Report of the Africa Regional Consultation on the Global Cassava Development Strategy

co-sponsored by

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)

held in

Accra, Ghana

01 to 03 , 1999

Background

In May, 1996, during a meeting convened by IFAD in its Rome Headquarters, the Global Cassava Development Strategy was launched. The meeting, attended by representatives of donor agents, international and regional organisations and selected NARS, recognised cassava as a food security and commercial crop that lends itself to a commodity approach to poverty alleviation. It was also recognised that cassava plays an important role in income generation and reducing the risk of food shortage in developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America where poverty is widespread.

A Global Strategy was considered necessary to:

1. Identify the opportunities for further public and private investments;
2. Develop a framework for international technical co-operation for research and technology transfer;
3. Identify more cost-effective institutional mechanisms for rationalizing and increasing the allocation of public and private resources for research and investment; and
4. Set the scene for future debates on global issues.
   

As agreed during the first meeting, a Global Cassava Development Strategy requires a coalition of stakeholders including cassava producers and their organisations, Governments, donors, technical and research institutions and their networks, NGOs and their networks, and the private sector, in order to achieve the objectives listed above.

The strategy is being developed from a number of country case studies and regional reviews, as well as thematic papers focusing some important aspects of the cassava sub-sector such as markets, environmental issues and gender implications. In a review workshop held in June 1997 in Rome, a schedule for completion of the Strategy was decided upon. The plans covered the preparation of a draft Strategy document which would be distributed to regional/international bodies and individuals for comments and modifications. It was also agreed that a series of consultation meetings would be organised in order to obtain feedback from stakeholders.

The Accra Regional Consultation Meeting for West and Central Africa was the fifth and last of a series that started in 1998. Other meetings were: skateboard games

1. For Eastern and Southern Africa in March, 1998, in Kampala, Uganda
2. For Latin America and the Caribbean in April 1998, in Cali, Colombia
3. For African researchers, during the Symposium of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops - Africa Branch, in October 1998, in Cotonou, Benin
4. For Asia, in December, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand
   

The RO has been involved in the Strategy since the first brainstorming meeting held in Rome in 1996, first as representative of Latin American NARS. The RO also organised the preparation of Brazil's country case study for the Strategy and attended the Consultation meetings held in Cali (as representative of Brazil) and Cotonou (as FAO representative).

A Progress Review meeting was scheduled to take place in Rome, in the first week of June, 1999. We took advantage of the presence of the key people/institutions involved in the Strategy in Accra and decided to held the Progress Review on 04 June. The next step of the process is the Global meeting to be convened by IFAD in November, 1999, in Rome. During the meeting the final document and the implementation plan will be presented.

The Regional Consultation

The Regional Consultation meeting for West and Central Africa was held in the FAORAF headquarters attending a request made by IFAD. Due to lack of proper information on number of participants and delayed information the meeting, which was supposed to take place from 10 to 14 May, was postponed to 01-03 June as suggested by FAO and 1ITA. FAO-RAF provided the necessary administrative support and nominated a representative for the meeting's Organisation Committee. FAO Headquarters provided support in preparation of the meeting's programme and materials, as well as making the necessary arrangements for air ticket allocation and payment of DAS, using IFAD's funds (Investment Centre).

The Programme of the meeting and List of Participants are attached as Annexes 1 and 2. A total of 12 African countries were represented, 11 of them from West and Central Africa. Participants from Uganda (representing the Eastern Africa Root Crops Research Network), Colombia and Thailand (representing CIAT and Latin American/Asian Stakeholders) and other institutions such as NRI (UK), CIRAD (Brazil/France), the French Co-operation Agency and GTZ (Germany). Representatives of Farmers' Organisations, NGOs and the Private Sector were also present, as well financial and economic organisations such as the Banque Ouest Africaine de Developpement (BOAD) and ECOWAS. International (CIAT and IITA) and national research institutes were also represented, as well as extensionists From several countries in the region.

During the opening ceremony the FAO's Assistant Director General for Africa welcome the participants and reiterated the strategic role of cassava in Africa and FAO's commitment to the crop as a promoter of food security and poverty alleviation. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Foods) of Ghana, stated that "cassava is a reliable food security crop" and informed that the crop contributes for cash income in Ghana households more that any other crop, being responsible for approximately 25% of the total Agricultural GDP, seconded by cocoa which contributes with 16%. The Ministry of Agriculture of Berlin, represented by its Chief of Cabinet, also stressed the importance of cassava and other root crops for the economy of the country and reaffirmed the commitment of its Government to the crop.

Presentations by IITA's scientists highlighted the advances made on cassava research in Africa, existing problems and opportunities related to actual and potential markets, germplasm development, soil fertility, soil management and plant protection. It was clear that a number of improved technologies is available at regional and global levels which can improve current yields of cassava in Africa. The issues covered by the presentations were in line with the Regional Review document for Africa prepared by 1ITA as part of the Global Strategy background documents.

Country case studies for Ghana, Benin and Nigeria were also presented, all highlighting the importance of the crop as a source of income for farmers and - in addition to its traditional role as a food crop - its potential as an industrial crop. Special emphasis was placed on the use of cassava in the starch and biscuit industries as well as in the animal feed industry.

Brief presentations were made by representatives of CIAT, CLAYUCA (the Cassava Consortium for Latin America)EARRNET and ISTRC-AB on results of previous Consultation Meetings held, respectively, in Bangkok, Call, Kampala and Cotonou. Participants were informed on critical issues raised in the other meetings and reactions to the draft document of the Global Cassava Development Strategy.

