Statement of the
Director-General
to the Twenty-first FAO Regional Conference for
Africa
Yaoundé, Cameroon, 20-24 February
2000
Mr Prime Minister,
Mr Chairman of the Regional Conference,
Mr Independent Chairman of the Council,
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Introduction
It is a great pleasure for me to be present among you
in this beautiful city of Yaoundé, on the occasion
of the 21st FAO Regional Conference for Africa.
Allow me, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of all the
participants at this Conference, to thank the highest
authorities of the Republic of Cameroon for their warm
welcome and hospitality.
State of food and agriculture in the world
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The world is undergoing a rapid pace of globalisation,
and inter-dependence with borders increasingly opened
economically.
In 1999, world cereal production, estimated at about
1872 million tonnes, is expected to be about one percent
down from 1998, and two percent down from 1997 which was
however a bumper year. The only expected increase is for
rice, while wheat and other cereal harvests will be
lower.
For the first time in four years, projected cereal
consumption will exceed production, leading to a drawdown
of stocks of 8 million tonnes and leaving 334 million
tonnes, which gives a stock-to-utilization ratio of 17.4
percent, which is within the safety margin of 17 to 18
percent.
Not surprisingly, the 1999/2000 marketing season
should see an increase of over three percent in world
cereal trade, which should amount to 222 million tonnes.
Yet, cereal prices on world markets are generally lower
than last year, a positive factor for the low-income
food-deficit countries.
Another encouraging sign is from the fisheries sector,
where a partial recovery in output was achieved in 1999
from the heavy losses incurred the previous year.
However, the most positive factor is the reduction by
40 million of the total number of malnourished people in
developing countries between 1990-92 and 1995-97, as
indicated in the first FAO report on The State of Food
Insecurity in the World. This reduction of about 8
million people per year on average is encouraging, but
still far below the figure of 20 million required to
achieve the objective of the World Food Summit.
Emergency situations
Within a global picture where the number of
undernourished people in developing countries is
declining, but insufficiently and unevenly, in 1999 a
total of 35 countries worldwide faced food emergencies.
Whilst in the 1970s and 1980s, food emergencies were
mainly the result of natural catastrophes, in more recent
years man-made disasters, including war, civil strife and
financial and economic crises, have shown an upward
trend
In Africa, civil strife and recurrent droughts are the
major causes of emergency situations, whilst in Asia
millions of people have seen their basic access to food
eroded by the decline in their purchasing power brought
about by the financial crisis of 1997/1998. In Latin
America, most countries are still recovering from the
devastation caused by El Niño and Hurricane Mitch
in 1998, aggravated in 1999 by a severe cyclone and
disastrous flooding in Venezuela. In the Near East, the
worst drought in decades seriously reduced food
production in several countries in 1999.
FAO, which must first assess the food and agriculture
situation and food aid needs, and then report back to the
international community, has had to make heavy use of the
Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and
Agriculture. The System also collaborates with an
extensive network of governmental and non-governmental
organizations, in particular WFP and the UNDP.
Emergency situations also require that FAO help revive
agricultural production in the framework of consolidated
appeals for humanitarian assistance, especially by
providing direct assistance to farmers. In 1999, FAO's
Special Relief Operations Service intervened with
emergency assistance in 67 countries. The resources
available for such assistance have steadily increased
over the past years, rising from US$ 98 million in 1998
to US$ 186 million in 1999.
FAO is currently implementing 72 emergency projects
for a total value of US$ 31 million in 25 African
countries. The assistance consists of seed and tool
distribution, transboundary diseases and pest control,
assistance to artisanal fisheries, livestock restocking
and other initiatives helping farmers regain their
production capacity and reduce their dependency on food
aid.
Other "crises"
But, the world also faces other "crises" relating to
the quality of food products and the risks linked to
rapid progress in biotechnology. "Mad cow" disease,
dioxins in the food chain, and disagreements over trade
in genetically modified organisms are serious causes of
concern for governments and public debate.
FAO will have to play a greater role in establishing
scientifically-based international standards and in
disseminating objective information on potential risks
and measures of protection.
