AFAP and IFA sign strategic MoU to improve Fertilizer markets

In efforts to improve Africa’s agricultural development and bridge the continent’s productivity gap, the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) and the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 2014 IFA Strategic Forum held in Marrakesh, Morocco.
The MoU signed by Jason Scarpone, AFAP’s President and CEO, and Charlotte Hebebrand, IFA’s Director General, saw both organizations who specialize in fertilizer issues pledging to collaborate on issues aimed at facilitating and supporting African smallholders’ access to fertilizers on the continent. 
Scarpone said, “Agricultural productivity in Africa has become top priority in the continent as many leaders recognize the urgent need to pull millions out of extreme poverty.” He added, “There is no one magic solution reaching all of Africa’s development goals, and sustained partnerships with stakeholders across the fertilizer value chain are required if we are to make progress.”
 Patrick Heffer, Senior Director of Agriculture at IFA, who leads the Africa Forum, noted that “this strong partnership between our organizations will help speed up the improvement in fertilizer use that we are witnessing in Sub-Saharan Africa for a handful of years. It is only by working together that this trend can gain momentum, which is an essential building block of Africa’s agricultural development agenda”. 
Through the MoU, AFAP and IFA have pledged to collaborate on a number of joint activities to engage and support private and public sector initiatives to identify, enable and deliver improvements in the fertilizer value chain that will strengthen availability and the value-cost ratio of fertilizer for farmers. In addition, both organizations will act as intermediaries between the private and public sectors to ensure that the goals of all parties are being met and that an enabling environment is developed and maintained consistent with the objectives set forth in  the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer to increase fertilizer use to 50kg per hectare across the continent. 
The two organizations are complementary. AFAP is an NGO established as part of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) that develops fertilizer value chain systems to support smallholder farmers in increasing agricultural productivity. IFA brings together all actors of the fertilizer value chain around the world and runs product and nutrient stewardship programmes relevant to AFAP’s objectives. It also mobilizes interest from potential investors through its Africa Forum.   
IFA and AFAP have already been partnering in 2014 on the Smallholder’s Access to Fertilizers campaign, a call to African leaders to unlock fertilizer markets; and on the newly launched the African Fertilizer Volunteers’ Program, an initiative aimed at mobilizing global expertise in support of increasing smallholder fertilizer users and usage.
 The African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) is an independent non-profit organization founded by a Partnership of African development organization. It works to establish more competitive and sustainable fertilizer markets in Africa and to contribute to an African Green Revolution. AFAP unites the expertise and dedication of the public and private sectors to increase fertilizer affordability and accessibility for African smallholder farmers. Using an innovative partnership contract, AFAP joins industry and development interests to inspire productivity, food security and prosperity in Africa.
The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) is a trade association representing the global fertilizer industry, which provides the crop nutrients that allow farmers everywhere to meet the world's growing food, feed, fiber and bioenergy needs in a sustainable manner. IFA member companies represent all activities related to the production and distribution of every type of fertilizer, their raw materials and intermediates. IFA’s membership also includes organizations involved in agronomic research and training. IFA has some 550 members in about 86 countries.

