Opening Remarks & Challenges

Bashir Jama, AGRA

Mapping Our Futurea CSI / AGCommons Vision & Agenda

CGIAR Consortium on Spatial Information (CSI)

Annual Meeting, ILRI, Nairobi, 31 March to 4 April 2009

Overview

AGRA

• Focus on agricultural development in Africa

• A new model for development engagement

The Soil Health Program

• Need / opportunity for improved location-specific data and

analysis to support that initiative

• Special role for and linkages to AfSIS

Challenge to the Geospatial Community

What the community needs to do, how, and with whom

What is AGRA?

A dynamic partnership working across Africa to help millions of small-scale farming families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger.

Mr Kofi A Annan, Chairman of AGRA

l l l l l l l l

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Seeds Program

Market Access

Investm

en

ts fo

r th

e G

ree

n

Re

vo

lution

AGRA interventions can solve problems

along the value chain

Policy & advocacy, M&E

Soil Health

Agricultural Extension

Water Resources

Policies and Partnerships Program

• Accelerate investment in research and rural infrastructure

• Smart subsidies for farm inputs (‘growth enhancement credits’)

Policies for rapid transformation of Africa’s agriculture

• Develop networks of agrodealers across rural areas

• Secure national food supplies

The Sahelian DrylandsArea: 1.2m km2

Population: 38m

Millet & sorghum belt: 23m ha

Humid Forest ZoneArea: 5.8m km2

Population: 168m

Cassava belt: 18m ha

NERICA potential: 2m ha

Moist Savanna and

Woodland ZonesArea: 4.4m km2

Population: 157m

Maize belt: 32m ha

CA potential: 7m ha

Africa is very different from Asia: A uniquely African Green Revolution is needed that respects diversity

To succeed in sub-Saharan Africa, AGRA

must overcome enormous challenges

Ecological diversity

Diverse soils

Many crop species

Segmented political landscape

Erratic rainfall

Low adoption of improved crop varieties Soil Classes of

Africa

1995-97 2002-04

Source: IFDC

Soil nutrient mining is killing Africa!

Key entry points:

Unhealthy soils

Untamed water

NetherlandsVietnam

JapanUK

ChinaFranceBrazil

USAIndia

South AfricaCubaBenin

MalawiEthiopia

MaliBurkina Faso

NigeriaTanzania

Mozambique GuineaGhana

Uganda

kg/ha

Sources: FAOSTAT 2003, Norman Borlaug 2004

0 100 200 300 400

Fertilizer

use per

ha in sub-

Saharan

Africa is

the lowest in theworld

500 600

The Soil Health Program (SHP

Objective 1: Supply locally appropriate fertilizers

Objective 2: Adoption of appropriate ISFM technology packages

Objective 3: Create accommodative policy environment

SHP Sub-Programs

1. Fertilizer Supply Program

• Focuses on the production and distribution (i.e. importing and wholesale) elements of the fertilizer supply chain

2. Soil health training sub-program

• Invest in African extension workers, technicians and scientists to facilitate the development and extension of new and existing ISFM technology packages

SHP Sub-Programs…

3. Soil health research sub-program

• Focuses on supporting the development, adaptation and fine-tuning of ISFM technologies

4. Soil health extension sub-program

• Focuses on scaling up ISFM technological packages to thousands of farmers

15

Quick impacts

• Identify large scale value chain type projects in key breadbaskets

• Support national implementation task forces and policy hubs

• Each project targets 20,000 to 100,000 farmers along value chain – involves the other programs

• Each project incorporates MSc and PhD training opportunities

Soil Map of the World, vol. 6, Africa

(FAO/UNESCO, 1977)

Bringing Soil Science into the 21st

Century

• Supply dynamic soil information

• Local scale: Provide support tools for farmers

and extension staff

• National scale: Advise national policy makers

on fertilizers recommendations

• Global scale: Provide information for global

databases

Africa Soil Information Services (AfSIS)

• Aims at increasing access to a reliable, flexible and dynamic soil-health information service for the ultimate benefit of the African smallholder farm family

• Available opportunities:– Recent advances in digital soil mapping,

– Infrared spectroscopy,

– Remote sensing,

– Statistics

Mapping recommendation domains for ISFM technologies and use of improved seed

Mali

Ghana

MalawiZambia

Tanzania

Kenya

Uganda

NigeriaMapping agro-dealer network coverage

Using GIS

tools to map

out grain trade

flow in eastern

and southern

Africa

Geospatial Community

Challenge 1

• A clear vision and strategy urgently needed for the development and delivery of the key geospatial products and services for the next 5-10 years

• Vital that the community supports and strengthens the new generation of development mechanisms and institutions in Africa (eg, CAADP, AGRA)

Geospatial Community

Challenge 2

Strongly encourage CSI and AGCommons to continue to build their strong partnership.

Expand the collaboration to engage with CAADP and AGRA initiatives.

Train and strengthen the capacity of national institutions in geospatial techniques.

Urge boldness and pragmatism in your deliberations about a new vision and turn into action and impact fast.

Thank you