Emerging issues in science and technology for food security and sustainable development in Africa : parliamentary documentation

UNITED NATIONS

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

ECONOMIC COMMISON FOR AFRICA Tblrd Meeting of the Committee ⁰⁰

SustaInable Development (CSD-3) Addis Ababa, EthlOpla

7-10 October 2003

Parhamentary Documentation

Emerging Issues in SCience and Technology

for Food Security and SustaInable Development in Africa

Dlstr LIMITED ECAJSDO/CSD 3/6 29 July 2003

Onglnal ENGLISH

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AchIevIng the mlllenruum development goals (MDGs) and sustaInable development In Africa represents major challenges, given the weak sCience and technology capacltIes of most Afncan countnes In fact, meetIng the various development challenges In the area of poverty reductlOn, food secunty, health, water and sanItatIon, globalIzation, productIvity and InternatIonal competitiveneSS, requIres strengthened sCIentIfic and technologICaJ capabIhtJes on the Afncan contInent

A new SCIentIfic and technologIcal regime IS needed to meet these chaJlenges Indeed, the underlYIng pnnclples of the sustaInable development paradIgm, whIch underpins development goals and strategIes, command polIcIes that are, among other things, pro- envIronment, pro-poor and pro-Innovation Progressing simultaneously In many areas of SCIence and technology policy ]n order to achIeve sustalnablhty and competitiveness appears to be the most vIable strategy avaIlable to Afucan polIcy makers at thIS partIcular Juncture

ThiS document captures some of the ongoing work withIn ECA In the area of sCience and technology for food security and sustaInable development ThIS work also fol1ows up some of the recommendatlOns ofCSD-2 and CNRST-2

SectIon 1 addresses the Issue "How can SCIence and technology contrIbute to fQgd securIty and sustaInable development?" Food Insecunty affects about one AfrIcan out of three and food emergency ald IS dIstrIbuted In more than 25 AfrIcan cOlUltnes In many countnes food productIon per capIta has been decreasIng SInce the begInnmg of the 1980s The prob1em IS expected to get worse In many areas, partIcularly where the environment IS fragIle and where the populatIon IS groWIng rapidly In order to allevIate or eltmInate the problem, food productIon has to Increase~ mostly on land already under cultlvatlon That means that YIelds and productiVIty have to Increase substanttally) matnly tluough a more Intense applIcatton and uttlIzatIon of SCIence and technology The section analyzes the current contribution (or Jack of contnbutIon) of sCience and technology to susta.Inable development In AfrIca and focuses on Issues related to food securIty - one of the major requlTements of sustainable development

The sectIon clearly Indicates that, at tlus Juncture of Africa's development, a useful SCIence and technology platform to address the challenge offood secunty and sustainable development IS a Green Revolutton for Afnca The sectIon proposes pohcy optIons that AfrIcan countnes can pursue together to Improve theIr sltuatlon, 1n cooperation WIth AfrIca's partners 1n the framework ofNEPAD

SectIon 2 zeroes In on a Green RevolutIon for Afnca In order to address the problems of food for securIty and poverty ehnunatlon, CNRST-2 noted that advanced knowledge and applIcatIons In bIotechnology carry particular hope for reahzlng a green revolutIon In Afnca CSD-2 more exphcltly recommended that ECA starts, In col1aboratlon WIth AfrIcan countnes, a pIlot prOject for accelerated agncultural IntensIficatIon, and ensure, through polIcy advocacy and capacIty buddIng measures, that Afncan countnes reflect the urgency of agrIcultural Intensrficatlon In then policIes On 21 February 2003, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Afncan countrIes and then development partners to promote a Green RevolutIon In Africa The sectton presents the ECA's follow up on these pohcy Inltlatlves It makes concrete proposals on how a Green RevolutIon can be desIgned, tnggered and realIzed In the African context

In sectIon 3 the speCIfic case of bIOtechnology IS tackled, under the challenge "How can bIotechnology contnbute to poverty alleViatIOn In Afnca?" Afnca contInues to face many technologIcal challenges detenoratlng health associated Wlth diseases (HIV/AIDS, malana, tuberculosIs, etc) and ma I nutrttIon , degradatIon of environment/natural resources, IncludIng partJcularly forest, soil and water, IncreasIng loss of bIodiversity, poor or Inadequate transfonnatlon of natural resources and agncultural raw matenals, low agncultural productIVIty and food shortage, and a deep energy cnSlS coupled WIth Increasing desertrficatlon due to the overuse of fuel wood among others Rural people, who represent 70-80 per cent the populat10n In sub-Saharan AfrIca, are the most affected About 60 per cent of these people lIve In poverty The sectIOn hlghhghts the pOSSIble contnbutlon of modern bIOtechnology to poverty alleVIatIon and the actIons necessary to realIze Its full potentIal It deals respectIvely With modem bIotechnology In the areas of food and agnculture, natural resources/bIodlversrty, and health