Finally, the draft Strategy document was presented. The draft document was prepared by Truman Philips and Don Plucknett and stresses that, in order for cassava to be an effective instrument for promoting sustainable rural development, the approach must be demand driven, incorporating both "bottom up" and "top down" dimensions. These dimensions imply mechanisms for ensuring ownership and the participation of farmers', processors' and marketing organisations, and the provision by governments of an appropriate policy environment within which to develop the crop. The presentation raised a productive discussions among the participants who agreed with the demand driven approach proposed in the strategy document.

After the presentation of the draft strategy document instructions were provided by Truman Philips and Marcio Porto on how to discuss the several points of the document in Working Groups and how to form the different Groups. Groups were formed by: Ontario cottage rental

Country Groups:

1. Ghana and Nigeria, with 26 participants

2. Benin, Cameroon, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Cote d'lvoire and Togo

Thematic Groups:

3. Networking

4. Linkages

Groups 1 and 2 were presented with the following questions:

Question 1: The vision for cassava is described in the draft version of the Global Cassava Development Strategy as: Cassava can spur rural industrial development and raise incomes for producers, processors and traders. Cassava can also contribute to the food security status of its producing and consuming households. Do these statements reflect your own vision for cassava? If they do not, how would you modify them?

Question 2: How would you qualify the relative importance of cassava development in the region, seen from the point of view of achieving food security, equity, poverty alleviation and natural resource conservation?

Answers to question I provided by the two Groups were:

Group 1: It should be added to the "Vision" that "cassava can contribute to promoting sustainable rural industrial development".
Group 2: Food security should be stressed and should come before "industrial development". A definition for "Industrial development" is needed.

Answers to question 2 were provided by country, as expressed in Tables 1 and 2, below: " EssayWritingNotes "

Table 1. Relative importance of cassava in contribution to development goals.

1 , Lower Importance
3 , Higher Importance

Table 2. Relative importance of cassava in contributing to development goals.

* Lower Importance
*** Higher Importance

Participants of each Working Group were also asked to:

1 Identify market opportunities for cassava in their respective countries and the requisites to make use of market opportunities;

2. Specify the main constraints to be overcome within the market;

3. Identify Catalysts and Champions involved in the development process.

Results are presented in Tables 3, 4 and 5.

Table 3. Identification of market opportunities for different cassava products (Group 2).

* Lower Importance
*** Higher Importance

Table 4. Summary of research activities or conditions required to realise development opportunities (Group 2)

Table 5. Relative ranking, by country, of components of cassava-based strategies for meeting development goals (Group 2).

1= Highest

Groups 3 and 4 addressed, respectively, issues concerning Networking and Linkages. Group 3 was expected to identify prioritary areas and links to promote networking activities at regional and country levels. Participants were asked the following questions:

Question 1. Who are the main stakeholders linked to the cassava development process?

Answers are presented in Table 6.

Table 6. Main stakeholders involved in the cassava development process in West and Central Africa.

Question 2. What do we need networking for? Major reasons identified were:

1 , Professionalisation of the cassava sector

2. Preparer des groupements au niveau regional

3. Mieux negocier de noveaus marches (pouvoir faire augmenter, si besoin est, le quota d'exportation du manioc vers la CEE)

4. Faire des economies d'échelle pour diminuer les couts de production et etre plus comptitifs

5. Better information and organisation of members of associations

6. Better valorisation of cassava products

7. Augmenter les opportunities de acteurs

8. Répondre a une obligation de survie face A mondialisation Qui met I'Afrique en competition avec des pays asiatiques et sud-americains

9. Aider A negocier A la baisse des taux de douane

10. Affréter en commun de moyens; de transports pour un baisse de couts de transport

11. Alder a s'informer sus les technologies disponibles dans d'autres regions

12. Aider A mieux diffuser I'information. dans les pays afficains

13. Centralisation of information on supply and demand

Question 3. What kind of networks are needed?

1. A network that involves all stakeholders

2. Networks settled up at various hierarchical levels: district level country level sub-regional and regional levels

Participants of Group 3 were also requested to develop a logical framework for the Strategy
having overall goals, outputs, activities and Performance Indicators. Results are presented in

Table 7.

Table 7. Logical Framework for the Global Cassava Strategy related to Networking.

Working Group 4 discussed issues related to "Linkages". Participants represented NGOs farmers, private sector, financing agencies, project managers, researchers and extensionists. The same questions asked in WG 3 were asked to the participants:

Question 1. Who are the stakeholders? List of most important stakeholders is:

1. All actors of the chain and all institutional actors

2. Linkages between the actors and the channel

3. Linkages between government institutions and their clients

Question 2. What do we need linkages for?

1. Transfer of information, technologies and results of project impact

2. Better efficiency in the sector

3. Better knowledge of market opportunities

4. Access to credit

Question 3. What types of linkages are needed?

1. Networks established following the Farmer Field School approach

2. Mobilise fanners/producers associations at village level and in direct contact with extension agents

3. Small farmers with institutions for credit access; adaptation of micro-financing system

4. Farmer-Extension. The latter needs to be strengthened, starting at village level

5. Development prejects/extension/information services

6. Investment of processor into production activities

7. Constant interaction for the vertical integration of chain actors

8. Linkage between women and cassava (production, processing and marketing) sector

9. GTZ: linking different thematic projects (in Ghana) between different institutes; opportunities on regional seed project co-operation

10. France: micro-enteiprise; post-harvest, fanners' organisations

11. CIAT: linkages on farmer participatory related project activities

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