Symposium on South-South and Triangular Cooperation for sustainable agriculture

11 - 12 February 2016. ACP House, Brussels. Symposium on South-South and Triangular Cooperation co-organized by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Secretariat, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat (COMSEC) and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC).

See concept note
Extract of the programme

Session 2: Skills Development and Enhancing Institutional Capacity – Case Studies

• Songhai Centre in Benin by Mr Godfrey Nzamujo, Director of the Centre
• Pro-Savannah Project Mozambique: by Mr Antonio, Raùl Limbau, Programme coordinator
  
  The Pro-Savannah Project in Mozambique is a trilateral initiative between Brazil, Japan, and
  Mozambique that aims to contribute to an increase in agricultural production. It sets out to boost research and transfer technologies to the central region of the country, where the predominant tropical vegetation is similar to that found in areas of Brazil. The project applies experiences and techniques developed by Embrapa in Brazil to 400 thousand farmers in Nacala.

Session 3: Access to Technology and Land Case studies

• Winfred Nalyongo, Programme Coordinator FAO, Uganda
• African Cashew Initiative by Ms Mary Adzanyo, ACi/GIZ Burkina, Director Private sector Development and Ms Filomena A. Maiopué, Director Institituto de Fomento do Cajou, Mozambique (from the floor)
• Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee (COLEACP) by Mr Viwanou Gnassounou, ASG ACP
• Access to lands and Intra-ACP Agriculture Policy Programme by Mr Juan Cheaz, Senior Programme coordinator, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)

Session 4: Business Services, Case studies

• Ethiopia Leather Production and Marketing Enterprise by Mr Brook Debebe Agidew, General Manager
• Dairy Value Chain in Uganda, Ms Patricia Nsiime, Programme Coordinator, FAO Uganda

Guided discussion on what the ACP South-South and Triangular Knowledge Exchange Programme could offer (inclusive of the needs of women and youth) in:

1. agribusiness (private sector investment, business services);
2. crop production (rice, roots and tubers etc.);
3. tools for capacity development (Farmers Field School, etc.) matched to Southern provider base, best practice, institution of excellence;

Participants were able to share best practices and identify priority areas for up-scaling practical solutions, at the policy, institutional and grassroots level that place women and youth at the centre.

The symposium also charted the mechanisms through which South-South Cooperation (SSC) and Triangular Cooperation (TrC) can support the exchange and transfer of the best practices in the priority areas identified, including sessions on:

• Skills development and enhancing institutional capacity
• Access to technology
• Access to efficient business services.

South-South Cooperation is playing a greater role than ever before in the international development cooperation landscape and innovation in the South is generating new tools and partnerships for tackling issues of food insecurity, poverty and sustainable agriculture.

This symposium advanced the ACP’s strategic priorities for women and youth in agriculture and rural areas using a sustainable food systems approach, and mobilise South-South (SSC) and Triangular Cooperation (TrC) as key mechanisms for delivering on this agenda.

Extract of the second video:
African Cashew Initiative by Ms Mary Adzanyo, ACi/GIZ Burkina, Director Private sector Development (from 7:25 to 17:00)

Through a combination of interventions, the African Cashew initiative (ACi) together with private and public partners focusses on organising and building a sustainable African cashew sector to reduce poverty. The intiative aims at supporting at least 330,000 cashew farmers to add at least US$ 90 to their annual income. ACi is active in the five project countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mozambique.

Related: South-South cooperation in the cashew industry in Africa. Mary Adzanyo, Director Private Sector Development, GIZ, (ACi), Burkina Faso @ the Brussels Briefing on the subject of “Emerging donors and rising powers in agriculture in ACP countries” took place on Tuesday 27 October 2015 [Presentation|Video]