II

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6

SECTION 1

EMERGING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN S&T FOR FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT¹

1 IntroductIon

AfrIca faces senous food secunty problems - by far a Jot more than any other contInent In the world Two-thuds of aH countnes suffenng food Insecunty In the world are In Africa, where per caplta food production has been dechntng for many years Inadequate technologIcal level remaIns a major constraInt to Afnca's food securIty and sustaInable development LImIted 'technological learnIng', absence of appropriate technology polICIes, Inablhty to fully grasp the challenges of globalIzatIon and apprecIate the key Issues that contInue to shape world development today compound the problems

Afnca IS expenencing chroniC food shortage as subSIstence food productIon fal Is to meet consumption needs of a groWing populatIon There IS vanablhty of food supply throughout the year, InabIlIty to purchase food because of lOW-Income and pervasIve poverty among the maJonty of the people, and IneffectIve methods In uSIng avaIlable resources due to apphcatlon of tnfenor technologIes In agncultural production

Clearly, current productIon methods relYing almost exclUSIvely on natural chmatlc condItions cannot solve the Immense food Iflsecunty problems In Africa even If more land IS brought under cultIvatton In thIS regard, various sCIence and technology Issues must be tackled to enable Africa achieve food securIty and sustaInable development People In rural areas need the Infrastructure and the means for transportIng fann Inputs and outputs - Implements, fertilizers, seeds, wood, water and farm produce They reqUIre technologIcal skIlls to start and maIntaIn small-scale 1ndustnes, such as those based on agro-processlng They also need to acqUIre skills to sustaIn productIon systems, for example, repaIr of agrIcultural eqUIpment, maintenance of IrrIgatIon systems, use of low cost bUIlding matenaJs and conservatlOn of the environment An these actiVities call for concerted efforts to generate~ adapt and utIlIze specIfic types of technologIes

2. Emerging Issues and challenges

Various SCIence and technology Issues emerge In Africa's quest for food secunty and sustatnable development The major ones are

• developIng agncultural technology for meetIng the Increasmg need for food at affordable pnces

I Based on a study conducted by ECA With the assistance of a consultant The study IS available In English only

ECA/SDD/CSD 3/6 Page 2

• developIng sustainable land management technolOgIes for rangeland, forestland, grassland, swampland, marginal land, etc ,

• deveJopmg agncultural systems that conserve blodlverslty WItlun the system Itself, and

• developIng knowledge systems based on proper understandIng of needs of households that depend on the ecosystem and mdlgenous knowledge of eXistIng resources for theIr sUlVlval

Poor technologIcal capablhty remruns one of the major constraints to AfrIca's efforts to achIeve sustaInable development and food secunty The lack of dehberate technolOgical leanung and Implementation of technolOgIcal pohcles that are In hne WIth domestIc economIC problems and the challenges of globahzatIon IS overwhelming Also overwhelming ^IS the contInent's contInuous failure to learn from the Newly Industnahzed Countnes (NICs) and to address properly the key Issues that have shaped the development paradigm In these countnes

In most developing countrIes, semi-subSistence peasants and small-scale commerCial fanners use family labour, Simple technology and sometImes wage labour and minor elements of standard technology However, the assOCIated sktl1s of appJted agronomy, planning and management, maIntenance and repaIr of eqUIpment are often mlssmg LikeWIse, many profeSSionals and experts trained In the field of agnculture are unfortunately underutthzed and many are dIssatisfied WIth theIr worlang conditIons AdditIonally, lack of adequate Infrastructure, SUItable mechanisms for promoting sCience and technology for development and the requIslte pohtlcal WIll and commItment have led to poor SCIence and technology culture In the contInent

Many Afncan countnes have developed sCience and technology polICies for development but too often these pohcles have not been Implemented properly LikeWIse, legIslations guaranteeIng appropnate Incentives to promote agncultural productIon and productIVity (eg subs]dles, etc) are woefully lacking In such a context, foreign duect Investment projects In productIve sectors~ have been few and far 10 between

3. Lessons from past expenences

SCience and technology have made enormous contnbuttons to the growth of the agncultural sector In many parts of the developIng world As a result, global food productIon has Increased by 80 percent SInce the mld-1960s Amca, however, needs to double food production to accommodate populatlon Increase

Afncan countnes may learn from vanous food secunty programmes and agricultural related technologies expenenced over tIme and In many countnes, especlal1y deve]oplng ones The most successful program, whIch may be emulated and rephcated to SUit specrfic conditions of Afncan countnes IS the Green Revolution