To this end, the Commission on Genetic Resources is
actively preparing Codes of Conduct. The programmes of
the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques for
Food and Agriculture will be broadened to include the
Codex Alimentarius, plant and animal health issues and
biotechnology problems. As for questions of ethics, these
are being examined by an internal committee supported by
a panel of international experts.
State of food and agriculture in Africa
Now, let us focus on Africa. During the last three
years, a number of African economies in general continued
to grow, despite the slowdown in world trade and the
re-emergence of civil conflict. First-round effects of
the Asian crisis were more muted on the continent than
elsewhere, except for South Africa. Food production,
small-scale enterprises and intra-African trade are also
expanding. This growth stems from government efforts to
create investor incentives, better manage public
resources and promote the private sector provision of
goods and services. Such efforts can only be sustained in
an environment of political stability, democratization
and decentralization.
In Africa, agriculture still remains the dominant
sector and its recovery in 1998 and 1999 was decisive for
GDP growth. Good weather and reforms to improve the
availability and distribution of modern inputs, and
access to credit, contributed towards this result.
However, the elimination of subsidies and the reduction
of public extension services have negatively affected
small agricultural producers. In addition, the efforts of
African countries to achieve food self-sufficiency have
been hampered by the decline in donor support for rural
development projects, and by the reduction of investment
in rural social services.
In 1998-99, the rate of growth of agricultural
productivity was lower than the rate of population
growth, estimated at 3%, thus placing undue pressure on
land and other natural resources. Growth in output during
this period is therefore due to an expansion of
cultivated area.
The rate of growth was about 1 percent for cereals,
5.2 percent for roots and tubers, 5.7 percent for pulses
and 4.2 percent for oil crops. Expansion of cultivated
area contributed to the tune of 30 percent for cereals,
86.5 percent for roots and tubers, 50.9 percent for
pulses and 59.5 percent for oil crops.
For crops vegetables and fruits, the rates of growth
of output were 1.2 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively,
entirely due to expansion in area because yields declined
by 0.5 percent per year for vegetables and 0.6 percent
per year for fruits.
Livestock production increased in 1998/99 at an annual
1.1 percent for meat and 1.7 percent for milk.
Low yields therefore persist despite the significant
investments that have taken place in research and
extension in Africa by donors who have typically
contributed about 40 percent of research funds. High
returns continue to be recorded on research stations and
demonstration plots but the products and technologies
developed by international agricultural research centres
(IARS) and national agricultural research centres (NARS)
have yet to be widely adopted by farmers. A central
thrust of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security,
which is being implemented in an increasing number of
African countries, is to find a lasting solution to this
situation.
May I also mention that during the past two years, the
African agricultural research community and its partners
have decided to do better. Under the auspices of the
Special Programme for African Agricultural Research
(SPAAR) they have developed a Vision for making
agricultural research an engine for poverty alleviation,
food security and economic growth. The Vision calls for
reforms to empower stakeholders and to make research
institutions demand-driven. It emphasizes the need for
sustainable funding and for enhanced regional integration
so that agricultural research in Africa can be more
effective.
Annual commercial food imports have risen rapidly to
bridge the gap between domestic food production and
demand, with an increase of 15.1 percent for cereals and
6.5 percent for milk products. There is therefore a
growing dependency on the outside if we add food aid to
these imports.
Although food insecurity has increased, marked
progress has been made in some countries. According to
the FAO report on The State of Food Insecurity in the
World 1999, 22 of the 40 countries that have made
significant progress in meeting the World Food Summit
target are in Africa. Furthermore, the 5 countries in the
world that have registered the largest reductions in
malnutrition are in Africa.
Against this background, FAO has reinforced its
technical assistance to member countries in areas
relating to food security, reduction of poverty and
sustainable use of natural resources.
Achievements of the Organization
FAO's activities during the 1998/99 have focused in
particular on the recommendations of the 20th Regional
Conference held in Addis-Ababa in February 1998.
- Technical expertise in the region has been
strengthened through the transfer of 39 and 23
professionals to the Regional and Sub-regional
Offices, respectively.
- Technical assistance to member countries has
continued with the aim of building national
policy-making capacity, defining the respective roles
of the public sector, private sector, NGOs and civil
society in order to enhance food security at all
levels, giving due consideration to women and
children. To this end, a regional workshop was
organized in 1998 on the nature and extent of public
assistance to agriculture. FAO also enabled them to
monitor and evaluate the follow-up activities of the
World Food Summit.
