Cooperation with Africa: Agricultural development is the key to ensuring the food supply

Secretary Bleser and South Africa’s Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Gugile Nkwinti, Source: German Embassy Pretoria

With its Africa scheme of June 2011, the Federal Government has begun a new chapter in a close partnership with Africa and sharpened the focus on the continent with its huge economic and, in particular, agricultural potential. In spite of positive developments in many countries on the continent, a dramatic hunger crisis is presently prevailing on the Horn of Africa. The Federal Government, along with many other nations, is therefore providing emergency assistance to help alleviate the disastrous supply situation and to feed the population.

“This is the order of the day. Yet in the medium and long term, it is crucial that we battle the causes of such disasters,” emphasized the Parliamentary State Secretary during his visit. In the long term, the only way to ensure the food supply in Africa is to increase agricultural production. For this, in future the governments of industrial nations and Africa need to work together closely and in partnership. “One key is to teach modern and sustainable production methods and transfer agricultural know-how,” said Bleser. Investments in consulting, training and agricultural research are just as important as the people’s right to their own land. Both in South Africa and in Ethiopia he campaigned for support of the “voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources,” which are presently being prepared by the FAO in Rom – with the support of the BMELV – and are slated to be passed this year.

Visit to South Africa

Secretary Bleser conversing during a visit to a seed processing plant in South Africa, Source: German Embassy Pretoria

In South Africa, one of Germany’s most important partners on the continent, Bleser spoke with Pieter Mulder, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestries and Fishing, about intensifying bilateral cooperation, in particular in the field of agricultural vocational training. The focus of his talks with Gugile Nkwinti, the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, was on the reform process in South Africa, which aims for greater participation of previously disadvantaged groups in agricultural development. Bleser pointed out German experiences from reunification, which demonstrated that the rule of law and observing property rights are decisive for a peaceful transformation process and for mobilizing investments.

State Secretary Bleser also met with representatives of various interest groups to become informed about joint projects in South Africa. Germany supports extensive programmes for rural development and safeguarding the food supply through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Visit to Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, Bleser was able to hold talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, State Minister for Agriculture Mitiku Kassa as well as Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union (AU). Their discussions centred on issues such as the present food situation and its origins as well as medium and long-term ways to counter the crisis.

At the donors’ conference of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Bleser underscored the importance of developing agriculture for long-term abatement of hunger in Africa. “Agriculture is the key for the crisis regions in Africa developing in an economically successful and peaceful way,” he said. In order to be better prepared for future droughts and to give the people economic prospects, the emergency survival aid has to be combined in the medium and long term with measures in agricultural and rural development.

The AU announced this conference to call upon its member states to offer united support for aid measures on the Horn of Africa. The Federal Government has already provided more than 151 million euros in aid to deal with the humanitarian disaster.

Laying the cornerstone for an agricultural training centre

Secretary Peter Bleser at the cornerstone ceremony for the Ethio-German Agricultural Further Training Centre, Source: Peter Nordmann

In Kulumsa, 200 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, Bleser laid the cornerstone for the Ethio-German Agricultural Further Training Centre. Here, Ethiopian farmers and the staff of research and educational institutions will be trained in modern agricultural production methods, use of machinery and in business management. The agricultural advanced training project, with a total volume of over two million euros, will be conducted in cooperation with German companies that will take on part of the project costs as well as providing machinery, seed and plant protection agents. It is the first industry cooperation project to be carried out in the scope of the bilateral cooperation programme by the BMELV in Africa. Its objective is to support sustainable forms of agriculture and to demonstrate the advantages of adapted modern technologies to make a medium-term contribution towards increases in productivity and therefore also to agricultural production.

Projects in seeds and in plant breeding

During his visit, Bleser announced other projects in the region. He proposed to the Ethiopian government that the recently launched cooperation for the preservation and sustainable use of local crop diversity also be use to breed and propagate urgently needed seed of drought-resistant crop varieties. The BMELV would provide up to 200,000 euros for this in 2011 and another 750,000 euros in future years. “In close collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, we wish to have agricultural expertise play a greater part in development cooperation,” Bleser said.
Prime Minister Zenawi underlined the importance of the existing economic cooperation with Germany and particularly emphasized an interest in enhancing cooperation in the fields of training and further education and renewable energies as well as in German know-how in sustainable forestry. Ethiopia is making great afforestation efforts to contribute to climate protection and to producing biomass for fuel.