Group 1 Policy priorities for ACTESA 1

Group 1 – Policy priorities for ACTESA 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Group Members Stephanie Wilcock – USAID/EA Sarah Longford – WFP/P 4 P Grace Myiga Mhango – GTPA Lindiwe Sibanda – FANRPAN Richard Jones – ICRISAT Anne Mbaabu – AGRA Cecelia Khupe – USAID/SA Kaarli Sundsmo – USAID/EA Joseph Karugia – Re. SAKSS-ECA, Chair

1. Advocate for rule-based government interventions in the market v Removal of export bans v Provide evidence on their effects v Fill knowledge gaps on management of regional and national food reserves v Mechanisms for accountability and enforcement of regional agreements v Provide incentives to countries for implementing the policy v Safety-net system to support policy when politically threatened

2. Promote/advocate/lobby for implementation of existing protocols and prioritize new ones to enhance grain trade v Regionally agreed protocols (e. g. STR, reduction of NTBs) are often not implemented at national level v What enforcement/accountability mechanisms? v Incentives for implementing regional agreements at national level – What can be learnt from ECOWAS, other RECs? v Prioritize new protocols (grades and standards to promote grain trade, fertilizer trade, etc)

3. Extend Seed trade harmonization to non-SADC COMESA members v Build on what has been achieved in SADC to develop technical agreements for: v Regional variety release; v Regional seed certification; v Plant quarantine pest lists

4. Package marketing information for consumption by users v Numerous existing MISs not accessible by users (especially policy makers) v Not sufficient buy-in at country level for early warning systems v Build capacity for data collection, analysis and interpretation – disperse responsibility among government, farmers organizations, private sector, and other stakeholders

5. Develop a knowledge management system v Stock-taking exercise to document available information v Develop a matrix of past and on-going alliance members’ activities, post on website and continuously update it – should be in public domain v Provide a web-based platform for alliance members to share information on planned activities – restricted access

Priorities for Year 1 v Rule-based government intervention – remove export bans v Packaging of marketing information to enhance use at national level v Implementation of existing protocols and priorities for new ones