- FAO has developed its cooperation with regional
organizations, such as the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), the Commission of the West
African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the
Central African Economic and Monetary Community
(CEMAC) and the Inter-Governmental Authority for
Development (IGAD), in the preparation of their
regional strategies for food security.
- FAO has fostered its relations with other UN
agencies and African organizations and commissions.
The Organization has been involved in the United
Nations Development Assistance Framework and in the
United Nations Special Initiative on Africa.
- At the country programme level, FAO developed 118
non-emergency technical assistance projects and
programmes.
In addition, during the course of the biennium, the
Organization has continued to provide technical
assistance to member countries of the region in the areas
of:
- Natural resource use and management: Nine
workshops were organized to examine the control of
land degradation, land and water development,
fertiliser use, and transfer of irrigation technology.
An expert consultation on water for food was also
held. Four small-scale irrigation projects were
initiated and a regional environmental information
management project is in progress in the Congo
Basin.
- Crop development: A number of activities
were carried out at national level. by Farmers' Field
Schools in eight countries to promote integrated
protection, to improve plant genetic resources and
seed production, to develop new crop varieties and to
disseminate this information on the Internet. A
regional workshop was held in 1999 to formulate a
global strategy to increase cassava production.
- Livestock development: FAO provided support
against African Swine Fever in ten countries of West
Africa; against ticks, rinderpest and contagious
bovine pleuropneumonia in Central and West Africa;
against trypanosomiasis in Southern and West Africa;
and against gastro-intestinal parasites in small
ruminants in Southern and East Africa. Implementation
of the FAO Global Strategy for the Management of Farm
Animal Genetic Resources was pursued in 1998/99 in
collaboration with the OAU/International Bureau for
Animal resources (IBAR) and the International
Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in the SADC
countries.
- Agricultural support systems: FAO
participated in two meetings held by the West and
Central African Farming Systems Network (AASFRET) and
the Eco-regional Programme of the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). An
international workshop on Urban and Peri-urban
Agriculture in West Africa was organized jointly with
the International Board for Soil Research and
Management (IBSRAM) in 1999. Water harvesting studies
were carried out in seven countries. A participatory
community planning method (PCP) based on the Asian
experience is also currently being tested.
- Research and technology: FAO organized an
Expert Consultation on sustainable development and
food security, and continued to support and
collaborate with the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system,
the Special Programme for African Agricultural
Research (SPAAR) and sub-regional research
organizations, namely the Association for
Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and
Central Africa (ASARECA), the West and Central African
Council for Agricultural research and Development
(CORAF), and the Southern African Centre for
Coordination of Agricultural Research and Training
(SACCAR).
- Rural development: FAO continued to support
the programme of the Technology Transfer Centre at
community level. Twenty-two centres of participatory
demonstration on adaptive research and extension have
been set up and seven centres have been established in
West Africa. A regional project is being formulated to
define the technology transfer concept at grassroots
level.
- Women in agricultural and rural
development: Activities have continued to be
organized during the biennium within the FAO/WID Plan
of Action. A guide was developed on how to integrate
gender concerns into water control activities. Under
the current round of agricultural censuses, FAO is
supporting member countries to enhance the collection
of gender disaggregated data.
- Food and nutrition: FAO and WHO continued
to provide support for the development of National
Plans of Action for Nutrition (NPAN) which have been
finalized in 21 African countries, are being developed
in 20 countries and are under formulation in 6 others.
FAO also provided technical assistance to 22 countries
to ensure the quality and safety of marketed food. A
workshop on promoting household food security in
Eastern and Southern Africa was held in late
1998.
- Food and agricultural information and
analysis: FAO provided assistance to 47 countries
to improve their capacity to compile reliable
agricultural statistics and to establish sustainable
data collection systems.
