In Rwanda, policies are in place which supports the creation of links and coherence between social protection and agriculture. (Photo: ©FAO/Roberto Faidutti)

5 May 2016, Kigali - FAO Representative to Rwanda Mr. Attaher Maiga underscored the importance of linking social protection with agriculture and nutrition to help reduce poverty and hunger worldwide.

“FAO, together with many other partners recognize that social protection measures are very much needed to be linked coherently with agriculture and nutrition,” he said.

“In Rwanda, policies are in place which supports the creation of links and coherence between social protection and agriculture. In this policy dialogue today, we can take up this mandate and carry it further,” he added.

Mr. Maiga was speaking at a multi sector high-level meeting and policy dialogue on coherence between social protection and agriculture - held in Kigali on May 5 2016, Rwanda - themed: “Reducing poverty and hunger by bringing together agriculture and social protection”.

Some 57 participants from the Ministries of Agriculture and Local Government, Gender and Family planning, Members of Parliament, government institutions and development partners such as EU and DFID attended the meeting organized by Ministry of Local Government in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Other groups included financial institutions such as Banque Populaire and the Development Bank of Rwanda, UNICEF, farmers’ platforms, civil society and NGO’s including Action Aid, VSO and Concern.

Mr. Vincent Munyeshyaka, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Local Government, noted that the policy dialogue between government and representatives was taking place at the right time.

“We need strong programmes and projects and an Action Plan to measure the impact of our interventions on graduation out of poverty,” he said, adding that a framework was needed to ensure that the two sectors, agriculture and social protection, work together.

Mr.Innocent Musabyimana, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources pointed that coordination in partnership was key to successful social protection and agriculture interventions. “It is important that all of us here join our efforts,” he added.

Background

There is growing acknowledgement that social protection and agricultural interventions can be meaningfully combined towards reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition in rural areas.

This occurs by facilitating productive inclusion, improving risk-management capacities, and increasing agricultural productivity. Recent policy declarations at global and regional levels emphasize that, together, agriculture and social protection can play an important role in tackling poverty and hunger.

For instance, the 39th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) urged member states to strengthen coordination between agriculture and food security and social protection (CFS, 2012).

Several African policy initiatives and declarations explicitly call for stronger coordination and combination between the two spheres, such as the 2003 Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

In Africa, FAO has focused and integrated its work through three key development initiatives. They respond to the priorities of member-states and will achieve demonstrable impact in a time bound manner on targeted beneficiaries.

They call for accelerated action by member countries in the fight against hunger (Africa’s Commitment to End Hunger by 2025); promote sustainable proven innovative practices and principles of production and post-production processes (Sustainable Production Intensification and Value Chain Development in Africa); and aim at strengthening resilience among vulnerable farming communities and pastoralists (Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands).

 Useful links:

Strengthening Coherence between Agriculture and Social Protection to Combat Poverty and Hunger in Africa: Framework for Analysis and Action (FAO Publication)

FAO Regional Initiatives in Africa

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