Eastern African Working Papers

Contents

1. Chapter 2 A Review of Agricultural and Economic Development in the ECA sub-region Extract from ASARECA Strategic Plan 113

2. An overview of Maize in Uganda, by Ambrose Agona, Jane Nabawanuka H. Muyinza (NARO) 130

3. An overview of horticulture in Uganda by Ambrose Agona and H. Muyinza (NARO) 140

4. An overview of Coffee in Uganda By Roni Babigumira (IFPRI) 146

5. Overview of the postharvest sector in Burundi By Gahungu Tharcisse (ISABU) 150

6. An Overview of Tef and Durum Wheat Production In Ethiopia by Teklu Tesfaye (EARO) 154

7. An Overview of Irish Potatoes, Roses and Maize in Kenya By Prof Edward Karuri (University of Nairobi) 166

8. Overview of sorghum and Millet in Sudan by Babiker Hassan Hamid (ARC) 183

9. An Overview of Maize and Cashew Nuts in Tanzania by G. Ndunguru and N. Mlingi (TFNC) 191

10. Postharvest aspects for Roots and Tubers in Kivu zone Democratic Republic of Congo By Phemba Phezo (INERA) 208

11. The agro/Food processing sector in Madagascar By Roger Lalao Ranaivoson and Victor Rakotoiana (FOFIFA) 213

A Review of Agricultural and Economic Development in the ECA sub-region

By G. Mrema and Shaun Ferris*

Executive Secretary ASARECA

*Foodnet Co-ordinator

Introduction

The Eastern and Central Africa sub-region, comprising of the ten countries (Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire) whose NARI’s constitute the founder members of ASARECA is large, with a total area of 8.021 million ha and with widely differing climatic, edaphic and biotic conditions. Agriculture is the major sector of the economies of the countries in the sub-region, contributing between 29-60% of the GDP, 66-100% of the exports and employing between 68-92% of the population. (Table 1).

Agriculture will remain, at least for the next two decades, a major sector in the economies of the countries in the ECA sub- region. As the World Bank has noted, in its major review of economic developments in Sub-Saharan Africa, that transforming agriculture in Africa (including the ECA sub- region) in the 1990s and beyond is a formidable task (IBRD, 1989).

This sector must not only produce adequate food to feed a rapidly increasing population, but it must also increase production of export crops in increasingly competitive world markets as well as be a major employer of an increasing labour force. To achieve this African agriculture has to be transformed and the challenge of doing this includes:-

Transforming agriculture and expanding its productive capacity is the prerequisite for improving living standards in SSA. To achieve food security, food production will have to grow at about 4% a year. Beyond that, to raise incomes and meet Africa's export needs, the production of export crops must grow by no less than 4% a year.

Thus Africa must set its target for long-term agricultural growth not lower than 4 % a year. This will be no easy task. During the past 30 years, agricultural production in SSA has risen by only 2 % a year. Agricultural exports have declined, and food imports are increasing at about 7% a year. Despite the rapid growth in food imports, an average of about 100 million people in the early 1980s were undernourished - many more in years of poor harvests.

Severe food shortages are now widespread, drought and famine have been common in the 1980s. Such transitory shortfalls are even more damaging against a background of chronic food insecurity. Africa's future is at stake. The best minds must be put to work, the best policies and practices must be sought, and a new sense of urgency must drive efforts on every level to accomplish the task" [IBRD(1989)l

Transforming African agriculture, will remain a critical issue for the governments on this continent, including those in the ECA sub-region. In this respect, agricultural research institutions in the sub-region, will play a critical and catalytic role in the process of transforming agricultural production, to increase its productivity

In this chapter, a brief review of economic and agricultural developments, which have occurred over the past 3 decades, focusing on technological issues in the ECA sub-region, is presented. This is followed by the Team's analysis of the major challenges/issues facing the agricultural sector in the next 2 decades. Implications of these challenges/issues to the Agricultural Research Systems (be they national, international or private sector) are then presented. Major assumptions on agricultural development in the sub-region which the Team has taken note of, in developing the Strategic Plan for Regional Agricultural Research Programmes which need to be implemented under the auspices of ASARECA, are presented.

Table 2.1 Economic indicators

	Burundi	Eritrea	Ethiopia	Kenya	Madagascar	Rwanda	Sudan	Uganda	Tanzania	DRC
Land area 000km^2	26	101	1000	569	582	25	2367	884	200	2267
Population million 95	6.3		56.4	26.7	13.7	6.4	26.7	29.6	19.2	43.8
Pop Growth Rate % 85-95	2.8		2.6	2.1	2.1	0.6	2.2	3.1	3	3.2
Pop Density per 1000 ha 93	2347	331	471	464	238	3062	112	371	999	182
Life expectancy at birth 95	49		49	58	52	46	54	51