Ethiopia Becomes Fourth African Country

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ADDIS ABABA 002346 SIPDIS STATE FOR EB, AF, SP, F USAID FOR AFR, AFR/EA AFR/SD JHILL, THOBGOOD, STHOMPSON EGAT/AG DCHA JBRAUSE, JBORNS, SBRADLEY NAROIBI PEWELL, CBUZZARD, KSUNDSMO PASS TO USTR FOR EBRYAN AND PATRICK COLEMAN TREASURY FOR DPETERS MCC FOR KRPENN USDA FAS USDA ARS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR EAID PREL AF ET SUBJECT: Ethiopia Becomes Fourth African Country to Sign a Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program Compact REF: (A) ADDIS ABABA 1665 (B) ADDIS ABABA 1861 ADDIS ABAB 00002346 001.2 OF 004 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) As part of the USG's food security initiative implementation plan development, USAID Ethiopia continues to produce information sharing cables to highlight progress and plans in key areas. This Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) cable is a continuation of this series. Also refer to cables on food security and livestock programs (Refs A and B). In the coming weeks, USAID Ethiopia will send an additional cable summarizing the details of the food security initiative implementation plan. The cable will also give an overview of agriculture development coordination between government and development partners. ¶2. (U) With the August 27 signing of Ethiopia's CAADP Compact, the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) has reconfirmed strong commitment to agriculture development. During the CAADP Ethiopia process, existing agriculture development policies were evaluated and recommendations were provided to further accelerate Ethiopia's agriculture growth. All recommendations were accepted by the GOE and included harmonizing Ethiopia's seed policy with regional countries, accelerating the land registration process and placing more focus on the livestock sector. To support the CAADP Ethiopia compact, the GOE and development partners are collaborating through the Rural Economic Development and Food Security (REDFS) Working Group. Under REDFS, the three focus programs are Food Security, Agriculture Growth and Sustainable Land Management. These programs, which are aligned with the CAADP Ethiopia framework, are currently being designed jointly by the donor community and the GOE. In the coming months, a Policy Investment Framework (PIF) will be developed using the CAADP Ethiopia compact as a basis of investment for both development partners and the GOE. END SUMMARY. -------------- CAADP Background -------------- ¶3. (U) In 2002, the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) was initiated. This program aims to fundamentally shift the way African leadership looks at agriculture and its potential contribution to end poverty and hunger. To achieve these goals, African governments have pledged to devote 10% of public expenditures to the agriculture sector, while striving for at least 6% annual agriculture growth. Under CAADP, four key pillars have been agreed upon: Extending the area under sustainable land management, Improving rural infrastructure and trade related capacities for market access, Increasing food supply and reducing hunger, and Agriculture research, technology dissemination and adaption. ¶4. (U) CAADP is managed by the African Union's New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Currently, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia is the Chair of NEPAD. After some hesitation to embrace CAADP, Ethiopia has enthusiastically adopted the CAADP process. -------------- CAADP Ethiopia Process -------------- ¶5. (U) Unlike many other African countries, Ethiopia has surpassed the CAADP targets of 6% agriculture sector growth and devoted more than 10% of public expenditures to agriculture for successive years before starting the CAADP process. In recent years, the official growth rate in the agriculture sector has been around 13%, while budget allocations have been at 15%. This level of investment is crucial for Ethiopia's development, as roughly 85% of the population is engaged in agriculture and 46% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is derived from the agriculture sector. With the main CAADP benchmarks already achieved, the Ethiopia process and compact design has been slightly different compared to other countries. ADDIS ABAB 00002346 002.2 OF 004 ¶6. (U) In Ethiopia, the CAADP planning process started in September 2008 with a launching ceremony. After the launching ceremony, a national consultant team was formed to complete the CAADP stocktaking document. This group included a team leader with an agriculture economics background, a livestock/pastoral expert and an agronomist. Following discussions with the GOE and stakeholders, the consultant team identified a gap in knowledge regarding natural resource issues. With support from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa(COMESA),a fourth national consultant was hired who had strong expertise in natural