Germany supports EA farmers in integration

28 June 2007, The East African
URL: http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/News2506072.htm

The German government has approved $136,364 to support a sensitisation programme for farmers on the East African Community integration process. The money to be spent over the next three years, will be channelled through the Eastern African Farmers Federation (EAFF), an apex body of national farmers' organisations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) advisor to the EAC, Gerhard Anger, who was addressing a farmers training workshop in Arusha recently, the funds are part of the GTZ project on enhancement of the EAC integration process. GTZ will also offer technical support for the three years.

The training was organised jointly by the regional farmers federation and EAC.

Sensitisation of farmers on regional integration and the East African Customs Union started in late 2005 and recently got a financial boost from the GTZ. 

It has been observed that the involvement of agricultural sector stakeholders in regional integration issues has been very low despite the fact that the sector accounts for about 75 per cent of the regional population.

Last year, the regional farmers federation and EAC held sensitisation workshops in two districts in each of the EAC partner states of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

"These sensitisation workshops clearly spell out the need for awareness in enhancing regional integration among the farmers," says Mr Anger.

He said the agriculture sector has a huge potential to make a fundamental contribution to the achievement of the millennium development goals. 

"GTZ is pleased to note that EAC and regional farmers federation have already started a dialogue between them," he said, challenging the federation to work closely with the EAC to make the voice of farmers in the region heard "loud and clear." 

The federation president, Phillip Kiriro, said although farmers formed the bulk of the population of East Africa, they were the least informed about the EAC integration process.

He said his organisation was is in the process of seeking an observer status at the EAC.

Charles Mbogori, the executive director of the East African Business Council, said farmers in East Africa are not only part of the private sector, but stand a better chance to alleviate poverty.