EAC and Agriculture & Food Security
Agriculture is one of East Africa’s most important sectors with about 80% of the region’s population living in rural areas and depending on agriculture for their livelihood. The agricultural sector is dominated by smallholder mixed farming of livestock, food crops, cash crops, fishing and aquaculture. It includes people working together across all agricultural levels, from cross-border traders and SMEs to government policy makers and international exporters. EAC-Germany support to EAC integration in this sector focuses on enhancing agricultural development through promoting inclusive and integrated agro-processing value chains with a special focus on private sector involvement and improved framework conditions, including quality infrastructure, standards and customs procedures. Projects target key sectors like coffee and tea for a range of trainings and mentoring, aiming at higher quality, better marketing and higher incomes from a growing agro-processing sector.
The German Government supports this EAC Sector under Core Area 1 of EAC-Germany cooperation as defined by BMZ 2030 – “Sustainable Economic Development, Training and Employment” in the Intervention Area of “Socially and Environmentally Sound Supply Chains, Trade and Sustainable Infrastructure”. The cooperation directly contributes to implement three of the eight priority areas defined by the 6th EAC Development Strategy, namely “Strengthening Productive and Social Sectors”, “Development of Regional Infrastructure”, and “Awareness Creation”. The BMZ 2030 reform strategy focuses on a new quality of cooperation. More information on BMZ 2030 can be found here.
Agriculture & Food Security
EAC-Germany Support
Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Spices, Avocado and other Horticultural Products
A significant proportion of intra-and extra-EAC trade is in agricultural commodities, with tea, coffee, cocoa and horticultural products being of special importance. The agriculture sector can provide an avenue for product and market diversification, attraction of investment and upgrading of technology. It is also labour intensive, generating much needed employment especially among women and young people. One way to unlock the potential of trade with these commodities to drive industrial growth, diversification and inclusive development is by increasing intra-regional trade and exports of agro-based products to the European Union and other international markets.Projects:
SEAMPEC II - MARKUP (GIZ)
Objective: Increase exports of agribusiness and horticultural products and promote regional integration and access to regional markets in East Africa and the European market.
Approach: MARKUP assists SMEs in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to improve the quality of their products by aligning them with international standards and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. This allows EAC agribusinesses to benefit from increased business opportunities in both East African and European markets and to meet the growing demand in the EU for products produced in the EAC. MARKUP is targeting specific agricultural commodities such as avocado, cocoa, coffee, spices and tea.
Interventions focus on:
- The identification and elimination of barriers to trade.
- Improving competitiveness.
- Strengthening of value addition for selected priority sectors.
- Ensuring compliance with international regulations.
- Providing access to trade finance.
- Supporting the identification of opportunities for trade and Foreign Direct Investment.
- Women and youth account for a large proportion of the labour force but are often not the primary beneficiaries of the economic opportunities provided by increased trade. Therefore, MARKUP specifically targets women and youth in its activities.
Find more information on MARKUP as part of the SEAMPEC II programme here.
Fruits and Vegetables
The EAC region produces a wide range of fruits and vegetables for domestic consumption and export to regional and international markets. The volume of EAC trade in the global F&V market is estimated at around 1.28 million tons per year. While the proportion of fresh exports is 87%, the processed exports account for 13%. The sub-sector has a huge transformation potential and provides promising economic opportunities for reducing rural poverty and contributing to food security. However, the F&V production base across the EAC is fragmented, smallholder-dominated and with low yield per acre as well as low productivity stemming from a lack of access to markets, credit and technology. This is exacerbated by volatile food and energy prices. There are significant pre- and post-harvest losses with the latter at times reaching 35% to 60%. The sub-sector is also characterised by the existence of a relatively small formal marketing channel compared to a large informal one. To change this and build on the potential of the F&V sub-sector, the EAC has developed and is now implementing the EAC Fruit & Vegetable Strategy and Action Plan.Projects:
SEAMPEC II (GIZ)
Objective: Strengthening value addition in the fruits & vegetables sub-sector.
Approach: SEAMPEC II supports improved framework conditions through:
Support to the implementation of the EAC Fruits & Vegetables Strategy and Action Plan 2020-2030 as well as the EAC Post-Harvest Loss Management Strategy and Action Plan. Support to national implementation of priority harmonised F&V product standards. Facilitation of national implementation of harmonised customs procedures. Support to private sector value addition and trade initiatives for deepening inclusivity and partnerships. Development and implementation of the EAC Simplified Guide for MSMEs on Cross-Border Trade of Perishable Agricultural Goods.