I I

j

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 3 The Green Revolution, whIch took place In ASia (IndIa, IndoneSIa, TruwW\ Phlhpp]nes, ChIna and Japan) dunng the 1960s, IS a major global sCIentific and technologIcal achIevement towards Increased food production On the one hand, Improved crop vanettes, ]mgabon, pesticIdes and mineral fertIhzer were Introduced, which contnbuted to substantial Improvement of food production With thIS technologtcal advancement ]n agnculture It was possIble to develop vanetles, wruch have contnbuted to hIgher food productIon and Improved the returns to costly resources used by poor farmers As a result, Increased productIVIty has decreased food costs, In general, and thus Improved food secunty, partIcularly for vulnerable sectIons of SOCIety

Imgatlon, drainage and effiCIent raInwater harvesting to cope With nSlng water scarcIty are cntlca1 In ensunng adequate food production and food secunty There IS high potentlal In Afnca for Increasing food productIVity through better control of water and Increas1ng the use of plant nutrIents The concern should be redUCIng Imgation costs to enable smallholder farmers to manage farms In a manner that Jrun]mlses resource degradation problems such as water loggtng and sahruty

On the other hand, a Wide range of Improved crop- and resource- management technologtes were emphasized, which have Improved environmental and resource sustalnablhty In thIS regard, It was pOSSible to bnng under cultIvation less-favourable lands by IntrodUCIng new plant vaneties (e g drought-tolerant crop VarIeties), which ]n

tum has also contnbuted to higher food productIon ThiS practIce has reduced the conversion of forest, grasslands and swamplands for cultivatIon of food crops For example, Without advancement In agncultural technology, India would have had to cuJtlvate nearly 60 mIllion hectares of addlhonal land to produce the quantIty of wheat currently consumed

Thts sCIentIfic and technologtcal advancement went hand In hand WIth Investment In InstItutIonal Infrastructure and contInued research actiVItIes to raIse food productIon and productiVIty In ChIna, for example, Infrastructural Investment contInued alongSIde a remarkable effort and achIevements ]n the area of seed Improvement Consequently, the combinatIon of a decentralIzed research system and successful extension servIces replaced the trachttonal varieties of rice and wheat \\11th modem dwarf' vanetles by 80 percent at the end of 19705 The ChInese expenence, espeCIally the post-1978 reforms, demonstrates the Importance of IncentIves and a condUCive Instltutlonal framework In maxImIZIng the effects of agncultural Infrastructure, and of successful research on, and dissemInatIon of, new technolOgies

Post-harvest technologtes that encompass effiCIent crop handlIng, storage, proceSSIng, transportatIon, marketIng and utiltzatlon need also to be promoted These kInds of technology reduce food losses, add value to the crops, faclhtate effiCIent trade, generate employment and new products for the market and prOVide dlversIficatton of food

4. Tbe polICies that should be promoted

In order to enhance the contnbutJon of SClence and technology to food productton and secunty, five domaIns are a top pnonty human resources development, Increased

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 4

) nvestment m agn culture , establIshment of appropnate InstitutIons, formuJatlOn and adoptIOn of appropnate polIcies and mter-counny cooperatIon WlthIn and outsIde Afnca Addlttonaliy, exhIbItions of agncultural technologIes would generate some awareness to potentIal buyers and users of such technologtes There IS, thus, an urgent need to enhance exhibItIon actIvItIes of agncultural technologies In the rural areas Instead of lImItIng them to urban areas Such events are Vltalln Improving the use of modem agricultural SCIence and technoJogy amongst farmers and IncreasIng agncultural productIon, productIVIty and ultImately food secunty

The Importance of extension servIces to 1mproved agncultural outputs, productIvity and food secunty Ln Afncan countnes should not be underesttmated ExtenSIon selVlces, to the extent that they aIm at enabhng the farmers adopt Improved agncultural practices through Interacting dIrectly and IntImately WIth the extenslOn personnel, proves to be a most effective and efficIent way of drffuslng, assimIlating, and absorbing Improved agncultural technIques for Increased productIon, productIVIty and food securIty There ^IS thus urgent need to strengthen agnculture extenSIon servIces to AfrIcan fanners

It IS Important to bear In mInd that there IS no one stngle or Simple solution to ImprOVIng agncuJtural output CJearly, ImprOVIng food secunty In Afnca requtres a multIdImenSIonal approach

5. Policy recommendations

At national level, InnovatIve and comnlltted leadershtp IS reqUIred and calJed upon to take up change-management roles In order to Improve food secunty through project and programme desIgn, management, Implementatl0~ monltonng and evaluatIon Towards thIS endeavour~ national governments should do, amongst other thmgs, the follOWing

• Invest In agncultural technology and rural development, IncludIng energy technology, educatIOn and research and development

• Undertake macroeconomIC and fmanclal reforms to support agnculture, the rural sector and food secunty

