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10\/02\/2016<\/em><\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ARUSHA<\/span><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n East Africa Community Member States should heed small scale farmers call to domesticate\u00a0 <\/span>Malabo Declaration <\/span>by embedding it in state\u2019s policies and laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This would make implementation of its noble goals more feasible, according to Hon Christophe Bazivamo, the chairman of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Committee of Agriculture Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He was speaking at the East Africa Small Scale Farmers\u2019<\/span> Summit 2016\u00a0 in Arusha, Tanzania.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Africa Union\u2019s Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods sets noble goals to eliminate hunger and halve poverty in Africa by 2025 through Agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn Africa we have wonderful plans but we fall short when we come to effective implementation,\u201d he said in reference to Malabo Declaration and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hon Bazivamo disclosed that\u00a0 all East African Countries are committed to implementation of the Maputo Declaration 2003 and subsequent recommitment in the<\/span> Malabo <\/span>Declaration<\/span> 2014<\/span>, but more was needed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is that most partner states have not invested in agriculture as we wish\u2026.,\u201d he said. Maputo declaration envisions 10 percent budget allocation to agriculture and 6 percent annual growth of the sector for the committed states.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Malabo Declaration requires partnership of stakeholders through a CAADP COMPACT at all levels to make it a success and if farmers want to push for introduction of new legal and policy framework there is a way to do it,\u201d Hon Bazivamo advised.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hon. Bazivamo who is the former Rwandan Minister for Agriculture said ATNR Committee welcomes EAC small scale farmers to\u00a0 deliberate on the introduction of the \u2018<\/span>EAC Malabo<\/span>\u201d legal and policy framework as it would ensure greater transparency, accountability and speed in the implementation of the Malabo commitments.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOnce is agreed, we will table a motion to the entire Regional Parliament and we will defend that position so that we have strong instruments to exercise oversight over the Malabo Commitments implementations in the EAC,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hon. Bazivamo proposed the other way towards strong regional legal and policy framework on CAADP as for farmers to petition the EALA\u00a0 in which the ATNR committee\u00a0 will analyse and and if in agreement defend the petition.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On his said, Mr. Alfayo Kuruna, a farmer leader from Kenya said that ESAFF has been calling for domestication of\u00a0 the African Union (AU) Malabo Declaration of June 2014 by the region to adopt the declaration and possibly develop a protocol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mr. Kuruna asserted that such a the strategy would draw assured momentum in the implementation of <\/span>\u00a0Malabo Declaration<\/span>. It would recognise and demand East African stakeholders including farmers, pastoralists, fishers, private sector operators in agriculture, agribusiness and agro-industries, civil society organisations and financial institutions to rally behind the realisation of the provisions of the declaration.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He retaliated that ESAFF was convinced that the EAC Secretariat and the EALA should review and introduce new legal and policy framework as well as increase its oversight role on national governments and the EAC secretariat to ensure that the CAADP protocol and the EAC Food Security action Plan are adhered to, implemented and realised before the year 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 10\/02\/2016 \u00a0# Farmers\u00a0 convinced Malabo Declaration domestication legal and policy framework way forward\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 ARUSHA \u00a0 East Africa Community Member States should heed small scale farmers call to domesticate\u00a0 Malabo Declaration by embedding it in state\u2019s policies and laws.\u00a0 \u00a0 This would make implementation of its noble goals more feasible, according to Hon Christophe Bazivamo,… <\/p>\n\u00a0# Farmers\u00a0 convinced <\/span><\/i><\/b>Malabo <\/span><\/i><\/b>Declaration domestication legal and policy framework way forward\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n