This part of SEAMPEC is implemented by GFA Consulting Group GmbH Tanzania Branch.
Find more information on SEAMPEC II here.
QI Project (PTB)
Objective: Strengthen the Quality Infrastructure in the East African Community in line with the needs of the fruits and vegetables sub-sector
Approach: The project develops capabilities and capacities to ensure that the quality infrastructure services along value chains in the fruits & vegetable sector meet international standards. This includes:
- Improving testing services in partner states to ensure that products are safe for consumption
- Activities aimed at strengthening the quality infrastructure will be anchored in the respective regional strategies and action plans (EAC Fruit & Vegetable Strategy and Action Plan 2020-2030; East African Community Regional Action Plan for Quality Infrastructure in Fruits and Vegetables Industry 2021-2023)
- Raising awareness on the importance of quality in the fruits and vegetable value chain
You want to learn more on quality assurance during mango juice production? Click below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UdBtxS465g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCytb3YfXAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG4AbCuT3RE
Potatoes
In the EAC, potatoes are key to food security and to reviving local economies. It has been ranked as one of the top ten strategic staple crops for food and income security in the region. However, production of certified seed potatoes is still in its infancy in all EAC Partner States. Average yields are less than ten tons per hectare, although there is production potential of up to 30 tons. The low yields are mainly due to the use of poor-quality farm saved seed potatoes and inappropriate cultivation practices. To date, only small quantities of seed potatoes are traded within the EAC, mainly on an informal basis. There is a lack of regional coordination and standards across the countries and a need to develop and implement strategies and instruments for regional trade in seed potatoes. This is why a strategy development process is now pushed forward by the EAC in order to improve the regional trade with seed potatoes in the region.Projects:
FABI (GIZ) (project completed)
Objective: A basis for the development of trade in seed potatoes in the EAC is provided.
Approach: Increasing the quantity of available certified seed potatoes per country by strengthening national processes and actors as well as facilitating a regional exchange to foster harmonisation of standardisation processes. The project efforts include:
- Support of EAC-wide and country-level strategy development for seed potato trade.
- Support for improved testing infrastructure and audit methods.
- Capacity development for inspectors at borders (national plant protection organisations, customs, standard bureaus) of EAC Partner States for implementing more efficient and quicker seed potato inspection to increase the supply of seed potatoes in regional markets.
Find more information on FABI here.
Leather
The EAC region accounts for 3% of the world's total cattle herd, 2% of the sheep herd and 5% of the goat herd. This resource base for the production of hides and skins lays a strong fundament for the development of the leather industry. Additionally, the demand for meat in the EAC is steadily on the rise which is another growth indicator for the leather industry. However, so far, the economic importance of the leather industry has been modest and even on the decline. From a regional average of 0.6% (share of agricultural GDP) in 2013, to 0.28% in 2017. Key factors for this decline include a weak policy environment which discourages investment in value added products such as footwear and leather products, continued export of critical raw materials and weak institutional arrangements to enforce quality and standards in the value chain. In order to turn this development around and foster the growth opportunities of the leather industry, the EAC is implementing a regional Strategy and Implementation Roadmap for Leather and Leather Products.Projects:
SEAMPEC II (GIZ)
Objective: Strengthening value addition in the leather sub-sector.
Approach: SEAMPEC II supports priority regional framework conditions for value addition to improve the leather industry’s competitiveness through multiple efforts, including:
Coordination and steering of the EAC Strategy and Implementation Roadmap for Leather and Leather Products. Capacity building on Good Manufacturing Practices. Implementation of harmonised leather product standards and harmonised customs procedures. Support to inclusive private sector networking and advocacy to promote trade integration for sustainable and equitable industrial development.
This part of SEAMPEC II is implemented by GFA Consulting Group GmbH Tanzania Branch.
Find more information on SEAMPEC II here.
QI Project (PTB)
Objective: Strengthen the Quality Infrastructure in the East African Community in line with the needs of the leather sector
Approach: The project develops capabilities and capacities to ensure that the quality infrastructure services along the leather value chain are upgraded and utilised. This includes:
- Support of national quality infrastructure authorities by targeted capacity-building measures to ensure reliable laboratory analyses according to international standards.
- Activities aimed at strengthening the quality infrastructure anchored in the respective regional strategies and action plans (EAC Regional Strategy and Action Plan for Fruits and Vegetables: 2020 -2030 and the EAC Leather and Leather Products Strategy: 2019 – 2029)
- Enable information exchange on Quality Infrastructure services between public (legal and regulatory) authorities and private-sector stakeholders