• Develop and encourage appropnate programmes and projects that wIll create off- farm employment and agncultural growth aImed at poverty reductlon

• Expand agl1cultural educatIon, commurucatJon and extenSIon services

• Undertake measures to budd regIonal communIcatIOn and transport networks targeted at rural development

• InItiate appropnate measures for environment conservatlon and replenIsh depleted lands to enable agncultural practIces that are harmoruous WIth natural resources management

• Conduct research on and adopt technologIes, whtch are appropnate and fnendly to smallholder farmers, especIalJy women, and embark on necessary InstItutIonal support for effectIve women part]Clpatlon In achlevmg food secunty In the countnes

ECNSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 5 Research InstitutIons at bo'th regtonal and natlonal levels need to be strengthened The East Afncan Community Regional AgrIcultural Centre, for example, before 1977, proved to be a centre of excellence for agncultural technology generatIon and dlssemlnatIon Today, the settIng up of the Afncan FertilIzer Development Centre (AFDC), an AU outfit, can help to develop and Improve agncultural systems Wlth the use of fertlhzers LInkS, networks and alhances amongst agncultural research centres In the regIon need to be forged and strengthened m order to facilitate and foster modes of InstItutIOnal collaboratIon that enhance agncultural productlOn, productIvity and food secunty

At contInental level, the New PartnershIp for AfrIca's Development (NEPAD) offers ample opporturutIes for assIsting, helpIng and supportmg Afncan countnes In lmprovlng agrIcultural productIVIty and food secunty at a regIonal level NEPAD may particularly

• ASSIst and help Afncan countrIes In therr efforts towards developIng food secunty pohcles, programmes and projects With financIal commItments

• Interface WIth the InternatIonal community to channel resources to those countnes With promISIng food security programmes and projects together WIth adherence to good governance and pnnclples of human nght

• Promote regtonal SCIence and technology centres of excel1ence WIth partIcular focus on agncultural research, productiVity and sustaInable food secunty

• DeSign practtcal methods by whIch AfrIcan countries WIll be reqUIred to contrIbute to sustaInable food security programmes

• Estabhsh a mechanism for monltonng global development and, partIcularly, technolOgIcal advances, evaluating theIr Imphcatlons on the process of agricultural transformatJon, productIon, and food secunty In AfrIcan countnes

ECNSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 6

SECTION 2

TOWARDS A GREEN REVOLUTION IN AFRICA: HARNESSING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE MODERNIZATION OF AFRICAN

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL TRANSFORMATION (SMART/AGRI)2 Introductton: It IS Africa's Turn

AgrIcultural development IS a pnme pre~CondltIon for broad-based economIC growth, food secunty and poverty reducbon ^In Afnca At ^thIS Juncture, Afnca does not have much of an alternatIve path to development but to pursue an agncultural revolutIOn because of the contInuous Increase of the populatIon, the wIdespread poverty and the structure of most of Afncan nattona1 econotrues, whIch largely depend on agnculture In the 1960s and 1970s, a Green RevolutIon (GR) took place In ASIa and Latin Amenca It Involved a rapId Increase In agncultural productivIty, caused by mass adoptIOn of Improved hIgh-YieldIng vanetJes of food crops, maInly cereals - wheat, nee and malZe - and by mass adophon of sCJentific methods of agrIculture, mcludIng better management of bIo]oglcal, chemical, mechanIcal and hydrologIcal parameters on the farm It led to the ehmlnatIon of hunger and mass poverty, and the transformation of rural economIes Unfortunately, In Afnca, the GR was delayed for 30 years It IS now Afnca's turn

On 21 February 2003, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Afncan countries and their global partners to promote a "GR" In Afnca, to help the continent move towards self~sufficlency In food, reductton of hunger, and eradlcation of poverty ThIS caH to actIon 1S therefore a major UN pohcy Imperative and a challenge for all key players and stakeholders to dehver then part of the bargam for the transfonnatIon of Afnca through a GR

The ECA has undertaken some research and reflectIon on the promIse of a GR In AfrIca It has pondered quesnons hke What does a GR mean for Africa? Has Africa missed the OR? Is It poSSIble for the contInent to catch up? What are the key challenges and opporturutIes, optIOns and necessary actIOns for a way forward?