GBV, major cause of divorce

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
AS the world is celebrating the sixteen days of activism against gender violence which runs from November 25 to December 10, the impact that gender-based violence (GBV) has had on children is deeper than one can think.
GBV which mostly leads to divorce or separation has affected many children.
For them, divorce can be stressful, sad, and confusing. At any age, kids may feel uncertain or angry at the prospect of mom and dad splitting up.
For 17-year-old Mailesi Banda of Lusaka’s Kalikiliki township, going through her parents’ divorce has changed her life completely.
Now a mother of one, Mailesi says she feels neglected and not being a child born from parents that loved their children.
“If mum and dad didn’t divorce, I was not going to have this child, I partly blame my parents for what I am going through now. Before the divorce, I enjoyed good life and life was so sweet with all our needs being taken care of, but the moment my parents divorced, trouble came into my life,” she said.
She narrates how her father used to beat her mother to a point of being hospitalised.
The worst moment for her was when her father, beat her mum until she fainted and the children ran outside screaming for help.
“My dad was more energetic than my mum and every time a fight ensued, mum will always be defeated. One day, I heard my mother telling a friend that dad’s drinking habits and late coming were getting out of hand and that every time she talked to him, dad would pick up a quarrel with mum,” Mailesi said.
It was after the divorce that Mailesi got pregnant, “I was 14, when my parents divorced and a year later I got pregnant because life was too hard for me, there was no one to take care of my needs. It was during this time that I engaged in a relationship which resulted into me getting pregnant.”
According Mailesi, helping children cope with divorce means providing stability in the home and attending to children’s needs with a reassuring, positive attitude is one thing that is lacking among many divorced parents.
And one of the Latkings Outreach Programme facilitator Fatima Chibamba said as a parent, it’s normal to feel uncertain about how to give your children the right support through your divorce or separation, but always
“divorce emanating from GBV or any misunderstandings should be dealt with very carefully and with the interest of the children at heart. All in all help your kids emerge from divorce feeling loved, confident, and strong,” Ms Chibamba said.
A staggering 40 percent of marriages are now doomed to end in divorce, despite the bad press: divorce is bad for your health, bad for your purse and particularly bad for your children, says Ms Chibamba.
“That is not to say that people should never divorce. Any couple locked in a violent relationship would be better off without each other. But for the vast majority of couples with children, divorce will bring a whole new set of problems and children are the most affected,” Ms Chibamba said.
And Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) senior counsellor, Ireen Nkunda said many couples who divorce later regret the decision all because of their own health and the well-being of their children.
“They truly regret and wish they would have been better off still married all because of the adverse impact that divorce has on children,” Ms Nkunda said.
A number of studies have shown that divorced people are more likely to contract chronic illnesses and die earlier than people who remain married.
She said women’s expectations of marriage have changed dramatically in the last two decades following the increased levels of GBV.
“If a marriage breaks down, the paradox is that women who are divorced are even more tied by children to the home – both economically and emotionally – than when they were married,” Ms Nkunda said.

COMESA, AFAP partner over fertiliser

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) have launched a joint programme to enable members in the region to increase supply and use of fertiliser among smallholder farmers.
The partnership is designed to develop agribusiness in rural areas.
In a statement to mark the launch of the joint fertiliser initiative, AFAP President Jason Scarpone said the goal of the cooperation is to enhance regional trade in fertiliser and food staples, food security and incomes by strengthening small and medium-scale enterprises that are essential for increasing competitiveness and integrating farmers into national, regional and international market to catalyse rural transformation.
This partnership will also strengthen the Eastern and Southern Africa Fertiliser Stakeholders’ Forum as an avenue for sustained dialogue between the public and private sector in catalysing the growth of fertiliser markets in the region.
This will be a landmark achievement that will spur COMESA’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
COMESA and AFAP have committed themselves to working together in establishing a fertiliser trade facility comprising a set of financial instruments through investments in medium-scale enterprises working along the fertiliser value chain.
“Fertiliser has been highly effective in increasing the quantity of food produced globally. It also holds enormous potential for improving human welfare by improving the quality of food for many Africans still living in Poverty,” said Mr Scarpone said.
Mr Scarpone said the partnership with COMESA is based on the organisation’s membership of over 19 countries and its co-mandate on trade facilitation in the region and AFAP’s commitment to facilitating a regional fertiliser trade facility.
And COMESA’s Secretary General, Sindiso Ngwenya said, “boosting private sector investment in fertiliser production, supply and use in the region is a major priority. The AFAP model in enhancing use and usage of fertiliser is a proven instrument for rural transformation.”

Family farming vital in addressing Africa's food security-NEPAD

DOREEN NAWA, Johannesburg.

THE role of family farming is crucial in addressing Africa's food security and job creating, says New Partnership for Africa's development (NEPAD) programme director, Estherine Fotabong.

Mrs Fotabong said it is obvious that without organising and strengthening family farming, it is impossible to transform agriculture in africa.

She was speaking on Monday during a three day meeting aimed at strengthening the ability of farmers' organisations to effectively  advocate for interests of family farming and small holder farmers in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"We are not only looking at family farming as a way of being food secure but also  as away of creating jobs and managing natural resources, and for this to become a reality, we need to strengthen our activities and take action now," she said.