resource management. ¶7. (U) Through the CAADP Ethiopia process, technical assistance was provided to further define the GOE's agriculture development strategy and accelerate recent development progress. Also, the CAADP study allowed for development challenges to be further examined. To support the CAADP Ethiopia process, USAID provided funding to COMESA to fund workshops and hire national consultants, through the Regional Enhanced Livelihood Program in Pastoral Areas (RELPA). ¶8. (U) The CAADP team quickly agreed that agriculture is the prime sector for Ethiopia's long-term development. The consultancy started with a review of existing national development strategies, which included Rural Development Policies (RDPS),Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development (PASDEP) and the Agriculture Led Industrialization Strategy. Afterwards, consultations were held with key stakeholders, including donors, federal and regional government representatives, civil society and the private sector. Also, the team assessed the current capacity of government institutions. ¶9. (U) Following this review, the CAADP team was able to undertake a gap analysis of existing programs. The group determined that further work is needed regarding the harmonization of seed policy with East and Central African countries. Also, more focus is needed for livestock and pastoralist programs in the coming years. Another major gap identified was the capacity level at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MOARD). Low capacity and frequent changes in staff was observed at both the Federal and Regional level, which constrained long-term development initiatives. ¶10. (U) During the study, the CAADP pillars were "indigenized" to the Ethiopian context to include the following four pillars: Improve Natural Resource Management and Utilization, Improve Rural Infrastructure, market access and trade capabilities, Enhance food security and improve disaster risk management and Improve the agriculture research and extension system. Through the CAADP stocktaking phase, 46 national agriculture policy positions were organized into the four CAADP Ethiopia pillars. With the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP) soon to expire, the CAADP study has informed and influenced the preparation of the next phase of PASDEP. ¶11. (U) The CAADP stocktaking document also included the Ethiopian General Equilibrium Model, which was completed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Major findings of the model concluded that Ethiopia can sustain 6% agriculture growth in the medium term. In addition, most rural households will directly benefit from this agriculture growth. Some households located in high rainfall areas and situated near urban centers stand to achieve higher economic benefits. The study also concluded that growth driven by cereal crop production generally will have larger impacts on poverty reduction. ¶12. (U) In the final stocktaking document, the CAADP consultant team concluded that agriculture will remain crucial for Ethiopia's economic development. The substantial investments of the GOE have contributed to the recent growth in the agriculture sector. At the same time, much more work and resources are required to achieve Millennium Development Goal I of halving hunger and poverty by 2015. The team also provided 25 specific recommendations to the GOE. Most importantly, the team recommended that all future proposed programs fall under the CAADP Ethiopia framework, as this framework ADDIS ABAB 00002346 003.2 OF 004 uses past GOE strategies as a base and takes into account current program and policy gaps. Other specific recommendations include improvement of coverage and focus in the livestock and pastoralist sector, review of the seed policy and strategy in line with the emerging regional interests, institutionalization and promotion of land administration, a review of the warehouse receipt and credit program of the Ethiopia's Commodity Exchange and enhanced capacity development interventions. ¶13. (U) Throughout the CAADP stocktaking process, the national consultants communicated frequently with the State Minister for Agriculture Research and Extension and also with the GOE's CAADP Focal Point, the Director of the Extension Directorate. Additionally, the consultant team worked with the Rural Economic Development and Food Security (RED&FS) Donor Working Group. In June, a joint planning workshop was held with the Agriculture Growth Program of the RED&FS group. This meeting was attended by several USAID representatives. ¶14. (U) In July, the CAADP stocktaking document was formally completed and presented to both MOARD and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED). This document was subsequently endorsed by the GOE. Afterwards, the GOE moved quickly to plan the CAADP roundtable and Compact Signing ceremony. -------------- CAADP Roundtable and Compact Signing -------------- ¶15. (U) On August 25-26, the CAADP