Prehminary findIngs clearly IndIcate that Afnca dId not miss the OR - It was merely de1ayed Furthermore, a GR IS the only known method for sustaInable mOdernIzatIon of agncuJture, poverty and hunger eradIcatIon, and rural transfonnatlon It IS a step that cannot be rnlssed on the way to development All major Socletles on aH conttnents - lncluding a few lImIted examples In Africa - underwent a GR In the 50 years from] 930s- 1980s, startIng WIth Europe and North Amenca, then South ASIa and Latin Amenca, and most recently China LocalIzed AfrIcan examples Include YIeld-enhanCIng expenments

In North AfrIca on wheat, In RhodeSIa and Kenya by colomal settlers on maIze, In 21mbabwe (1980s) by African smallholder farmers WIth maIze, and In West Afnca on

2 Based on a study conducted by ECA With the asslstance of a consultant The study IS avaIlable m Enghsh only

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 7 cassava and nee ECA finds that Afnca IS now pOIsed at the threshold of tnggenng a GR It IS now a questIon of how, not when, the Afncan OR shall be desIgned, tnggered and sustalned

Why was a GR Delayed In Africa? Conditions for a GR

WhIle a GR was takIng place ^In other contInents, AfrIca was also undertakIng agncultural development programs and expenments USIng vanous models, Including commodlty- based systems, Integrated rural development proJects, state farms from USSR, communal farms from ChIna and land settlement schemes from Israel The major weakness of those approaches was that they faded to deSIgn for the complex Afncan subsIstence farmIng systems and dIverse agro-ecoJoglcal zones (there are at least 7 major agro-ecologlcal zones In Sub-Saharan Afnca alone) Many 1rutJatives also faded to Include key improved commodIty technologIes and lacked the necessary soclo-econom]c components like IrrigatIon faclhtIes, 1and reforms, credIt and pohcy support for purchased farm Inputs such as seeds, fertIlizers and fann tools Many were capIta] IntenSIve, dependent on foreIgn fundIng and foreIgn staffing, leaVing the Afncan farmer WIth htt)e partICipatIon In plaIlIung, ImpJementatlon, learrung and ownershIp of the process Most col1apsed after donor Wlthdrawal WIth httle sustaInable Impact on the ground BeSIdes, there was pohtlcal neglect of lmportance of sCIence and technology for agrIcultural modernizatIOn However, apart from the few examples gIven above, there are other current InltlatIves that suggest the poSSIbilIty of a GR In Afnca These Include successful diffuSIon of Improved technolOgies of maIze, cotton, nce, sorghum and ground nuts In a few countnes There are also successful Imgatlon projects and Instances of redeSIgn of tradItIonal famung systems The adoption of national plans for modernizatIon of agnculture and agnculture-Ied Industnahzatlon strategIes In a few countrIes, the renewed InternatIOnal Interest In Afncan agnculture and the advent of NEPAD WIth ItS ComprehenSIve Afnea Agncultural Development Program are ruso encouragIng Slgns

Way Fonvard: Towards a GR In Africa

On 10-12 June 2003) an emInent group of experts met at an Ad hoc Expert Group Meetmg on SCIence and Technology held at ECA, and

(a) Declared that Afnca needs a GR

(b) Affirmed that Afnca CAN achleve a GR In 5-10 years

( c) Endorsed a methodology (SMART / A GRI) for caUSIng a GR In Afnca (d) Drew up a Road Map towards a GR In Afnca

SMART/AGRI Metbodology

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 8

The methodology adopted by the experts for caUSIng a GR In Africa IS dubbed SMART/AGRl Sustainable Modernization of AgrIculture and Rural Transformation / AfrIcan GR InItIative Developed by Afncan SCientIsts and agrIcultural economIsts, It IdentIfies and dIstils the fundamental sCIentIfic, technologIcal, SOClo-economiC and polttlcal IngredIents of the GR globally, and how they can be adapted to the specrfic Afncan context It ^IS a "Doubly Green" approach, mcorporatlng both the technological components of the GR and the new, partiCipatory approaches whereby SCientIsts work With the smallholder fanner communlttes In partICIpatory plannIng, technology development, technIcal assessment, re-desIgn of the farmmg systems, and pnrmng the communItIes for a GR

The methodology proposes an ImplementatIon plan that can cause VISIble OR results In the field at pIlot sites In three selected countrIes In the first three years, and further results In SIX selected countnes In five years Scahng up and rephcatIon of the Afncan GR would then be accomphshed m 5-10 years

Countnes partIcipatIng In the Afncan GR ImtiatIve wlll need to put In place the TIIP TechnologIes, Inst1tutIons, Infrastructure and Pohcles that dnve the GR process ThIS Includes bwldlng, strengtherung, mastenng and working WIth the cascade of OR InstItutIOns that maintaIn the SCIentific plpehne and technologICal shelf for the fanner to reach lDto for GR technologIes ThIS OR cascade compnses the Internattonal GR InstItutIOns (managed by CGIAR), the natIonal agrIcultural research systems (NARS) and the extenSIon, educatIon and communication systems for on-farm tna} and adoptIon of the GR technolOgies