- Food and agricultural policy: FAO has
provided assistance:
- to 35 member countries in the design of
policies, strategies, plans of action and
investment programmes for agricultural and rural
development; and
- to member countries to strengthen their
institutional capacities and to enable them to
participate actively and effectively in the WTO
rounds of negotiation. Two regional workshops have
been held for 11 French-speaking ECOWAS countries
and five North African countries. Other workshops
for English-speaking ECOWAS countries, the SADC
countries and those of the Central African Economic
and Monetary Community (CEMAC) have been scheduled
for the first half of this year. A workshop for the
remaining English-speaking countries of Africa and
for the members of the Intergovernmental Authority
on Development (IGAD) is scheduled for this
year.
- Fisheries: The main activities undertaken
during the period include:
- The organization of two meetings of experts,
and assistance to 14 countries in the preparation
of viable aquaculture programmes, and in the
assessment and management of important fishery
resources, through one workshop and three working
groups;
- Implementation of a project to reduce the
negative environmental impact of shrimp and trawl
fisheries; and to provide training in sustainable
fishing practices and quality and safety of fishery
products;
- Application of the Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries through the organization of
two conferences, one seminar and three
workshops.
- Forestry: FAO has organized 11 sub-regional
workshops and technical expert consultations on forest
genetic resources, criteria and indicators for
sustainable forest management and management of
protected areas. Six studies on bushmeat, forest
products, non-wood products, wood-based energy and
bushfires were carried out. Thirty projects are
currently underway in several member countries, with
assistance from the Organization, aimed at helping
countries enhance their institutions, foster
sustainable resource development and raise the
contribution to food security.
- Investment Programme: FAO has helped
prepare 23 investment projects approved by cooperating
financial institutions. Total investments for these
projects amounted to US$ 704.63 million, including US$
432.24 million in external loans, mainly from the
World Bank/International Development Association
(WB/IDA), the African Development Bank/Fund
(AfDB/AfDF), IFAD and the UN Capital Development Fund
(UNCDF).
Other achievements
With respect to the Emergency Prevention Systems
(EMPRES), activities have centred on:
- The control and prevention of Rift Valley Fever in
East Africa and the Horn of Africa; African Swine
Fever in West Africa; the training of technicians to
reinforce early warning expertise and improve
emergency preparedness capacities against rinderpest,
contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, Newcastle disease
and foot-and-mouth disease.
- Preventive Desert Locust control measures were
undertaken in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden areas as
well as in North and West Africa.
To date, the Special Programme for Food Security
(SPFS) is fully operational in 30 countries and under
formulation in 14 others in Africa. Within the SPFS
context, the Organization has followed up with
implementation of trilateral cooperation involving
African countries, other developing countries and FAO
under the South-South Cooperation initiative. Countries
participating so far include China, Cuba, India, and
Vietnam, in addition to two African countries, Egypt and
Morocco.
Implementation of the Food Insecurity and
Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS)
is being conducted at international and especially
national level, with the full cooperation of the UN
system partners in the framework on an interagency
committee. Initial activities commenced in some eight
countries in 1999. The FIVIMS is thus helping design and
implement appropriate policies and programmes to combat
food insecurity and poverty.
Agenda of the Regional Conference
Mr. Prime Minister,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen
This Twenty-first Regional Conference has set itself
the task of examining some of the key issues relating to
the fight against food insecurity and vulnerability, and
the degradation of natural resources in Africa. You will
thus be called upon to examine:
- The challenges of sustainable forestry
development to maximize the sustainable
contribution of trees and forests to national economic
and social development, promote the conservation and
improvement of trees, forest systems and their genetic
resources, reduce the risks and mitigate the impact of
calamities in forest areas, and strengthen national
institutions and capacities.
- Public assistance to agricultural
development to highlight its central role in the
process of agricultural growth and development, as
well as measures to develop the institutional
framework and general policies to enhance the
mobilisation and allocation of public resources to
agriculture.
- Integration of sustainable aquaculture and
rural development to ensure corresponding social
and institutional viability through sustainable
development policies integrated within the overall
agricultural system.
- World Food Summit follow-up and notably the
Special Programme for Food Security to evaluate
progress made and difficulties encountered as well as
measures to reinforce South-South cooperation, and
define the conceptual aspects of food security,
questions of parity and the role of different
products.
Mr. Prime Minister,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You have before you an important and inspiring task in
the fight against hunger and poverty on the continent. I
therefore eagerly await the outcome of your deliberations
and wish you every success in your work.
