GFAR/FAO/ASARECA
17-19 SEPTEMBER 2001
Let me begin by
introducing ECAPAPA for which I work. ECAPAPA stands for Eastern and Central
Africa Programme for Agricultural Policy Analysis. It was established by
ASARECA in late 1997. The goal of ECAPAPA is to improve the policy environment
in the ECA region for the purpose of enhancing agricultural technology
generation and adoption, to raise economic growth and reduce poverty and
environmental degradation. Just as FOODNET, it is one of the Programmes under
ASARECA. The major difference between ECAPAPA and the other ASARECA Networks,
Programmes and Projects is that is does not have an International Agricultural
Research Centre technically or administratively backstopping it but is
supported administratively through the ASARECA Secretariat and that is the
reason for our being located in Entebbe.
From the presentations
made and discussions held yesterday, it is quite apparent that there are
significant policies and institutional issues which must be addressed if the
post harvest sector in Africa is to function optimally. To help towards that
effect, I would like to share with you an approach, call it policy change
methodology if you like, which ASARECA/ECAPAPA adopted to tackle one of the key
issues related to agricultural production in the Eastern and Central African
region, namely the supply of high quality seeds. We are demonstrating this
approach because from all the key stakeholders involved we have been told the
Project has been quite successful in changing and improving on the landscape of
the Seed sector in the countries in which the Project is being carried out. I
am going to just give the generic approach with the hope that it could used
and/or modified to address some of the policy issues and institutional
deficiencies mentioned yesterday and those which may yet be to be identified as
the workshop proceeds.
Back to the project on
the Harmonization of Seed Policies and Regulations in Eastern Africa.
The Project is part of a
larger effort of the World Bank’s Sub-Saharan Seed Initiative. The initial
phase of the Project, which began in 1998, focused on the three East African
Countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It has since been expanded to include
Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Rwanda.
After realizing the
significant constraints as far as policies and regulations of the seed sector
were concerned, the ASARECA/ECAPAPA Project identified three levels of
intervention:
Technical Level: At the technical level
of intervention agreement would be reached on standard laws, procedures and
regulations for the. In our case this would mean identifying technology, policy
and institutional constraints of the post harvest sector. This level of
intervention is based on the premise that it is only when we use empirical
evidence and arguments based on solid science that we can confidently advocate
for needed policy changes. In the example of the Seed Project, we found it
helpful to use independent experts to collect and analyze the data which was
then used for dialogue with the technical experts. For Kenya we used a private
consultant who had worked with the CGIAR for a long time, for Tanzania we got
al a professor from Sokoine University of Agriculture and for Uganda we got a
Scientist from NARO
Political Level: The aim here is to seek
political consensus among the key stakeholders in the post harvest sector;
government officials, the industry and other interest groups based on the
agreed-on technical standards, laws and regulations.
Legislative Level: Legislative level of
interventions provide the necessary inputs and mechanisms to enact/amend the
required laws and regulations, and promulgate the necessary policies and
institutional arrangements. Legislation gives us the legal framework to guide
what has been agreed at the political level. This is also necessary to ensure
that the playing field is level and every actor is subject to the same rules.
Stage 1: Policy Data is the gathering of
evidence of technology technology/policy impact and spillover, and providing
information to inform policy choices. The idea is to use reliable systematic
data to say how much any particular technology (such as hybrid maize) or policy
change (such as market liberalization) was affecting farm production, household
well-being or environmental conditions.
Stage 2: Policy Analysis: Closely related to
stage one above, this mainly aims strengthening knowledge to inform for policy
choices. This helps to provide evidence of investment priorities and policy
effects
Stage 3: Policy Dialogue: Communicating and
advocating for the policy recommendations on the basis of the analysis done at
stage 2
Stage 4: Policy Action; implementing
agreed-upon policy change.
Conclusion:
From the Seed Project
approach, the following could be cited as some of the key lessons learnt:
intense and active key stakeholder participation, patience, flexibility and
constant dialogue with the key stakeholders.
We do hope that the
ASARECA/ECAPAPA approach would contribute towards improving on the existing
institutional and policy constraints in the post harvest sector.