For Its part, ECA IS actIvely promoting a GR USing the tools available WIthIn ItS mandate The most recent occasIon to do thIS was the hosting by ECA of the Mintstenal Roundtab1e of the HIgh-Leve1 Segment of UN EconomIC and SOCIal CouncIl (ECOSOC) In Geneva, on the theme "A OR for AfrIca what does It mean?" The Roundtable whIch attracted Mlrusters, Heads of DelegatIons, Agency Heads and members of CIVtl socIety endorsed the Idea of an Afncan GR ECOSOC has posted the ECA Issues Paper dIscussed at the Roundtable on Its mternet webSite

Issues for DISCUSSion

In addItion to reflectIng on the challenges posed above, therefore, the meeting may dISCUSS the followmg Issues

a) International OR Focus on Afnca How can the IntematJOnal GR InstItutions (the InternatIonal Agncultural Research Centers of the CGIAR) be reconfigured to serve Afnca? One of the basiC bUIldIng blocks of the GR JS the network of 16 or so InternatIOnal Agncultural Research Centres (IARCs), most of whIch are managed by the ConsultatIve Group on International Agncultural Research (CGIAR) Estabhshed at the onset of the GR In the 19605, they have been responSIble for generatIon of GR sCIence and technology~ knowledge/gennplasm exchange and capaCIty bwldlng for NatIonal Agncultural Research Systems (NARS) However, current ana1ysls IndIcates clearly that

ECNSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 9 thIS crucial resource maInly focused on ASIa and LatIn Amenca and largely neglected Afnca The analysIs concludes that after three decades, most of these centers have now completed theIr miSSIon In ASJa and Latin Amenca, and should move their headquarters to Afnca to get closer to the problems of the contment It IS Afnca's turn ECA IS

prepared to facIhtate the reconfigunng process negotiatIOn, desIgn, and Implementation b) CommunIty and NatIonal Level DeSIgn of the GR How can Afncan governments take the first steps In promoting, over the next 5-10 years, the Doubly GR wmch has been IdentIfied as the mISSIng hnk, m addItIon to prOVIding the reqUISite technology, mfrastructure, InstitutIons and polICIes (TJlP), to tngger a sustaInable modernizatIOn of agnculture and rural transformatIon (SMART/ AGRI) In Afnca?

c) The GR and NEP AD How can the ComprehenSive Afncan Agncultural Development Program adopted by NEP AD focus on a GR for Afnca as an exphc1t goal, and achIeve It W1thtn 5-10 years? How can NEPAD ensure the market access that WIll be necessary to stImulate a GR In Afnca? The ComprehensIve Afnca Agncultura] Development Program (CAADP) has four pillars and denved actions whIch, when fully Implemented, can cause a GR In Afnca For thts to happen, these components have to be clearly conceptuahzed, ahgned and focused towards the GR as an exphclt goaJ, then roUed out 1n a c1ear sequence to acrueve It ThIS ^IS what the ECA Road Map towards a GR In Afrtca proposes to contnbute

d) LearnIng Curve How will AfrIca master the Inter-sectoral, multIdlsciphnary, regional and SOCIOeCOnOmIC Issues that accompany a GR, In order to learn from others' expenences whIle aVOIdIng thelT mIstakes? How Will Afnca tackle Issues of governance, COnflIct, peace and secunty, eqUIty, gender, enVIronment, land polIcy, educatIOn, health and regIOnal IntegratIon that will hInder or enhance the OR In AfrIca?

e) ActIons to be taken by AfrIcan governments

• DeSIgn a Plan for Modenuzatlon of Agnculture

• Endorse the Afncan GR IrutIatlve (SMART/AGRl) declared by ECA

• PartiCipate m the ECA Fast Track on the Afncan OR Road Map

• Start a field project USIng SMART/AGRI methodology

• Cooperate WIth cotmtnes shanng SImIlar agro-eco}ogIcal zones and/or resources

• PartICIpate, WIth other member states, In lobbYIng the CGIAR to reconfigure the GR InstItuttOns to focus on Afnca ThiS could start With mOVIng the HQ of ICRISA T from ASia, where lis miSSIon IS deemed completed, to Afnca

• Partlc1pate In gettIng NEPAD's Comprehensive African Agnculture Development

Program

GR

• PartICIpate In learning curve actiVitIes for developIng the technologies, Infrastructure, InstItutIOns and pohcles (flIP) for causing a GR In Afnca

ECA/SDD/CSD 3/6 Page 10

• Moblltze renewed pubhc, pnvate and donor commItment for provIding policy, human, sCIentific, and financial support to sustrunable modernlzat1On of agnculture and rural transformatIon

• Form partnershIps With nelghbounng countnes for networlong, shanng responslblhtles and lnfonnatlon exchange WIth respect to sUltable crop and

lIvestock technologtes

• IdentIfy pnonty strategtc commodItIes for whIch there IS high domestlc consumer demand and potentIal for external commercIalIzation Such commodlttes shou1d be Incorporated In a GR deSIgn

