Dar-es-Salaam Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in the SADC Region

PREAMBLE

WE, the Heads of State or Government of:
The Republic of Angola
The Republic of Botswana
The Democratic Republic of Congo
The Kingdom of Lesotho
The Republic of Malawi
The Republic of Mauritius
The Republic of Mozambique
The Republic of Namibia
The Republic of Seychelles
The Republic of South Africa
The Kingdom of Swaziland
The United Republic of Tanzania
The Republic of Zambia
The Republic of Zimbabwe

RECALLING the objectives of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that are relevant to the development of agriculture and food security, namely:
(a) promotion of sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development to ensure poverty alleviation with the ultimate objective of its eradication;

(b) achievement of sustainable utilization of natural resources and effective protection of the environment; and

(c) mainstreaming of gender perspectives in the process of community and nation building;
NOTING that agriculture is the backbone of the economy of the SADC region and that about 80% of the people in the region depend on agriculture for food, income and employment;
CONSCIOUS that the performance of agriculture has a strong influence on food security, economic growth and stability of the SADC region;
AWARE that the strengthening of peace and security is a pre-requisite to economic development, and in particular to the agricultural sector;
FURTHER AWARE that in the SADC region, in the past thirteen years, food production, donor aid flows, government budgetary allocations to agriculture and rural development have declined, while food imports, food aid, and population have substantially increased;

RECOGNISING that the challenges facing the SADC region regarding agriculture and food security are many and have their basis in social, economic and environmental factors;
CONVINCED of the need to improve food security in the SADC region;

NOTING that sustainable food security is a top priority in the SADC Agenda and features prominently in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) as one of the key intervention areas;

APPRECIATING that regional efforts in addressing the problem of food insecurity constitute an essential part of the continental and global response to enhancing the standard and quality of life of Our people;

RECOGNIZING the commitments made by SADC Member States within the framework of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, World Food Summit Declaration of 1996 reiterated in the African Union Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa July 2003, and the Sirte Declaration on the Challenges of Implementing Integrated and Sustainable Development on Agriculture and Water in Africa, February 2004;

FURTHER RECOGNISING that the major underlying reasons for the prevalence of hunger in the SADC region include inappropriate national agricultural and food policies and inadequate access by farmers to key agricultural inputs and markets;

AWARE that inadequate food security, poor nutrition, inadequate essential public services, limited reproductive health services, gender imbalances and high levels of illiteracy impact negatively on the quality of life of Our people, and particularly, those living with HIV and AIDS;

CONCERNED that the agricultural sector in the SADC region is severely affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic because it largely employs labour intensive farming practices with low levels of mechanization;

RESOLVED to reverse these trends and create a SADC region that is free from hunger based on a developed and competitive agricultural sector that is capable of ensuring food security and economic growth;

REAFFIRMING Our commitment to ensuring accelerated agricultural development and sustainable food security as a matter of urgency through multi-sectoral strategic interventions in accordance with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Declaration on World Food Summit 2002 and the RISDP;

NOW THEREFORE, DECLARE AND COMMIT OURSELVES TO:

Promote agriculture as a pillar in our national and regional development strategies and programmes in order to attain our short, medium, and long-term objectives, on agriculture and food security, and ensure

IN THE SHORT TERM (2004 – 2006):

1. Provision of Key Agricultural Inputs

(a) establish domestic support measures to vulnerable smallholder farmers to ensure access to key agricultural inputs;

(b) institute measures for timeous provision of quality seeds to vulnerable farmers and to encourage contract seed production and to attain regional self-sufficiency by 2006;

(c) encourage exploitation of mineral deposits for fertiliser production and make maximum use of available capacity to manufacture fertilizers within the SADC region in order to meet the demand of the SADC region in 5 years time;

(d) ensure fair trade in fertilizers and other agrochemicals;

(e) endeavour to support tillage services through the promotion of draught power, and the provision of appropriate tillage equipment and affordable mechanisation;

(f) encourage research and development of affordable equipment and farming implements;

(g) promote labour-saving and gender sensitive technologies and improve infrastructure in the rural areas;

(h) accelerate land policy reform initiatives, share experiences of best practices, and ensure equitable access to land by women.

2. Agro-Industrial Development and Processing

(a) encourage value addition to primary agricultural products through agro-processing, storage and packaging;

(b) promote non-farm agricultural income-generating activities; and

(c) support development of agro-business entrepreneurship and other skills to enhance agroprocessing.

