Groups pushes for policies to support agribusiness

AGRA President Ms. Jane Karuku. Over a period of five years, AGRA aims to motivate at least 25 significant policy or regulatory reforms in selected countries. 

In Summary

• This enhanced access to input and output markets is inturn expected to lead to increased smallholder productivity and incomes, and reduced poverty for smallholder farm-dependent families.

By CARLOS MUREITHI
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The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has announced a five-year project that seeks to increase incomes of smallholder farmers through the creation of an enabling policy environment in Africa.

The initiative –Micro Reforms for African Agribusiness (MIRA)will identify, prioritize and reform specific agricultural policies and regulations that currently deter or limit private investment in small- and medium-sized agribusinesses operating in smallholder agricultural value chains.

Over a period of five years, AGRA aims to motivate at least 25 significant policy or regulatory reforms in selected countries, leading to measurable increases in private sector investment in local agribusinesses.

The project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, is expected to increase the number of smallholder farmers accessing improved technologies supplied by agribusinesses operating in local staple food value chains.

It will also help them access stable, predictable income-generating market opportunities.

This enhanced access to input and output markets is inturn expected to lead to increased smallholder productivity and incomes, and reduced poverty for smallholder farm-dependent families.

“We are very excited about this new initiative,” says AGRA President Ms. Jane Karuku. “Itwill help African Governments unlock agricultural potential in their countries by supporting their efforts to develop progressive agricultural policies that will attract increased private investment in smallholder agricultural value chains. The initiative aims reform retrogressive agricultural regulations that deter rather than encourage such investment”.

“The MIRA project will provide African Governments with access to high quality local and international technical assistance for identifying, prioritizing and reforming specific agricultural regulations,” says Dr. Steven Were Omamo, AGRA’s Director of Policy and Advocacy.

“Current regulations often discourage private investment in small- and medium-sized agribusinesses that serve the needs of smallholder farmers.

The project will help build the capacity of African Government leaders and analysts to make better-informed, economically-robust assessments and decisions about which regulations need to be reformed in order to facilitate increased private investment in smallholder value chains”