• Al10cate more resources for the development of Infrastructure, especIally 1m gatt on, rural roads and market fact htles such as post harvest handhng, processIng and storage

SECTION 3

ECAISDO/CSD 3/6 Page 11

BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The promIse of Blotecbnology

BIotechnology IS "any techruque that uses hVlng orgamsms or substances from these organIsms to make or modlfy a product, to Improve plants or arumals or to develop micro-organIsms for specIfic uses" It IS a gradIent of technologtes rangIng from tradItional technologies such as breWlng, fermentatIon, balang, blologlcal control, artIficIal InsemInatIon and embryo transfer to modem bIotechnology The major components of modem bIotechnology Include genomIcs, blolnfonnahcs, gene sphcIng or transformatIon, genetlc mo(il ficatl on, molecular breedIng, magnostles, vaccIne technology and new plant tissue culture

BIotechnology ]S one of the leadIng technologIes of the 21 st century It can drastlca1ly reduce the penod of developIng products and address dIfficult Issues, such as drought It can contnbute to savIng Afnca's nch biodiversIty, Including medICInal plants The contInent has a great potentIal to develop and sustain a commerCIal productIon of plant- based medIcInes, from which the war agaInst diseases can benefit sigluficantly

Indeed, Afnca must seIze the opportunities to harness both conventIOnal green revolutIon as well as emergIng gene revolutIon technologIes to make sIgruficant headways to sustainable agncultural development and food securIty In thIS regard, bIotechnology should be vIewed as one part of a comprehensIve, sustaInable agncultural development, poverty reduction and food secunty strategy, and not as a technological "qwck fix" for Afnca's hunger and poverty problems Modern biotechnology should therefore be consIdered tn complementanty WIth conventIonal green revolutIon technologIes In boosting food and agncultural production

BIotechnology IS highly appbcable and holds great promIse In several Important sectors' Food, agriculture, natural resources and enVIronment where its application range from crop and arumal Improvement, through soIl fertIlIty and land protectIon, crop and hvestock protectIon, post harvest technologIes, blofertlhzatIon, etc

In healt~ It can help produce vaCCines, diagnostiCs and medlcmes for the major human dIseases of Afnca, such as malan~ TB and HIV/AIDS, and a1so for dlseases of anImals and crops

In Industry and energy, bIotechnological procedures enhance tndustnes dealIng Wlth plant and arumal ods, carbohydrates, proteIns, textIles, leather, wood, fermented products, blogas, plant alcohol, Insuhn and hormones

Key Constraints and Challenges to DeveJopment and Application of Biotechnology

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 12

The expected benefits of bIotechnology can only be reahzed if a number of key challenges are addressed, IncJudmg the extent to which the technologies are relevant to Afnca, are pro-poor and mitIgate blo-safety and reJated rIsks The challenge IS to ensure that poor farmers In Africa gaIn from bIotechnology, as the current focus of bIotechnology research on crops grown and dIsease straIns ]5 prevalent In developed, rather than developing countrIes ThIs challenge should be faced up agaInst the reahty that most Afncan countnes are not well equIpped to address the potentlal nsks of these technologIes to human and arumal health, and the enVlTonment

Major constrmnts to the use of biotechnology are the potentIal or perceIved nsks assOCIated WIth Its apphcatlon These Include genetIc eroston, productIOn of 'superweeds', antIbIotIC reSIstance, alJergy reactIons and bio-terrOrIsm

Other constraints Include Inappropnate approach to GMO research, lack of InstItutIonal and human resource capac rty , and lack of Investment Others Include lack of policy deCISIon and/or frameworks related to biotechnology, poor management of controverSIes, Inadequate Infrastructure, dIsarticulatIon of the NatIonal System of InnovatIon, poor regIOnal IntegratIon and cooperatIon and poor awareness on the advantages assOCIated WIth bIotechnology

ECA's Progress on Biotechnology

In recognItIon of the great potential of bIotechnology, ECA IS Increasing ItS support to enablIng Afncan countnes to realize the full contnbutlon that modern bIotechnology can Yield for the regIon's sustaInable development Dunng the WSSD, the CommisSIon released a report entitled 'HarneSSIng Technologies for SustainabJe Development', whIch argues that new and emergIng technolOgIes, such as blotechnologtes, can help Afnca move towards sustaInable development by lowerIng the InCIdence of dIsease, redUCIng food Insecunty, and decreasing vulnerabIlity to envIronmental damage by alloWlng more fleXIble crop management systems