Roundtable discussion was organized, which was attended by several USAID technical officers. USAID Ethiopia's Mission Director participated in the CAADP Ethiopia Compact signing on August 27th. At the ceremony, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) signed the CAADP Compact, as the representative of the Development Assistance Group (DAG). With the signing, Ethiopia becomes the fourth African nation to sign its CAADP Compact, after Rwanda, Togo and Burundi. ¶16. (U) With the CAADP Compact signed, USAID Ethiopia has earmarked additional resources to provide technical assistance to the GOE for development of a CAADP implementation and investment plan, which will accelerate agriculture development and move Ethiopia toward long-term food security. -------------- Opportunities and Challenges -------------- ¶17. (U) In the past, some observers have felt that government policy has constrained agriculture development. Through the CAADP policy review, the national consultant team concluded that existing government polices provide adequate direction on key issues including support of commercial agriculture, development of a private sector input supply system and promotion of the land certification process. Unfortunately, the implementation of policies often lags behind official positions. While constraints certainly exist, the policy environment is improving in some areas. For example, much progress has occurred in land certification. Recently, the GOE has pledged to complete second level land certification throughout the country. This will insure that all landholders will receive surveys. Although land still cannot be used as collateral or be sold, research has shown that certified land plots have increased in value by 9%. The GOE is strongly committed to the land certification process, which is illustrated by MOARD's recent establishment of a national land administration taskforce. In the future, USAID Ethiopia will continue to advocate for policy improvements. Focus areas include improving the enabling environment for the private sector, particularly in inputs such as seeds, reduction of transaction costs in market and transport and an overhaul of the agriculture and research systems. -------------- The Way Forward -------------- ADDIS ABAB 00002346 004.2 OF 004 ¶18. (U) Under the USG's new food security response, country led strategies have been emphasized as a critical requirement for future funding commitments, while also being crucial for the long-term sustainability of the initiative. During the development of the new USG food security initiative implementation plan, USAID Ethiopia has employed the lead national consultant for the CAADP Stocktaking document. This has ensured that USAID Ethiopia's food security plans are closely aligned with the CAADP Ethiopia framework. In addition, the Mission has collaborated closely with both Federal and Regional officials regarding the USG's new food security response framework and potential focus areas. ¶19. (U) Complementing the CAADP process, the GOE and donors have worked closely to prioritize future investments through the Rural Economic Development and Food Security (RED FS) Donor Working Group. This working group is part of the larger DAG, which includes all major donors to Ethiopia. Within RED&FS, there are four sub programs: Agriculture Growth, Food Security, Sustainable Land Management and Private Sector Development. Thus far, the Food Security Program (FSP) and Sustainable Land Management planning have progressed farther than the other programs. USAID's leadership in the design of the second phase of the FSP serves as a model for future multilateral food security response activities. ¶20. (U) In the coming months, the Agriculture Growth Program's pre-appraisal Mission will start. With agriculture productivity being a major focus of the new food security response, USAID Ethiopia believes that a portion of funding can be allocated with this multi-lateral mechanism. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶21. (U) In recent months, USAID Ethiopia has worked closely with MOARD to encourage movement toward completion of the CAADP process. USAID Ethiopia is pleased that the GOE has shown strong commitment to the CAADP process. The successful completion of the CAADP process has institutionalized CAADP as the country's agriculture development strategy and framework for future investments. While the CAADP benchmarks of 6% annual agriculture growth and 10% of public investments devoted for the agriculture sector have been met for successive years, the GOE realizes that additional resources and attention are needed to tackle poverty and food security challenges. Additionally, policy reforms are needed to encourage more agriculture led growth. USAID Ethiopia believes that the recent work completed through the CAADP Ethiopia and RED&FS processes create a strong framework to effectively utilize increased food security funding in the coming years. End Comment. Meece