Tanzania pegs growth on farming research

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 13:18 Kenan Kalagho, 

East African Business Week, Kampala, UGANDA

The Director for IITA Eastern Africa Hub, Dr Victor Manyong with the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who is also the Goodwill Ambassador for IITA Africa and other dignitaries during the official opening of the research centre in Dar es Salaam. (Photo by Kenan Kalagho)

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA- President Jakaya Kikwete has said economic growth in most African countries hinges on increased agriculture production based on more scientific research.
This is because the majority of the people get their livelihood from farming.
He was speaking during the official opening of a new International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) research centre in Dar es Salaam last week.
“Tanzania is committed at supporting IITA in order to lift the majority population, who are farmers out of poverty,” Kikwete said and added, “ in recent years Tanzania will be contributing one percent of its capital income on agriculture research.”
He said there is need for African countries to make sure that they increase funding in research and science applications that will scale up production and lead to both food and political security in the region.
The IITA centre is to serve nine countries in East and Central Africa. The IITA is among the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions to hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
Kikwete said in the last few years there had been a decline per food capital due to low production of agriculture in Africa. He said a bigger capacity of researchers and students undergoing agricultural related work was needed.
Former Nigerian President Chief Olusegon Obasanjo, who is also the IITA Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, highlighted the costs of neglect.
Obasanjo said that in today’s world research is crucial for solving specific and complex challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa that would uplift the majority of farmers in the region but also lead to food availability in the region.
He said food instability may have an impact on political stability and the social wellbeing of the people in the region if no effort is made to increase production by 2050.
Obasanjo said the widespread riots occasioned by spikes in food prices in 2007 and 2008 are signposts pointing to the dangers if crop output is not increased.
He said if Africa were to double its average cereal yield from one to two tonnes per hectare, this would lead to an extra 100 million tonnes a year. Enough to meet food demands in the region.
“Africa has energetic young people, the continent is reach in natural resources with about 60% of the world uncultivated arable land accounting to 733 million hectares” Obasanjo said.
He said this alone was enough to shift Africa from having a food deficit to becoming a major food surplus region.
He said last year alone the number of hungry people on the continent rose to 239 million, including 40% of the children under five years reportedly stunted by malnutrition.
Research has shown that doubling investment on research and development in Sub-Sahara Africa could lift an estimated 144 million people out of poverty, lead to job creation for the increasing youth population, save Africa from food import bills, create worth for farmers and ensure food security in the region.
“We must support our own development, and we must be committed to making a change to achieve that goal,”  Obasanjo said.
He said Nigeria is already showing an example by contributing $2 million annually to IITA agriculture research.