Both CSD-2 and CNRST-2 acknowledged the challenges that Afnca faces In promotIng bIotechnology for sust81nable development CNRST2 noted that "advanced knowledge and applIcatlons In bIotechnology carry partICu1ar hope for reahZlng a Green Revolution

In AfrIca" CSD-2 also recognIzed the potentIal contnbutton of bIotechnology In agncultural IntensrficatIon, but also emphasIsed the potentIally negatIve Impacts that Its apphcatlon mIght have If the necessary precauttons are not taken, as hIghlighted by the rugbly charged debate on Genetically ModIfied Orgarusms (GMOs) These challenges he In the area of ECA's work on promotion of sCience and technology for sustaInable development, In which It has been qwte successful espeCially In the area ofICTs

To explore these chal1enges further, ECA convened an Expert Group MeetIng on Blotechno1ogy for AfrIca's SustaInable Development on 3-7 July 2002

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 13 The experts Identified key challenges and Intervention domaIns for each of the sectors, made specIfic recommendatIons for ECA to pursue In promotIng bIotechnology for development These Included the folloWIng

1 LIaIse WIth the three sub-reglonaJ AgncuJturaJ Research and Development organIzations In Africa (CORAF, ASARECA and SACCAR) In order to avoid duplIcatIon and ensure pnontization of Issues and effectIve utIhzatIon of funds for bIotechnology proJects,

2 FacIlItate the IntegratIon of biotechnology actIVIties In AfrIca WIthm NEP AD With a view to mlrumIZ1ng the above-mentIoned duphcatlon and maxImizIng collecttve efforts,

3 Put emphasIs on countnes wIth weak bIOtechnology capaCIties In order to promote eqUIty among countnes endeavoullng to share the benefit of blOtechnology,

4 Promote generatIon and shanng of knowledge and InformatIOn related to bIotechnology by establIshIng a websIte and strengtherung InformatIon exchange withIn regIonal networks to ensure effectIve networlang and InformatIon dl ssemlnatlon,

5 Produce Inventory documents on bIOtechnology by puttIng In place a commISSIon of capable experts In the field,

6 Promote R&D In bIotechnology by plaYing a faclhtattng role ^In traInIng, resource mobIlizatIOn, and shanng of methodologtes and expertIse, awareness creatIon, and Infrastructure buIldIng,

7 Document and audIt the avatIable resources (Infrastructure, human) actiVIties and funding sources, stakeholders of bIotechnology) on the contInent,

8 Faclhtate the transfer of blotechnologtes through traInIng, matenal transfer, Memorandum ofUnderstandtng (MoU), and field proJects,

9. Help adopt and Implement the AU, WHO and WIPO gwdehnes on Intellectual property nghts (IPR) and eqUItable benefit shanng, and

10 Promote pnvate and publIc partnershIp

Way Forward: Strategies Cor African Countries

AfrIca must seIze the day as other reglons _. partIcuiar1y ASIa -- are rushIng to catch up ChIna, IndIa and IndoneSIa are aJready planting mIllIons of acres of genetically modified cotton Other ASlan countnes, IncludIng Japan~ ThaIland, the PluhpPInes and MalaYSIa, are earmarktng slgnrficant resources for prIvate and government-sponsored research on bIotech crops AfrIca, whIch depends heaVIly on agnculture, stands to benefit from technologIes that can Increase the productIon of food, enhance Its nutnttonal quahty, and mInImIze the explOItatIon of forests and margmal lands The biggest nsk would be to do nothing and let the biotechnology revolution bypass the contlnent

BlOtechnoJogy IS not a SIngle solutIOn to feedIng the POOT, but a SUIte of technologIes to be embedded In estabhshed breedIng and selectIon programmes A range of optIOns are avaIlable to ensure that future bIotechnology InItiatIves can reach thelr fulJ potentIal for alleVIatIng poverty and achIevlng food secunty These Include, among others

ECAlSDD/CSD 3/6 Page 14

1 An Afncan-focused bIotechnology research programme In whIch emphasIs IS

laid on "orphan crops" partIcularly cassava, mIllet, sorghum, sweet potato and yams, and also on other cereals such as maize, nce and wheat,

2 Afncan-owned bIotechnology policIes whereby all the relevant stakeholders, namely, the CIVIl society, pnvate sector and fanner organizations are Involved In the formulatton of natIonal bIotechnology plans,

3 Estabhshment of natIonal regulatory InstItutions for nsk assessment and management, SInce most Afrlcan countrIes have weak human resource capacity to perform these functIons,

4 Increasing Investment In modem bIOtechnology research The current levels 10

most Afncan countnes are very low (hardly 2% of the total agncultural research funds),

5 PromotlOn of pubhc/pnvate sector partnershlpm modem bIOtechnology research, and

6 Strengthening the lInkages between modem crop biotechnology and Its use In practIcaJ plant breeding