The first All Africa Horticulture Congress (AAHC) took place in Nairobi-Kenya from 31 August to 3 September 2009. The Congress in itself was a great success for the many participants who attended (some 450 originating from 35 countries), but also for the variety of issues addressed. It was convened and organised by the Horticulture and Industrial Crops Division of KARI (Kenyan Agriculture Research Institute) in conjunction with FPEAK (Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya), GLOBALHORT and the International Society for Horticultural Science.
The themes of this congress broadly focused on Horticulture for improving livelihoods in Africa, through food security, health, environment, poverty alleviation and wealth creation. The congress also provided information on the trends in horticulture trade, the promotion of consumption of fruits and vegetables within local communities for improved health and better practices that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The congress was addressed by the Honourable W. Arap Ruto, Minister of Agriculture as Chief Guest. It was attended by important key organisations involved in the future of horticulture in Africa (viz. FAO, CIRAD, NEPAD, GFAR, Crops for the Future, ICIPE, CORAF, World Vegetable Center, and the recently instituted  Horticulture Council of Africa HCA) and at national level in Kenya including HAK - Horticulture Association of Kenya and HCDA - Horticulture Crops Development Authority.
Besides the plenary sessions the Congress offered the participants a series of side events and thematic workshops, three of which were convened, supported and facilitated by AGP:

(i)     Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture (UPH) and city supply
(ii)    Preparation of the PROFAV meeting for Anglophone countries of Africa
(iii)    HORTIVAR awareness and training

The conference programme also included field study visits to the following three initiatives that demonstrated aspects of horticultural supply/value chains in Kenya:

(a)    Production of small scale and large scale horticulture production in Thika and Mwea areas.
(b)    Post-harvest processing: Frikogen and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport export facilities.
(c)    Integrated Pest and Disease Management: Dudutech, flowers and vegetable growers in Naivasha.

Workshop on Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture and city supply
The FAO workshop on UPH and city supply brought together 62 participants originating from 27 countries. Presentations and contributions from different stakeholders allowed for a fruitful discussion and illustrated interesting examples that could serve as reference for several countries. The Kigali City experience showed the phased and carefully organised process implemented to formulate an UPH strategy and have it enforced by the political authorities as a component of the Kigali City Master Plan. The DRC experience showed how in a large country an appropriate institutional framework has been put in place with decentralised programme implementation responsibilities at the level of the municipalities. It also illustrates how technical units are operational for outreach to farmers. The Nairobi contribution provided a demonstration of how advanced technology like “satellite imaging” can be used as mapping tool to track and try safeguarding urban greenery and areas reserved for UPH activities. UPA is not only about food safety, but also about water safety. Two presentations, one from Ghana and one from Kenya emphasized the need for adequate strategies of risk management for waste water use in combination with consumers’ health protection. Finally, FAO proposed to foster a more intensive dialogue among the stakeholders of UPH from field to fork so that the UPH chain could be developed to the benefit of all concerned, from growers to consumers. In this connection, the participants agreed on the timeliness of FAO proposal for an international symposium on UPH. “It is time to take stock of what has happened during the last 10 years since FAO was officially mandated to assist its member countries in developing and monitoring UPH”. The justification of this international symposium which is scheduled in 2010 is to: i) enhance the visibility of UPH and assess its contribution to urban food supply and nutrition; ii) capitalize on current experiences and knowledge, and; iii) foster initiatives and networking.

Pre-PROFAV meeeting
This meeting was convened as an awareness creating event in preparation of the PROFAV (Production of Fruits and Vegetables) regional meeting for Anglophone countries of Africa scheduled for end 2009 or early 2010. It was convened as an open plenary working session, following the formal closure of the AAHC, and was attended by 87 people from 26 countries. The meeting helped to raise awareness among AAHC delegates about the WHO-FAO fruit and vegetables for health initiative as an “overarching” programme that gives an additional strength to the many arguments pro-horticulture. As a result, horticulture becomes an aspect of “public health strategies” and this in turn facilitates the multi-sectorial and multidisciplinary approach involving key ministries (agriculture, health, education, research) and different stakeholders of the production, supply, and consumption chain that is required for useful action. Alongside FAO and WHO as the leading agencies, the fruit and vegetables for health initiative requires integrated action with other international organisations like WFP and UNICEF and should be on the agenda of regional and pan-African agricultural research and development institutions/programmes like NEPAD and CORAF.
The fruitful discussions provided insight to important topics that will need to be considered for the elaboration of the PROFAV meeting programme, such as the role of local, traditional fruits and vegetables in improving domestic supply and availability and analysis of factors in success/failure of related initiatives.

HORTIVAR
Three awareness creating sessions on HORTIVAR (www.fao.org/hortivar) were held, attended by a total of 33 persons originating from 18 countries. Additionally, more advanced training for the use of Hortivar was provided for 6 beneficiaries who registered as Hortivar partners. The test version of the HORTIVAR basic training module was distributed to selected participants. In view of the considerable interest for Hortivar, it is envisaged to prepare an action plan for HORTIVAR in Africa. The objective is to capture the current information available on the performance of horticulture cultivars in Africa and load it in HORTIVAR. This information will serve as background for a key-note presentation on “Hortivar in Africa” to be presented at the next AAHC that will take place in Nelspruit South Africa in 2012.