EAC agriculture and rural development strategy (2005 - 2030)
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2006-11
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
East African Community
Abstract
This document sets out a strategy for implementing the Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and reflects the commitment of the Partner States to strengthen the economic cooperation between them for the benefit of their peoples. It provides a framework for improvement of the rural life over the next 25 years through increased productivity and production of food and raw materials, improved food security, provision of an enabling environment for improvement of trade, provision of social services such as education, health and water, development of support infrastructure, power and communications and fight against poverty and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV AND AIDS). In this respect East African Community (EAC) Partner States have a broad vision of attaining “A well-developed agricultural sector for sustainable economic growth and equitable development' and a cooperative and Singular mission to “support, promote and facilitate the development, production and marketing of agricultural produce and products to ensure food security, poverty eradication and sustainable economic development”.
The East African Community — Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy (EAC- ARDS) is a roadmap for the Partner States, private sector, religious groups, NGOs, rural communities, community based organizations and development partners defining interventions that will lead to attaining the intended improvement in the rural economy. The strategy is multi-sectoral and will require the participation of all stakeholders.
The rural economy provides the backbone for development efforts About 80 percent of the population lives in the rural areas and 75 percent of them are engaged in agriculture which is the key enterprise of the rural economy. Besides agriculture, other rural activities include: artisan activities, tourism, quarrying, forestry, fishing, small-scale trading and manufacturing. The performance of the rural economy mirrors that of the overall economy such that any decline in the performance of the rural sector results in poor performance of the overall economy. Deterioration of the rural economy therefore calls for a critical evaluation of past development efforts and the need for alternative shared vision, policy and strategy for inclusive rural development
The declining performance of the agricultural sector in the EAC Partner States has been caused by an interaction of “several factors: namely; inadequacies in policy formulation and implementation; low technology development and transfer; climatic and weather variabilities, natural resource degradation, social and cross-cutting factors including high incidences of HIV and AIDS.
It is against this background that an Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy for the East African Countries is considered necessary. The Strategy will guide the Partner States and EAC in developing and implementing the Medium and Long-Term Development.
Description
Development strategy
Keywords
Citation
East African Community. (2006). EAC agriculture and rural development strategy (2005 - 2030). East African Community