’s vulnerability to future droughts and extreme weather, according to a statement by leading experts on food security and agricultural development.

According to a joint statement from experts attending a conference on the current food security crisis in the Greater Horn of Africa, the famine is stark evidence that insufficient attention has been given to addressing the root causes of vulnerability in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of this region. It is not drought but rather vulnerability to drought that has thrown the region into repeated food crises. Yet in contrast to this vulnerability is the fact that the ASALs produce most of the livestock traded in the region, typically contributing over 40 percent agricultural GDP to the national economies. These sessions were hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and convened by the African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the CGIAR Consortium.

“The emergency humanitarian aid interventions that are now underway are vital and welcome. We must each do all we can to help,” said Lloyd Le Page, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, during a panel discussion at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi. “But to avert future famines, we need lasting solutions that foster resilience amongst the vulnerable. While these are complex issues, we must move quickly and decisively to scale up success on the ground.”

Several days of expert consultations brought together experts from governments, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, regional organizations, and development agencies from the Greater Horn of Africa and globally that are or have been engaged in addressing the challenges to the development of the ASALs.

One panel included experts from the CGIAR Consortium, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

While discussing the main topic – Famine in the Horn of Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Mitigating Drought-Induced Food Crises – they unanimously called for a priority focus on agricultural research innovation and matching investments. They stressed that market infrastructure development, robust policies and partnerships must go together to get research outcomes to farmers and herders on the ground.

“Livestock management and farming conditions in the Horn of Africa are challenging. But let’s be clear: they are not fated to produce famines,” said Le Page. “The current situation should serve as a wake-up call for everyone: farmers, politicians, donors and scientists working in the region.”

“It is not drought, but vulnerability to drought that is eroding livelihoods in these areas,” said Jeff Hill of USAID. “This vulnerability is largely a result of decades of under-investment in agriculture and sustainable food security in the region.”

“The 1985 drought-induced famine in Ethiopia was a terrible catastrophe that cost over a million people their lives,” said Dr. Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA, who headed WFP’s East and Southern Africa bureau at the time. Even though the region’s population has more than doubled since then, and is now faced with the worst drought in sixty years, the number of affected people remained unchanged. “There has been some progress. But this is still 12 million people too many. This could have been prevented if appropriate measures were taken,” concluded Ngongi.

Mark Gordon from the WFP cited the main drivers of the current crisis as failed rains, which, over the last two seasons, have dried up water points used for animals and crops; persistently high food and fuel prices; and intensified political and resource-based conflicts.

Challenges, Solutions are Known, Examples Abound

Panelists cited the need for better land use practices, including the development of rainwater harvesting approaches that allow more efficient use of available water. Other solutions include improved crop varieties; animal breed varieties that can thrive in harsh conditions; and development of a market for crops beyond maize which values dryland crops such as sorghum and millet. Other examples include:

• Diversification of crops better suited for drylands
  Farmers in dryland areas may have to move away from maize farming. Crops like sorghum and millet are more suitable in these areas. Even though the rains failed this year, farmers who grew these crops still had a small harvest.

• Better storage
  “Village Based Processing Units” can transform some of the food crops like cassava into products that can be stored by the families during “lean” seasons and reduce post-harvest losses.

• Partnerships to scale up successes
  The first step in ending the region’s vicious cycle of food crisis and vulnerability to drought is scaling up the use of methods proven successful. A successful partnership between researchers from the CGIAR centers, AGRA, KARI and a local private seed company has increased farmers’ access to seeds of drought-tolerant varieties of maize, pigeon pea, sorghum and other crops.

• Better market access for livestock herders
  Livestock production contributes 35-50 percent of agricultural gross domestic product in countries like Ethiopia and Kenya, but one of the challenges is herders’ access to reliable markets where they can get a good price for their animals.

• Revitalizing degraded soils in rangelands
  One of the main issues affecting pastoralists is the degraded soils in range lands. These lands can be revitalized through widespread planting of improved grass seeds. As commercial companies lack interest in these seeds because they are considered to be of low commercial value, KARI is now working with the local communities to produce the right grass seed for the rangelands. In addition, deforestation and desertification are major drivers of degradation. More incentives are needed to decrease deforestation and promote agroforestry in the region.

• National development plans
  Current national development plans in Ethiopia and Kenya recognize the value of these regions and should be supported by all because they are offering a chance to build a coalition of support to sustainably address and tackle the challenges experienced in the region.

• Commodity exchanges and insurance for farmers and herders
  The creation of commodity exchanges could help reduce food prices speculation and widening insurance protection for croppers and livestock keepers to help them rebuild their livelihoods after drought.

Other interventions include the application of community-based emergency recovery and resilience-building interventions, such as programs that support sustainable land management and improve groundwater stocks.

Fostering Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty

“The current drought is an early indication of the immense challenges that we face in the future, not only in the Horn of Africa, but around the world. Climate change, economic instability, persistently high food prices and rapid population growth are all coming at the same time,” said Le Page.

“Let’s stop thinking of the Horn as a liability and treat it as the asset it is,” Le Page said. “Modest investments in agricultural research that allow the world’s most vulnerable people to take charge of their food security are far less expensive than constantly parachuting in with food aid and humanitarian assistance. Yet donors and governments continue to fall short of their promise to boost investments in the farm sector.”

On 12-13 September, members of the G20 will meet in Montpellier, France to outline priorities for agricultural research in ensuring global food security and stability.

“We must renew commitments to international agricultural research and align global efforts to find preventative solutions to a crisis like this one,” concluded Le Page.

More background information on this meeting
Picture courtesy Peter Casier/CCAFS