Giving reference to the Malabo declaration which took place in June this year, Mrs Fotabong said there is need for farmers organisation to commit themselves to action oriented activities.

The Malabo declaration is a document that seeks to accelerate agricultural growth and transformation in Africa.

And Southern African confederation of agricultural unions (SACAU) president Theo de jager says global demand for food is projected to surpass population hence the need for family farming to take Center stage.

Dr de Jager said SACAU believes that agriculture can play a much bigger role in creating food secure and create employment.

"As Africa, we need to take pride in farming and make it more rewarding , profitable and competitive," Dr de Jager.

SACAU calls for youth involvement in agriculture transformation in Africa

DOREEN NAWA, JOHANESBURG

CLAIMS are made that Africa's farmers are getting older.

The blame is put on young people's decreasing interest in farm work, lack of skills and access to resources, but the trend is changing.

This is evidenced from the number of young farmers attending the 2014 Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) African Forum on Family Farming in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Young farmers from Madagscar, Mauritius, Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho are attending the three day forum.

And Southern African Confederation of African Unions (SACAU) president Theo de Jager says time is for young farmers voices to be heard and  showcase their innovative solutions to increasing agricultural productivity in Africa, taking into account factors like climate change, agricultural investment, access to credit, trade and market niches.

“SACAU is honoured to be the a co-host of the 2014 CAADP Africa Forum which is connected to the 2014 UN International Year of Family and the AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security. This is a strong and necessary signal that the international community recognizes the important contribution of family farmers to world food security. The role of young farmers on the continent will be critical in achieving these goals,”  Dr de Jager said.

Dr de Jager said there is need to advocate for the involvement of young farmers in agriculture in Africa.

“Once the profession of agriculture has been elevated to the status and level it deserves, will also attract young people (including women) new energetic entrants capable of understanding the complexities of future food consumers. We are at the right place, at the right time – this is the world’s paradise when it comes to land and climate for agricultural production – but the questions remains – how soon can we do the right things for the prosperity of the sector, its people and Africa,” he said.

A young farmer from Balaka in Malawi, Bertina Spriano says farming is a business which can transform the lives of people on the continent.

“I am small holder farmer aged 34 but if I look back from the years I was not in farming, I truly regret, I would not have been where I am today. Form the time I started farming, I have not known poverty in my family,” says Ms Spriano.

According to Ms Spriano says in the past decade, young farmers were nowhere nearer for their voices to be heard across the continent but now the situation is changing.

“Governments have been channeling more resources into agriculture, pursuing the African Union’s goal of increasing public investment in agriculture to 10 per cent of national budgets per year. And as youths this is our time to associate ourselves with this sector,” she said.

In many areas, partnerships in agriculture are improving access to higher yielding seeds and fertilizers, improving soil fertility, strengthening technical training and boosting access to credit.

While agriculture and smallholder farmers in many African countries form the bedrock of the economy, the youth hold the keys to the continent's future.

Throughout the continent, young farmers playing a crucial role in the continent's economic growth by actively involving themselves into agriculture.

Another young farmer from Uganda, Elizabeth Nsimadala says while young people are a huge potential resource, many are migrating to cities in search of opportunities, leaving behind an increasingly ageing population.

“It is vital and ultimately beneficial for everyone to turn this trend around. Reality will quickly dim the bright lights of the city for this generation. But if young people stay on the farm, these upcoming smallholder farmers will be in the forefront of innovative, knowledge-intensive agriculture. Substantial and sustained investments focused on young farmers are essential to harness their energies and ambitions,” says Ms Nsimadala.

Clearly, it is time to look at poor smallholder farmers in a completely new way – not as charity cases but as people whose innovation, dynamism and hard work will bring prosperity to their communities and greater food security to the world in the decades ahead.

While Africa continues to face enormous challenges in reducing rural poverty, a vision of economic renaissance led by young smallholder farmers is beginning to take hold.

There is growing belief that Africa can produce enough not only to feed its own citizens but to export a growing surplus.
Africa can make a real contribution to ensuring food security for the world while also growing its economy and pulling its citizens out of poverty.