Malaysia shares how food security and nutrition can be enhanced through devolved governance

Rome/Kuala Lumpur, 10 October 2017. An eight-member Kenyan delegation, led by James Wachiuri Wanjohi, Technical Advisor to the  Principal Secretary/State Department of Agriculture, spent one week in  Malaysia learning how decentralized mechanisms can help turn national food security and nutrition policy into action.

In 2010 Kenya adopted a devolved governance system and 47 new county governments were established. The Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) along with the county governments requested FAO to support their understanding of how decentralization can support their Agriculture Sector Growth and Transformation Strategy (ASGTS). The strategy is supported through the joint FAO - European Union programme on “Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST)”.

In response, FAO facilitated a South-South Cooperation study tour to Malaysia, Indonesia, Peru and Ecuador, who also operate through decentralized governance and have lessons to share

Why Malaysia?

Since 1963, Malaysia’s governance system has been decentralized into Federal and States.  There are 13 States and one Federal Territory (comprising of three regions: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan). In some cases the administrative roles stretch to local governments. With regards to food and nutrition security, Malaysia set up inter-governmental and inter-sectoral organizational structures at national, state and district levels to prioritize, develop, implement and monitor programmes.   

The Study Tour

The Kenyan delegates met with a wide range of actors at national and local level responsible for food security and nutrition policy and programmes.  These included a number of Federal and State-level stakeholders including the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry (MoA), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister’s Department who plays a crucial role in the strategic programme planning and budgeting for the national development of Malaysia. Delegates also met with the Farmer’s Organization Authority of Malaysia (FOA), Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA), the East Coast Economic Regional Development Council (ECERDC) as well as the Selangor State Agricultural Development Cooperation. 

The study tour also included a visit to the State of Sarawak, located on the Island of Borneo, which enabled delegates to meet with the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA),  Ministry of Modernization of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, Sarawak (MANRED), and visit a number of different programme implementation field sites: one on rice production (‘anchor-company’ model led by the Ceria Group), and another on aquaculture (community-based and SME-led Tilapia Cage Culture) and vegetable farming and (Poh Lian Vegetable Farm vegetable). The Kenya team also had the opportunity to visit the Puri Empurau Farm, where indigenous fish are a high-value commodity targeting high-end niche markets. 

The Study Tour provided the Kenyan delegation with the opportunity to witness state-level involvement in food security and nutrition programmes. While not all policies and programmes are directly relevant for Kenya, participants took away a number of lessons and a report and action plan will be drafted. Further policy dialogue is envisioned when delegates return to Kenya to share lessons learnt with a wider set of stakeholders.

In addition, the study tour has potentially catalysed further and deeper collaboration between Kenya and Malaysia in the dairy and fishery (indigenous fish) sectors. Teams on both sides will explore how a South-South Cooperation Programme could build on the study tour to boost food security and nutrition through these sectors in both countries.  

Key lessons learnt

“In Malaysia we have learnt about the synchronisation of agricultural projects by different government agencies; joint planning and budgeting systems; government support to private sectors and public private partnership models to develop the agricultural sector; consolidation of land strategy” said Mr Robert Kiteme, Agriculture Research Officer with the Council of Governors.  “I was impressed by the many institutions that have been set up to support the community in agricultural development. Each of the institutions - whether at the federal or state level - has a clear mandate that allows them to function without duplication.” said Mr Stanley Munyeri Mbagathi, Senior Policy Advisor to the Joint Agricultural Sector Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism. He also noted that “my only concern was the high level of government subsidy which in my country could not be sustainable, nevertheless I noted that for agriculture to grow and food security and food sovereignty to be achieved, subsidy is a necessity.” 

Two-way dialogue showed that Kenya has something to offer Malaysia, as Dr Christopher Humphrey Wanga, the Acting Director of Livestock Policy Research and Regulations Directorate MoALF Kenya, reflected “Malaysia could also study the Kenya’s successful dairy sector to further improve their own dairy production potential”.