3. Crop and Livestock Pests and Diseases

(a) revitalise national control measures of migratory pests and diseases;

(b) strengthen surveillance, control, eradication and information sharing on trans-boundary pests and diseases of plants and animals;

(c) develop and implement strategies and programmes for prevention and progressive control to eradicate transboundary animal diseases; and

(d) develop comprehensive national Tsetse and Trypanosomosis control and eradication programmes.

4. Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Production

(a) increase production of drought tolerant crops such as sorghums, millets, cassava and other root crops as well as disease resistant crops;

(b) establish and develop proper storage and preservation facilities at the household, national and regional levels;

(c) increase production of short cycle stocks, such as poultry, small ruminants and piggery; and

(d) increase aquaculture and marine farming, and improve fish stock management and fish product quality through pre and post harvest handling, processing and storage, in accordance with the SADC Protocol on Fisheries.

5. Water Management and Irrigation

(a) consider allocating a substantial part of the agricultural budget for water management and irrigation development;

(b) develop appropriate programmes to improve flood and drought mitigation;

(c) develop water harvesting technologies, flood control, and strategic water storage infrastructures;

(d) develop and implement policies aimed at attracting investments from the private sector;

(e) accelerate implementation of transboundary water resources development and management policies and programmes;

(f) strengthen capacity in irrigation; and

(g) facilitate inter basin water transfers within the framework of the SADC Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses.

IN THE MEDIUM TO LONG TERM (2004 – 2010) ENSURE:

1. Sustainable Use and Management of Natural Resources

(a) promote conservation, management and sustainable utilisation of plants and animals, including fisheries, forestry and wildlife;

(b) implement policy and legal reforms to monitor and curtail illegal harvesting and export of natural resources; and

(c) harmonise and accelerate implementation of natural resources management policies and programmes and increase investment in processing of natural resources products.

2. Disaster Preparedness

(a) strengthen national early warning systems;

(b) enhance vulnerability monitoring capabilities;

(c) develop a Regional Integrated Agricultural Information System; and

(d) consider the establishment of a Regional Food Reserve Facility.

3. Research, Technology Development and Dissemination

(a) strengthen research and extension services in order to facilitate the development and transfer of technologies;

(b) revamp extension services through recruitment, re-training and retention of extension workers and development of farmer skills; and

(c) enhance development of crop varieties and animal breeds that are tolerant to and perform better under prevailing physical environmental conditions.

4. Private Sector Involvement in Agriculture and Rural Development

Institute support mechanisms aimed at strengthening private sector involvement in agriculture and rural development.

5. Market Access

(a) ensure that a significant percentage of national budgetary resources are allocated for rural physical infrastructure development;

(b) establish price stabilization mechanisms to protect both smallholder producers and consumers in accordance with WTO provisions on domestic support for agriculture;

(c) strengthen rules and disciplines governing trade in agriculture through the implementation of the SADC Trade Protocol;

(d) expedite harmonization and implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures to the required international standards;

(e) support voluntary farmer organisations and create opportunities for them to get into the value adding chain;

(f) call upon developed countries to eliminate trade-distorting agricultural subsidies; and

(g) adopt measures to increase access of agricultural products into the markets of developed countries.

6. Agricultural Financing and Investment

(a) progressively increase budgetary allocations for agriculture to at least 10% of the national total budgets as recommended in the African Union Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa July 2003;

(b) increase the establishment and use of rural financial intermediaries; and

(c) investigate the establishment of an Agricultural Development Bank/Fund.

7. Training and Human Resource Development

Enhance the capacity of professionals and farmers in the region with emphasis on farmer exchange programmes and scholarships, for different specialisations.

8. Gender Equality

Enhance gender mainstreaming, in particular, repealing discriminatory laws that prohibit access to finance, land and other key agricultural inputs.

9 Enhancing Human Health and Mitigation of HIV and AIDS and other Chronic Diseases

(a) mainstream policies and programmes to promote human health, combat HIV and AIDS in agriculture and enhance natural resources development; and

(b) promote research, production and utilisation of non-traditional foods that strengthen the immune system.

Implementation and Monitoring

In order to achieve the expected results, instruct the SADC Integrated Committee of Ministers to initiate implementation of the Plan of Action adopted at this Extraordinary Summit and to monitor progress accordingly.

UNDERTAKE to review progress on the implementation of this Declaration at the end of every two (2) years from the date of signature.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, WE, the Heads of State or Government, or Our duly authorised Representatives, have signed this Declaration.

DONE AT DAR-ES-SALAAM, on this 15th day of May, 2004, in three originals, in the English, French and Portuguese languages, all texts being equally authentic.

REPUBLIC OF ANGOLA

REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

KINGDOM OF LESOTHO

REPUBLIC OF MALAWI

REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS

REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE

REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA

REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND

UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE