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SwazilandDialogueFANRPAN awards thebest in agricultureEditorial teamThe Food, Agricultural and Natural ResourcesPolicy Analysis Network’s (FANRPAN) annualawards of excellence in agriculture were presentedat the Royal Swazi Sun.The award for Food Security Policy Leadershipwas made to Her Majesty, Queen Mother Ntombi,Indlovukazi of Swaziland, the award for the CivilSociety Policy Mover and Shaker went to HappyShongwe and the Excellence in AgriculturalJournalism Award was made to Mantoe Phakathi.The Queen Mother was awarded for, among,others, her leadership with various agriculturalinnovations in Swaziland. These include the mushroomfarming project which was originated on herrequest and was run by TICA in cooperation withThailand’s Phra Dabos Foundation and Swaziland’sMinistry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Theproject addresses food security and generatesincome for the country’s farmers and createsjobs for local women. She also secured a goatFANRPAN chairman Sindiso Ngwenya presented the award for Food Security Policy Leadership to Her Majesty,Queen Mother Ntombi, Indlovukazi of Swaziland.market for Swazis in the Seychelles. As part of thisinitiative, Swazi goat breeders export their goats tothe Seychelles.The Swazi indigenous products project producesthe Swazi Secrets range of products under thepatronage of the Queen Mother. It helps poor, ruralSwazi women to generate income from naturalproducts. It is now owned by member groupsof rural suppliers and also assists with socialdevelopment by supporting self-help groups and arural livelihoods programme.The Queen Mother also initiated a project for thefurther use of Marula fruit seed. These are crushedand the nuts harvested. Oil is then extractedfrom these, packaged in Swaziland and exportedas cosmetic products.She has a dream for Swazi women to own a bank.It will empower women to venture into businessin a more professional manner and with a moreprofessional approach. Efforts to make this dreamcome true are underway.In her joint ruling of the country with the King,the Queen Mother is regarded as a spiritual andnational head of state, with real power counterbalancingthat of the King. She is a Companionof the Commonwealth Partnership for TechnologyManagement.The Civil Society Policy Mover and Shaker Awardwinner, Happy Shongwe is a smallholder farmerwho produces seeds. She started producingafter Swaziland was hard hit by drought in 2002....to page 2Advocating for the active Engagement ofthe Youth in the Agricultural Value ChainNEWSSEPTEMBER 2011Read insideSeed security - Happy shines.......................... 2Household VulnerabilityIndex targets those in need............................. 2FANRPAN’s WARM projecttaking strides ................................................... 2A first for FANRPAN…a first for women.............................................. 2Political commitmentkey in CAADP implementation......................... 3Africa should adaptto climate change............................................. 3African agriculturecan eliminate hunger....................................... 3Raising the flag onyouth involvement in Africa............................. 3Women take the lead........................................ 4FANRPAN’S Swazilanddialogue takes to the airwaves........................ 4Here comes the green revolution..................... 4A youth invasion on agriculture....................... 4Swazi secrets – the oil of choice..................... 4Journos of Africa unite..................................... 5Africa not fulfilling itsagricultural potential........................................ 5Malawi farmers inspireSwazi counterparts.......................................... 5Policy issues are notpolitical statements.......................................... 5More WARM partnerships needed................... 5FANRPAN’s media trainingbeneficial – journalists..................................... 6HaSSP project nottracking backwards – Mpofu........................... 6Showcasing FANRPAN’s brainchild –the household vulnerability index.................... 6Lindi van Rooyen, Patience MagagulaLow production levels and inadequate agriculturalpolicies are hampering food security in southernAfrica and as a result the region is moreundernourished than ever before.With this in mind the Food, Agriculture and NaturalResources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)hosted the high level regional food security policydialogue in Swaziland to review policies that couldaddress the challenges facing food insecurity.Dr Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO of FANRPAN, said thatunfortunately the Southern Africa DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) region is becoming morefood insecure due to climate change and a lack ofgovernment investment in agriculture. “Agricultureis the backbone of the economy, but governmentshave not yet realised its potential.”In explaining issues surrounding food security,Sibanda said that a country’s food security statusgoes further than just agriculture. “It is aboutwhether that country produces enough food forits people, whether those people have access tothe food and whether that food contains the rightmix of vitamins and minerals to keep the populationnourished. In this regard the SADC region is foodinsecure.”She said that the biggest factor inhibiting foodsecurity is the low level of food production inthe SADC region. “Around 70 percent of thepopulation is rural and rely on the food theyproduce themselves. If their yields are low it meansthey have to rely on food aid to feed themselvesand this is not always available.Yield increases needed to fight food insecurity“Farmers in the SADC region produce on averageone tenth of the harvest potential of the maize seed.This is because they use poor quality seed that isrecycled every year. The harvest potential thendeteriorates every year that the seed is recycled.“HIV and Aids also contributes to food insecuritybecause it inhibits the labour force. When peopleare weak they cannot spend time in the fieldstending to the crops and as a result the crop isdrowned by weeds. The high death rate alsomeans that people have to help out in householdswhere there are no longer any adults, which meansthey have less time to produce food.“Lack of financing means many farmers in Africacan’t afford pesticides and fertilisers, which bringsthe yield down. Dryland farmers should be gettingat least 3t/ha of maize, but most only manage200kg/ha.”Sibanda said that climate change has also playeda role in reducing yields. “Recurrent droughts asa result of climate change are hampering foodproduction. The changing climate has also broughtwith it disease and pest prevalence. Planting timesare not the same anymore and it has becomea guessing game. More research is needed todetermine when the correct planting seasons are,but not enough money is made available for thisresearch.”She commented that the majority of people inthe SADC region earn less than $1 a day and 80percent of their income is spent on food. “This foodis of an inferior quality and mostly consists of maizemeal and a few vegetables. People are thereforenot getting the right amount of nutrients and theybecome malnourished.”Asked whether agricultural subsidies couldenhance food security, Sibanda answered thatshe believed that targeted subsidies can fight foodinsecurity.“Subsidies in Malawi have resulted in bigger maizeyields because now the farmers are using fertiliserand better quality seed, which was not the casebefore. If the government does not provide thefarmers with an agricultural subsidy of $100 toproduce food, then it would cost them $1 000 infood aid. Besides being less economical, food aidcreates dependency whereas subsidies don’t.”Sitembile Ndema, programme manager: WomenAccessing Realigned Markets (WARM) agreedand said that subsidies have a role to play infood security. “Agricultural subsidies that farmersin Malawi receive ensure that those farmersharvest a bumper crop. This means that the nextseason they don’t need subsidies because theymade enough profit the previous season to buytheir own inputs.”Ndema said that the policy environment limits foodsecurity and governments do not involve all thestakeholders when they formulate policies aroundagriculture. “A partnership is needed between civilsociety and government to formulate policies thatwould benefit everyone.”The theme for this year’s dialogue is centred oninvolving the youth in agriculture in order to ensurethe future success of the sector.Sibanda explained that the youth can play a biggerrole in fighting food insecurity. “Africa has thehighest population of people under the age of 25worldwide. Who will feed the nation in the next 30years if today’s youth does not get involved in theagricultural sector?”Ndema said that youth are innovative and pick upon new technologies faster than older generations.“We need the youth to be involved in agriculture sothat they can implement these new technologiesand help grow the sector.“We are also focusing on the youth becausewe need them to get involved in agriculture atan earlier age so that they can take the industryforward. Currently the average age of people in theagricultural industry is quite high,” said Ndema.“The biggest factor influencing food security is the lowlevel of food production in theSADC region” – FANRPANCEO Dr Lindiwe Sibanda.1

Seed security - Happy shinesMusa SimelaneHappy Shongwe, one of the most shining examplesof the Harmonized Seed Security Project (HaSSP)in Swaziland says it is not too late to involve theyouth in agriculture.To support her assertion, the 45 year old womanfrom Siteki who started cultivating legume seedssix years ago for reselling to other local farmers,said she has seen this first hand. She hassuccessfully roped in her four children into this typeof farming.She says it was a bit difficult at first to make themrealise that agriculture was a worthwhile venture inwhich one can make a good living.However, the more they observed how determinedshe was to make it work, the more they becameinterested in helping her. This made them grow fondof agriculture and see it from a positive perspective.Besides, it was also natural that each member ofher family had to contribute one way or the otherto her agricultural endeavours for a better standardof living.Shongwe has even established a company calledHleliwe Investment, which is all about cultivatingquality seeds for commercial purposes.“I have a 20 year-old son who does almosteverything at the farm. If you do not find him sortingout the produce, you will most likely find him drivingthe tractor out there in the fields. His siblings alsojoin in – we are a busy family,” she says.Shongwe bought the second-hand tractor aboutfour years ago as an indicator that she was fullygoing into this type of farming. Just two yearsinto it she had realised that agriculture was aserious livelihood.She has been able to pay her bills, bought a vanand generally raised the standard of living for herchildren.“I was pushed by the drought situation in thecountry some years ago to do farming experiments.I was advised by the Ministry of Agricultureto plant drought tolerant or indigenous crops. Theidea to produce seeds began at that time,” saysShongwe.She did it twice and realised that there was lifein legumes farming other than normal maizefarming. Through the Agriculture Ministry, shewas assisted by the Food and AgriculturalOrganization (FAO) to secure markets for herproduce. Shongwe’s success is quickly makingher stand out in her community. Other farmers wantto emulate her.“I speak to a lot of farmers and their families and itfeels good that I’ve inspired them. I don’t want toremain stagnant, so I’m planning to also specialisein distributing seeds through my com-pany andeven do some research,” she says.The farmer sees herself becoming a key player inseed production - not just in Swaziland but beyond,in a few years time.from page 1...As the Food Agricultural Organization assistedthe hardest hit communities with food vouchers,they also gave them information on how to bestrespond to the drought. Shongwe started to plantcrops that are drought resistant, moving away fromplanting maize that could not cope in the changingclimate. She planted leguminous plants that haveproved to be drought resistant.Over the years her move has yielded good resultsand registered a company as a seed producer –she is now a certified seed producer. Shongwealso assists her fellow community women bysharing information and knowledge gained from theextension officers.Excellence in Agricultural Journalism awardwinner Mantoe Phakathi is a senior reporter at theNation Magazine in Swaziland. She has reportedextensively on food, agriculture and naturalresources issues.Phakathi has a track record for reporting onissues relating to climate change and environmentaldegradation. Her articles show greatinsight, her reporting is not sensational andshe uses the voices of community membersand other players to show how initiatives will bebeneficial to the community.She is a journalist who is a strategic partnerin the quest to disseminate key messages tostakeholders and is well-known in local as well asregional media circles.Swaziland’s Acting Prime Minister, Lindiwe Dlamini,said these awards are important to recogniseindividuals for their outstanding performance.“We have to tell others the stories of a few so thatthese fine examples are worthy of emulation anddialogue focuses on the youth. There is a need forour youth to see that exemplary role models canhail from our continent.”The Excellence in Agricultural Journalism awardwinner, Mantoe Phakathi, is a senior reporter at theNation Magazine in Swaziland.The Civil Society Policy Mover and Shaker Awardwinner, Happy Shongwe, is a smallholder farmerproducing seeds.Household Vulnerability Index targets those in needMantoe PhakathiWorld Vision Swaziland will as of next month delivertarget specific programmes to address the needsof poor communities, thanks to the HouseholdVulnerability Index (HVI).According to Thami Dlamini, World Vision FoodSecurity Advisor, previously the organisation wouldgive food aid to every food-insecure householdirrespective of their needs.“That was a blanket approach because somefamilies have able-bodied people with lots ofwater resources,” says Dlamini. “Such people donot necessarily need food aid but the means toproduce for themselves.”In some instances, she says, World Vision wouldgive farm inputs to households whose memberswere either too young or sick to be able to cultivate.The HVI, a tool designed by the Food Agricultureand Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network(FANRPAN), helps policy makers to measure thelevels of poverty among needy people. It alsoexplains why certain households are poor.FANRPAN’s Social Protection and LivelihoodProgramme Manager Ian Mashingaidze saysthe HVI is aimed at improving the quality ofdesigning programmes to address the differentneeds of poor people.Speaking at an HVI meeting during FANRPAN’sannual high level regional food security policyA first for FANRPAN…a first for womenBen RootmanThis year’s FANRPAN dialogue in Swaziland was a first inmany ways – and particularly so for women.At the awards evening CEO Dr Lindiwe Sibanda announcedthe three winners of the 2011 FANRPAN awardsThe award for Food Security Policy Leadership was madeto Her Majesty, Queen Mother Ntombi, Indlovukazi ofSwaziland.The award for the Civil Society Policy Mover and Shakerwas made to Happy Shongwe.The award for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism wasmade to Mantoe Phakathi.After the awards presentations the Acting Prime Minister ofSwaziland, Lindiwe Dlamini, concluded the proceedings.And the common denominator?These are all women – well done!2dialogue in Swaziland, Mashingaidze said the HVIuses diffe-rent assets of a household to tell its levelof need.“We need to quantify the vulnerability according tothe varying levels of poverty,” said Mashingaidze.The HVI model is piloted in three countries –Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe - where a studyin poor communities was conducted to give varyinglevels of poverty among households.“People from the same community have differentneeds and the HVI helps you to identify the kind ofassistance towards a household,” Tendai Kureya,Director of Development Data, told agriculture andfood experts in Mbabane.The HVI assesses households according todifferent assets a household might or might nothave including natural, physical, human capital,financial and social assets.“You find people from the same community withthe same natural assets such as soil or waterproducing food differently,” said Kureya. “Thenyou have to consider what other assets could belacking from that household.”The week-long dialogue seeked solutions toAfrica’s food insecurity problems where a thirdof the population suffers from malnutrition andpoverty.The Acting Prime Minister of Swaziland,Lindiwe Dlamini, concluded theproceedings at Monday evening’sFANRPAN awards ceremony.The Household Vulnerability Index uses different assets of a household to tell its level of need.FANRPAN’s WARMproject taking stridesPaida MpasoIt’s not a secret anymore, female farmers are thepillars of agriculture in Africa and they need to berecognised, and supported in any way possible,said Malawi’s WARM project coordinator, BeatriceMakwenda.Launched in July 2009, Women AccessingRealigned Markets (WARM) is a three-year projectworking to strengthen female farmers’ ability toadvocate for appropriate agricultural policies andprogrammes.The project which is being implemented byFANRPAN, is funded by the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation and currently it is being piloted inMozambique and Malawi.Makwenda, who has been working with women inthe southern part of Malawi, said women farmersare now beginning to understand their place insociety and hence are able to make decisivedecisions, both at household level and communitylevel.“You see, there are challenges like little or noaccess to markets and women being sidelinedwhenever farm inputs are being distributed. Despitethe fact that the majority of the women are intoagriculture, the results are still tilting downwards,”she said.According to FANRPAN, in Africa, the majorityof rural farmers are women. At the same time,research demonstrates that women are oftenexcluded from the decision-making process andlocal governance. As a result, the needs of femalefarmers are often neglected in local and nationalagricultural policy.FANRPAN project manager on WARM, SithembileNdema said by empowering women farmersto advocate for their concerns, the project hopesto ensure that women farmers have what theyneed to increase their income and provide for theirfamilies and beyond.“In order to attain these goals community theatreis being used to raise awareness and dialogueabout agricultural policies and the challenges thesewomen farmers encounter. Theatre performancesbased on information from action research aredone in the presence of, among others, traditionalleaders, agricultural officials and developmentorganisations,” she said.Dr Marta Cumbi, of the Graca Machel Foundationfor Community Development and the WARMproject coordinator in Malawi, said the challengesstill remain. There is a need to further train thewomen to collectively agree on prices and to try tocut out the middle man.“It’s a slow process but we are getting there. Themore these issues are told to these women thebetter things will be. It’s time women stood up forwhat they believe in,” she said.

Political commitment keyin CAADP implementationGrace MusimamiEight years down the road the ComprehensiveAfrica Agriculture Development Programme(CAADP) is far from meeting its set objectives, stillfacing great challenges of implementation.This has been attributed to the poor politicalcommitment to the implementation of the programme,according to Professor Firmino Mucavele,the director of Eduado Mondlane University, whosays the CAADP’s current implementation status isfar from its set objectives if political leaders do notput it on their main agenda.“CAADP is a beautiful programme meant to deliverAfrica as the promised land, but the limited politicalwill is likely to hinder the chances for possiblecontinental successes,” said Mucavele.He called on various stakeholders to put politicalleaders to task to find out how committed theyare to the process, saying in countries wherepolitical will had been exhibited, CAADP was asuccess story.Speaking at the FANRPAN 2011 food securityregional policy dialogue in Ezulwini, SwazilandMucavele said countries where political commitmentwas positive have registered successful storieswith CAADP.Rwanda was one of the first countries to signup to the CAADP process in 2007 and it hasregistered success stories over the years.Mucavele further hailed the president of Rwanda,Paul Kagame for being a practical president andowning the programme right from its inception, afactor that has led to successful implementation ofthe CAADP.Mucavele further challenged the regionalcommunities to steer the CAADP process as thiswould meet their desired goal to harmonise theeconomic block.These include theSouthern Africa DevelopmentCommunity(SADC), CommonMarkets for Easternand Southern Africa(COMESA), EconomicCommunity for WestAfrican States (ECO-WAS) and East andCentral Africa States(ECCAS).“Regional bodies havea big role to play. ECO-WAS has supportedits member states to“Regional bodies havea big role to play inCAADP” – Prof FirminoMucavele.achieve the CAADP objectives. All its memberstates have signed compacts and provided supportto a tune of $400,000 to enable the process.COMESA is also trying to do the same,” saidMucavele.CAADP consists of four pillars - extending the areaunder sustainable land management and reliablewater control systems, improving rural infrastructureand trade related capacities for market access,increasing food supply and reducing hunger, andagricultural research, technology disseminationand adoption. These pillars are supported bycross-cutting areas in academic and professionaltraining in the agricultural sector and informationand knowledge systems to support strategyformulation.Launched in 2003, the programme has registeredtremendous achievements where 27 countrieshave signed the compacts with most havinginvestment plans, and 10 countries have so farachieved the 10 percent budget allocation to theagricultural sector.Africa should adoptto climate changeBasil MsongoAfrican governments have been urged to putin place practical climate change adaptationresolutions to avoid future impacts which threatenthe economy of most African countries.Speaking at the FANRPAN meeting in Swaziland,climate scientists from the Department of ClimateChange and Metereological Service in Malawi, ElinaKululanga said Africa needs strong mitigation andadaptation measures now because climate changeimpacts will be very severe to most Africans.According to Kululanga African leaders and policymakers are supposed to have a common voicewhich will enhance the continent to have strongmeasures of mitigating and adapting to climatechange.She said that, recently, southern African countrieshave been experiencing extreme events such asfloods and drought, which affect crop production,hence climate change needs to be tackled now.Speaking earlier, FANRPAN’s Climate ChangeCoordinator, Dr Sepo Hachigonta, said climatechange poses a real risk to the future of farmingand food security in Africa, thus all stakeholdersincluding policy makers, researchers, scientists,and farmers should be engaged to find solutions.He said climate change impacts are very localisedand hence some areas are more vulnerable thanothers.He said African governments should spearheadinitiatives of climate proofing agriculture and allpartners have to be involved in climate changeadaptation strategies.Hachigonta said there is a need to enhance thecapacity of policy analysts and scientists in thefield of agriculture, climate and socio-economicsto collectively build a strong base of evidence oncropping systems to inform adaptation policies andinvestment decisions.“A key strategy for managing risk and vulnerabilityassociated with climate change is developingand implementing evidence-based policies andprogrammes that respond to local realities andpriorities,” he said.He affirmed the importance of having more weatherstations and digitising data so that importantinformation can be captured.Hachigonta said it is important to build the capacityof young researchers on climate change issues andhow the environment interacts with social, humanand economic sectors.According to Hachigonta there are various waysof adapting to climate change. Among themis the adoption of ‘climate smart’ agricultureand initiatives to assist farmers to climate proofagriculture, such as building dams and irrigationfacilities, and intercropping.African agriculturecan eliminate hungerBen Rootman & Mbuso Tilman NtshingilaAfrica must change its mindset to ensure that itswealth of natural resources and human capacity areused to eliminate hunger.This is according to the acting Prime Minister ofSwaziland, Macford Sibandze.Officially opening the Food, Agricultural andNatural Resources Policy Analysis Network’s(FANRPAN) annual policy dialogue in Swaziland,Sibandze said despite the fact that Africa holds 25percent of the world’s arable land it produces onlyten percent of the total global output. While thecontinent holds 60 percent of the world’s remaininguncultivated farmland, 265 million people remainchronically hungry.“We need to enhance knowledge to ensure that theyouth gets involved in agriculture. Presently youngpeople do not find agriculture an attractive careerproposition. They believe it only entails toiling onthe land with little financial reward.“Role players in agriculture are older people andif we do not have a transformation of skills andknowledge to the youth, food security will be theloser. We need to mobilise Africa’s greatest asset– its young people – to ensure food stability on thecontinent,” he said.Sibandze congratulated FANRPAN for choosingsuch an applicable theme - advocating for theactive engagement of the youth in the agriculturalvalue chain - for its dialogue.“We look forward to your valuable outcomes,”he said.FANRPAN Chairman Sindiso Ngwenya saideconomic progress goes hand-in-hand with qualityeducation and training.“FANRPAN has proved itself as a worthy partner byconducting research, analysis, case studies and aplethora of academic exercises. African academicswere consulted and institutions were mobilised toconduct studies and research and to assist withdecision-making and policy analysis.“This did not only ensure that research was relevantand peculiar to the African context, but that italso had the foresight of empowering studentswith knowledge and experience. This ensuredthat rudimentary exercises could be extrapolatedto other critical areas - ensuring that Africabecomes food secure and enable the continentto compete on a globallevel.“We play a critical rolein addressing foodsecurity by engagingprimary role playerswho are involved inthe policy processes.In such a dynamicenvironment, research,analysis and advocacytools will yield little orno value if all the otherplayers are isolated.“In this regard the tripartitealliance is anexcellent example.“Africa must changeits mindset” – MacfordSibandze, acting PrimeMinister of Swaziland.Comprising of the Southern African DevelopmentCommunity, the Common Market for Easternand Southern Africa and the East Africa Community,it accelerates the economic integrationof the continent and contributes to sustainableeconomic development. With more than 527million people and a Gross Domestic Productof approximately 624 billion US Dollars,the 26 member countries of the tripartite makeup 57 percent of the population of the AfricanUnion and just over 58 percent in terms ofcontribution to GDP.“This makes the tripartite vital to the envisagedsingle market and continental integration ofthe African Economic Community. FANRPANis fully supporting the tripartite to alleviatepoverty, eradicate hunger, create an enablingenvironment to promote entrepreneurshipand improve the quality of life of people.“The success of initiatives in a postmodern erais dependent on networking and partnerships.It is clear that advocacy and information disseminationwill have a wider reach and a greaterimpact if channels of mass communication areharnessed. Therefore, FANRPAN is among others,using media - print, electronic and social - to informkey stakeholders.“There can be no doubt that the African continenthas great potential and it is our vision tosee the continent becoming a world economicplayer,” he said.“Climate change impacts are very localised and African farmers are very vulnerable” – Dr Sepo Hachigonta.Raising the flag on youthinvolvement in AfricaEditorial teamPutting its money where its mouth is, in supportingits conference theme ‘Advocating for the activeengagement of the youth in the agricultural valuechain’, the FANRPAN Swaziland dialogue got off toa flying start with 16 young people participating inthe official flag raising ceremony.The 16 young people were all from the countriesparticipating in the conference – membercountries Angola, Botswana, the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar,Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambiaand Zimbabwe. The two other participatingcountries, Kenya and Uganda, are from theThe FANRPAN dialogue got off to a flag flying start.Common Market for European and SouthernAfrica countries. They were allowed as FANRPANmembers during the dialogue.Each learner carried the flag of a her country andhanded it to the representative of each countryon the stage, where the flags were lined up.The learners are from the Waterford KamhlabaUnited World College of Southern Africa inMbabane, Swaziland. The college is part of theUnited World Colleges. Its student body is drawnfrom over 50 countries, with around 80 percentfrom Africa. The remainder is selected fromEurope, Asia and the Americas.3

Women take the lead FANRPAN’S SwazilandBonisiwe MncinaA Zambian woman, Evaness Kapemba, has takenthe bull by the horns and ridden on the crest of thenew Harmonised Seed Security Project.Dr Bella Mpofu, a facilitator for this Africa-wideproject, says it has given women the opportunity tomake a better life for themselves.Kapemba says her success story was a first inZambia.“Even though we are being assisted by FANRPAN,it also calls on us to be creative and take initiativesThe Harmonised Seed Security Project hashelped Evaness Kapemba to become asuccessful seed farmer.Here comesthe greenrevolutionSifiso Sibandze‘Catch them while still young’ is the adage whichhas to be adopted and implemented by Africancountries to achieve the much desired African‘green revolution’.The African green revolution is a status whichAfrican countries want to achieve through anincrease in agricultural production which will makethe whole continent food secure.In as much as the African green revolution hasto be achieved, social protecting policies for theyouth have to be formulated and implemented inthe region to protect the youth from being abusedunder the guise of youth involvement in agriculturalproduction.To make the youth actively participate in increasedagricultural production, they have to be involved inthe value chain while they are still young.Regional representative of the InternationalLivestock Research Institute, Dr Siboniso Moyosays the youth has to be trained in pre and postagricultural production so to be self-employedand increase employment opportunities for others.“To increase youth involvement in agriculture,knowledge and skills have to be passed fromgeneration to generation. The youth needs to becoached and mentored,” she says.She says, however, that parents should not forcelittle children to work as that would be tantamountto child slavery.On a positive note Moyo says the youth has all thepower to impact on the lives of those living in therural areas through their involvement in agriculture.She says a lot of the youth are not involved inpreproduction of agriculture, but more inpostproduction.That means they are involved in processing,packaging and marketing, and not in the productionstages. This is caused by the fact that often theyouth views agribusiness as unattractive, as itdoesn’t offer quick gains in terms of profit making.Moyo says governments have to put in placepolicies and establish national programmes thattarget the youth. The programmes have to involvethe accessibility of funding to kick-start agriculturalprojects and the acquisition of farm land for theyouth, as well as the provision of technical skillswhich would make it easy for the youth to produce.Through the involvement of the youth in mostenterprises like agro business in African countries,the region can be transformed to achieve the foodsecure level that it needs. “Even so, the youthneeds protection from social issues and they haveto be responsible too.“That can be achieved through the formulation ofpolicies that will make sure that the youth’s rightsare adhered to,” says Moyo.4to ensure that this dream prospers and growswithin the region.“As women, when we realised the benefits of thisproject, we vowed to see it grow in leaps andbounds. As I speak there are 12 women whohave come together to grow their own indigenousbean seed, which is doing exceptionally well. Weare sure of its success which will see us prosper!”she says.Two Swazi women - Mary Ntshangase and herdaughter Happy Shongwe - have taken up thistask and have used indigenous seeds to becomepioneers in their areas. They have now becomerole models to other women.The Swazi projects are doing very well and havechanged these two women’s lives for the better.They are now able to pay their children’s schoolfees, as they have also taken into cow raring.These projects were started with money fromFANRPAN.Kapemba says the market is restricted and productsoften end up being spoiled. She requestedgovernment and FANRPAN to assist in securingviable markets.“We also urge young women to join in these projectsas they will have a future and are sure tochange their lives for the better,” she says.dialogue takes to theairwavesOn Monday morning, 19 September just after 06:00Swaziland’s Principal Secretary of Agriculture,Dr Robert Thwala and FANRPAN CEO Dr LindiweSibanda took to the airwaves to communicatethe organisation’s annual dialogue taking place inMbabane.Swazi TV and Radio Swaziland viewers andlisteners learnt about the government and theorganisation’s serious commitment to activelyengage the youth in the agricultural value chain.Thwala said the youth needed to take overagriculture.“They need to learn what is in agriculture for themand focus on issues that inspire society. Thereare many challenges and the youth needs to beinvolved.”Sibanda said the time is now to ensure that theyouth forms part of decisions about the future ofagriculture in Africa.“They are the generation that will have to ensurethat the continent’s growing population isfed. It is the responsibility of current leaders inagriculture to ensure the involvement of the youthin development.”A youth invasion on agricultureMusa SimelaneAlthough the youth is less interested in farming,three young Swazi farmers have begun re-pioneeringa youth invasion on agriculture.Emmanuel Mpanza, Abel Thwala and MangalisoSikhondze are seriously tilling the ground – or soil- to take advantage of untapped opportunities thatlie beneath. They are all below the age of 35 years.Mpanza and Sikhondze are specialising in cultivatingvegetable seedlings for commercial purposesand both do not hide the fact that there is lots ofmoney to be made in what they do.Mpanza started his farming company called MrBest three years ago and says the rewards far outweighthe challenges. “I don’t have to worry aboutfinding employment – I’ve hired myself and this isworking for me. I’m still a small scale farmer, but thefuture that I see in this industry is bright,” he says.He says young people lack the patience required inagriculture, that’s why many shun it. He believes amajor challenge in the Swazi agricultural sector isthat small farmers find themselves having to competewith big foreign companies that export theirproduce to the country. “There needs to be policiesthat protect us.”Sikhondze, also a vegetable seedlings farmer, saysthe global downturn of the economy meant thatthis was the time for young people to venture intoagriculture without wasting time hesitating. Hesays agriculture is the backbone of the African andworld economies.“Look, the clothes you wear and the food you eateveryday are linked to agriculture whether you likeit or not. So why not venture into it because evenin the next hundred years there still will be demandfor them? I have a natural passion for agricultureand it’s my life.”He says the youth’s negative perception of agricultureis a result of being too status conscious.Young people consider office jobs as first class, andthen careers that demand one to wear coverallsand use your hands as third class.He says government and youngfarmers like him have a role toplay in changing this perception.“A major downfall for the youthis their want for quick results.When you are a farmer youmust understand that your toiland patience brings untoldrewards. Yes, you must staypositive and smart.”Sikhondze runs a companycalled Zampompo Nursery.Meanwhile, Thwala is a thrivingproducer of essential oils usingan indigenous plant calledRose Geranium. This plant hasa distinct smell and its oil is usedfor aroma therapy natural bodylotions.“When I started Swazi Bio Oils a year ago, myage-mates in my community thought I was out ofmy mind. They just didn’t understand why I didn’tcultivate maize or peanuts and sweet-potatoes asis the norm here. It is now that I have processedthe harvest into wonderful smelling oils that theyunderstand,” he says.Thwala says young Swazi people must be made tosee that farming is not just a boring family chore,but something that can be financially rewarding. Hesays he is an example of this.Swazi secrets – the oil of choiceEditorial teamMarula has long been known as the King of Africantrees for its many magical properties, whethermedicinal, alcoholic or skincare.Around February each year, its fruit is gathered byrural women as animportant sourceBen Rootman, Yuven Goundenof income. They use the fruits to make buganu,a potent homemade beer that is a central part ofSwazi culture.After brewing, the women leave the nuts of thefruit to dry in the sun, before crackingthem in the traditional way to extractthe precious kernels. The freshkernels are then sold at communitybuying points to Swazi IndigenousProducts - their own 100percent supplier ownedcompany. Kernels areweighed on site andsuppliers are paidimmediately.The kernels are takento Swazi IndigenousProducts’ factory atMpaka where they arecold pressed, using manualbridge presses. Nothing is addedor removed, ensuring that the oil reaches thecustomer in its pure, natural state.Oil is kept in cold storage and regularly testedfor acid and peroxide levels at the company’sin-house laboratory to ensure that all oil meetsquality standards.Radio Swaziland helped spread the message aboutthe importance of engaging the youth in the agriculturalvalue chain.Invading the agricultural sector – Abel Thwala, Emmanuel Mpanza andMangaliso SikhondzeThe company also produces oil from theseeds of trichilia and ximenia. All three typesof oils are then used as the basis of a rangeof natural skin care products, which SwaziIndigenous Products manufacture themselves.The products are hand crafted to naturalformulations to preserve the real qualities of marulaand the other African oils.The oils are despatched to distributors across fivecontinents – benefiting 2 600 rural Swazi women.Customers around the world bear testimony tothe efficacy of the natural oils, soaps and otherproducts.This project formed part of the motivation whyHer Majesty, Queen Mother Ntombi Indlovukaziof Swaziland, was awarded with the FoodSecurity Policy Leadership Award and FANRPANdelegates could view it first-hand on a field trip.Among the various agricultural innovationsin Swaziland for which the Queen Mother’sleadership was awarded, this project wassingled out for its assistance to poor rural Swaziwomen to generate income from natural products.It is now owned by member groups of ruralsuppliers and also assists with social developmentby supporting self-help groups and a rurallivelihoods programme.

Journos ofAfrica uniteBen RootmanA total of 16 journalists from six African countries –South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawiand Uganda – gathered at FANRPAN’s dialogue inSwaziland for a media training workshop aimed atjoining forces to spread the agricultural gospel.Welcoming the journalists, FANRPAN CEODr Lindiwe Sibanda said the organisation iscommitted to open media relations.“This is the only way to ensure that agriculturegains it rightful position in the African economy. Ibelieve in open communications which could leadto the more than 90 percent good news storiesabout the continent’s agricultural industry beingcommunicated.”Apart from looking into journalism technicalities andmethods in providing a complete communicationspackage – print, electronic and social media –pertinent issues like newsroom ethics, editorialindependency and freedom of the media werediscussed.The role of social media channels like Facebookand Twitter and their role to uplift the profileAfrica not fulfilling itsagricultural potentialLindi van RooyenA clearer picture was painted of the status of foodproduction at the second day of the FANRPANpolicy dialogue on food security.Speakers said that although there is adecline in the vulnerability towards foodinsecurity in the SADC region,malnutrition is still high.Cereal productionin most SADCmember stateshas risen with fivepercent in the last year,but it is still not enoughto meet domestic foodrequirements. Currently thecereal shortage stands at fivemillion tons.Dr Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO ofFANRPAN said that only tenAfrican countries have honoured theircommitment to spend ten percent oftheir budgets on agriculture. “We are strugglingto get countries to commit to this and yet want toensure that the agricultural sector grows with sixpercent per annum. At this point we can’t even talkabout growth.”Acting Prime Minister of Swaziland, MacfordSibandze said that agriculture in Africa is notperforming as it should, given its wealth of arableland. “Africa’s agricultural output is only ten percentof the total global output, yet Africa has 60 percentof the world’s remaining uncultivated land. Africamust consider how to make this work for them toeliminate hunger.”He added that the success of agriculture dependson continuity and the transfer of knowledge to theyouth. “The youth is conspicuously absent fromthe agricultural sector. They have moved towardswestern values and equate a career in agriculturewith hard work and no value. These perceptionsmust change so that we can win the war againstpoverty and hunger.”Policy issues are notpolitical statementsBonisiwe MncinaFANRPAN Chairman Sindiso Ngwenya sayspolicy issues should not be interpreted as politicalstatements.He made this remark at the official opening of theFANRPAN food policy dialogue in Swaziland.The dialogue seeks to include the youth in theagro food sector, which is instrumental to continueagricultural programmes. He said FANRPANempowers governments and non-governmentorganisations to have a strong agricultural voice.He said non-government organisations do notget automatic acceptance to FANRPAN, but theyneed to have good relations with their governmentsas well.FANRPAN’s funding growth is currently at 126million Emalangeni per year.FANRPAN CEO Dr Lindiwe Sibanda said producerswant their products to be sold expensively, whileconsumers want to buy them cheaply. “It is ourvision, therefore, to make Africa food secure.”of agriculture were discussed, as well as theimportance of using these channels. However,it was emphasised that this should not be to thedetriment of other more traditional channels likeprint and radio, which still play a major role inparticularly the rural areas of Africa.Apart from filing articles for their respective mediahouses, the journalists were contributors to thedialogue newspaper, The Swaziland DialogueNews and FANRPAN’s dialogue webpage.The group took a conscious decision to helpportray Africa as a continent of hope anddevelopment to help counteract the many negativeimages of famine and war that too often dominatecommunications about the continent.The group adopted a resolution to always defendfreedom of the media, while practising fair andethical journalism.Negotiations are on the way to establish anassociation of regional and continental agriculturalwriters which could cooperate with the establishedassociation in South Africa.“Policy issues are not political statements” –FANRPAN Chairman Sindiso Ngwenya.Journos unite for agriculture – FANRPAN’s journalist training programme in action.Malawi farmers inspireSwazi counterpartsAckel ZwaneThe success story of Malawi’s food security effortsresulting from intensive labour has inspired thenewly formed Swaziland farmers’ association.During presentations by experts on the HarmonisedSeed Security Project (HaSSP), organised bythe Food, Agriculture and Natural ResourcesPolicy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), the farmersexpressed admiration for Malawi for becoming foodsecure. All other countries in the region, with theexception of South Africa, are food insecure.Obed Dlamini, a participant who is also a formerprime minister of the Kingdom of Swaziland anda renowned farmer, said it was encouraging thatMalawi used crude or simple farming implements,the hoe, to till the land while other countries in theregion were battling to use mechanised methods.Dlamini said although others would equate theconditions under which Malawi farmers work toslavery, “it is the right kind of slavery, if it is slavery atall.” He was specifically reacting to a presentationby Dr Bella Mpofu who coordinated the HaSSPand the Women Accessing Realigned Markets(WARM) projects.Dlamini is among the Swazi farmers who benefitedfrom the HaSSP exchange programme. Hevisited Malawi and Zambia and on return sharedhis experiences with local farmers who, he said,are moving fast especially in the use of humanresources.Mpofu said it was in their original programme toinclude exchange visits and the feedback is thatthere is further need to engage donors to upscalethe exchange visits beyond the four pilot countriesSwaziland, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Presenting the case of Swaziland on HaSSP,Christopher Mtsetfwa announced that three HaSSPproducing communities had been established inthe Shewula, Siphofaneni and Tubungu districtswhere two open pollinated seed maize varieties,ZM 611 and ZM 309, were produced on sevenhectares by 22 farmers. He said a communityseed training workshop was conducted at theInkhundla Constituency Centre in Lomahasha.The main objective of the training was to equipthe Bumbeni Farmers’ Association memberswith seed production and seed business managementskills.Maize production in Malawi stands at 1 983 440tons, up by 27 percent from last year’s productionof 1 556 975 tons. The increase was said tobe due to a five percent increase in overall yield,attributed to an increase in the uptake of fertilizer,and a 21 percent increase in area planted,attributed to an increase in seeds, made availableby the government. The Malawian governmenthad scaled up its free distribution programme offertilizer and seeds from one million beneficiariesin the 2001/02 season to around three millionbeneficiaries in the 2002/03 season. In addition,the government had also intensified free inputdistribution to farmers for winter maize.Last year Swaziland announced it was planningto introduce a subsidy to farmers by providingfertilizer and seeds with a view to add 42 000metric tons to the national food supply. This thenrequired a financing scheme for both inputs. Forover a decade prior to 2009 two thirds of thepopulation lived on donor food handouts. Whenthe rains returned in 2009 farmers had no means topurchase inputs and seeds and fertilizer.Malawi’s bumper harvest of 2009 has broughtan impetus into the introduction of the subsidiesscheme.More WARMpartnerships neededZeddy SambuFor Alice Antonio Nicolau, a 25-year oldMozambican university student, the drying up of agrant meant to strengthen female farmers does notmean the end of the road.This news could potentially lock out the universitystudent , an actress and single mother, who is keento start farming.Funding for the Women Accessing RealignedMarkets (WARM) programme has for the lastthree years been availed by the Bill and MelindaGates fund. The programme seeks the rightagricultural projects, including access to marketsand better prices.“Our funding will expire in May 2012. Our challengeis to develop partnerships with more donors,” saysSithembile Ndema, FANRPAN’s project managerfor WARM.Nicolau hails from Mozambique’s Marracenedistrict, one of the success stories along with Boaniand Malawi’s Kasungu district, with more than1 000 beneficiaries of the WARM project.“Women tell us they have attained food selfsufficiencyand surplus for sale. They now alsohave a better understanding of land rights. WARMbrings concerns of female farmers into nationaland regional policy debates,” says Dr Marta Cumbi,the programme manager for the Marracene andBoani districts.“Marracene is a success story. Men have alsobeen trained as advocates along with women in theproduction chain,” says Cumbi.According to Beatrice Makwenda , the managerfor the Malawi programme, there are 1 000 clubsthat have benefited in the Kasungu district, thanksto collaboration between WARM and the NationalSmall Holder Farmers Association (NASFAM).“We deal with organised groups in commercialfarming . We have built the capacity of the womento produce more tobacco, soyabeans, ground nutsand maize,” she says.The two countries were selected because of abumper harvest recorded in Malawi andsound agricultural policiesin Mozambique.5

FANRPAN’s mediatraining beneficial -journalistsPaida MpasoJournalists attending the three-day capacitytraining at the FANRPAN dialogue in Swazilandhave hailed the organisers, saying such training isvital for the development of their journalistic skills inagricultural reporting.The training, which was organised by FANRPAN,was aimed at building capacity for journalistsand engaging them as advocacy partners indisseminating key messages in a professional andfactual manner.Speaking during the opening session, the CEOof FANRPAN, Dr Lindiwe Sibanda said journalistshave the tools to take issues further in a society.She said FANRPAN has a lot of projects and itis very important that these projects reach theintended beneficiaries.“Through your good work, our target groupswhich include farmers, researchers, governmentofficials and the private sector will be able to knowwhat is happening, hence progress into the future,”she said.According to Sibanda there are many issues beingfaced by their stakeholders that need to come outinto the open. “For instance we have farmers whoare being robbed of a platform to express theirviews. As journalists, if such issues are broughtout, things begin to change and this is why you areimportant,” she said.One of the journalists from Kenya, Zeddy Sambu,said the training was very interactive and exciting.“Journalists have the tools to take issues further in asociety” – FANRPAN CEO Dr Lindiwe Sibanda“I liked what the trainders did. They did not assumeabout what we knew, but gave and taught useverything, it was like we were in school again.Honestly, I think this is what we need. You see,if agricultural issues are to be reported more andgain the impact that is needed, there is a need forjournalists to be trained. You simply cannot runaway from that fact,” she said.Another participant from Uganda, Grace Musimamiadded: “It was a great and a new opportunity tohave an in-depth understanding of what is goingon - hence an even better platform to increaseadvocacy on food security in the region.”HaSSP project not trackingbackwards – MpofuAckel ZwaneThe Harmonised Seed Security Project (HaSSP) isdefinitely not tracking backwards but instead thereare tangible achievements already made, Dr BellaMpofu, project coordinator, told delegates at thepre-dialogue meeting ahead of the FANRPAN foodsecurity policy dialogue in Swaziland.She noted that a number of ministers of agriculturein the region had also signed memorandums ofunderstanding to show they have a buy-in in thewhole project, thus making it move forward. Mpofualso explained that the project had been marketedat Southern African Development Community levelwhere they were welcomed by leaders.FANRPAN also announced it was aggressivelypursuing partnerships with all like-mindedimplementing agencies to leverage resources andtechnical skills.Samuel Kareithi, representing the sponsorsSDA Pretoria, encouraged FANRPAN to walkwith the vision to move forward to more countriessuch as Mozambique and Tanzania who havealready approached FANRPAN for assistance. “Asmore countries come in, a new thinking also setsin,” said Kareithi.He noted that India’s success was first to demystifyseed, therefore the region must get policies rightand link them with the broader base of seedproduction, a move that can inspire even moreplayers from the region. “Look at where arewe stuck and then evoke the power to unstuck,”he added.FANRPAN CEO Dr Lindiwe Sibanda said the2011 meeting was to provide an opportunity forstakeholders to review the current status of youthengagement in agriculture value chains, and toshare lessons and experience, challenges andopportunities in that regard.The policy dialogue was to also showcase bestpractices from across the continent in line withfive FANRPAN thematic thrusts - food systems,agriculture productivity and markets, naturalresources and environment, social protectionand livelihoods, institutional strengthening andcapacity building.Sthembile Ndema, who coordinates WomenAccessing Realigned Markets (WARM) said it wasimportant to pay particular attention to the youthbecause of their creative mind, their ability to pickon new technologies faster and that there is a nichefor them, especially in the social networking sitesand other information technology fields.“The problem recently has been engaging youth inagriculture. The problem has been engaging themat a very late stage, after college. But we mustcatch them before they reach the decision makingstage on what to pursue in college,” she said.In line with FANRPAN’s commitment to journalism training, the FANRPAN Swaziland DialogueNews is produced with the assistance of the journalists who underwent training at the dialogue.They are credited for their articles that were also submitted to the various news channels ofthe media houses they represent. The training was conducted by Junxion Communications.www.fanrpan.org · Tel +27 12 804 2966Showcasing FANRPAN’s brainchild – the household vulnerability indexEditorial teamVarious external influences like HIV/AIDS andclimate change have a marked influence onpoverty. They mainly manifest themselves in ruralhouseholds were over 70 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa live.These people rely on rain-fed agriculture andchronic food insecurity is common amongthem. The majority of these households lackthe necessary capacity to adapt to the negativeimpacts of these external vulnerabilities.A statistical tool – the household vulnerability index– assesses a household’s external vulnerability thatresults from shocks and internal vulnerability orinability to withstand shocks. It then classifies thehousehold as low, moderate and highly vulnerable,depending on its ability to prevail.Low vulnerability classifies a household as in avulnerable situation but still able to cope. Moderatevulnerability states that a household has beenhit so hard that it needs urgent but temporaryassistance to recover. High vulnerability states thatthe household is in a situation of almost a point ofno return – but could be resituated with the bestpossible expertise.To identify and measure household vulnerabilityand to strengthen the capabilities of householdsto adapt to external hazards, FANRPAN,in partnership with the University of Vendaand World Vision Swaziland researchedthe community of Mpolonjeni – a stop on theFANRPAN field trip. The research team mappedout the various needs to tailor aid accordingto the needs of households. The documentedresearch maps out the different households in theMpolonjeni community, across the three householdvulnerability index categories – low, medium andhigh - and the differentiators.Vulnerability mapping will go a long way in informinghow interventions should be targeted to alleviatepoverty and address food security issues.6FANRPAN 2011 Food Security Regional Policy Dialogue