Strategy for Agriculture and Water 2006-2010.

The Strategy for Agriculture and Water (A&W) is required by the National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010 (NSDP). After adoption of the Strategy, the next step is to prepare detailed programmes for implementation. NSDP main priority aims to achieve poverty reduction and economic growth. Development of rural agriculture and agri-business, land and water resources management, and irrigation development will be crucial for such progress. This strategy is developed based on analysis of current situation of agriculture and water sector, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Treats (SWOT) analysis, and the needs of agriculture and water. The MAFF and MOWRAM Strategic Development Plans for Agriculture and Water Resources provide the following long term Vision for A&W: ensure safe and accessible food and water for all people, reduce poverty, and contribute to economic growth, and ensure natural resources sustainability; to contribute to poverty reduction, food security and economic growth through: (a) enhancing agricultural productivity and diversification; and (b) improving water resources development and management.
The Goal will be achieved principally by: (1) more efficient use and management of water and land; (2) increased agricultural productivity; and (3) enhanced agri-business processes. Also needed will be (4) institutional capacity building and (5) improved access to knowledge and technology. These five areas of work are defined as programmes. There are eight key components of the Strategy: 1. Ensure favourable pre-conditions and build on Strengths/Opportunities; 2. Strengthen the enabling environment; 3. Mobilize natural resources: water, land, soil; 4. Mobilize human and financial resources; 5. Empower people and communities; 6. Apply a River Basin approach to water and land; 7. Increase productivity of agriculture; 8. Extend commercial agriculture; promoting new product opportunities (arrangements for product quality assurance and food safety; facilitating entry into profitable markets, marketing infrastructure, bulking/wholesaling arrangements, etc.)
The Strategy will be implemented in five Programmes, each with its Development Goal and several objectives. One Programme mainly addresses the enabling environment, two Programmes address the “mobilization and empowering” elements of the Strategy, and two more Programmes mainly address the productivity and commercialization of agriculture. They are: 1. Institutional capacity building and management support programme for agriculture and water resources; 2. Food security support programme; 3. Agricultural and agri-business (value-chain) support programme; 4. Water resources, irrigation and land management programme; 5. Agricultural and water resources research, education and extension programme. The five programmes will contain a set of integrated actions designed to achieve the development goal and objectives. As a starting point, the programmes have been described as preliminary Terms of Reference for design teams, who will develop the actions during late 2006. Several ESAs have indicated willingness to provide the resources for these design teams, and two have started work.
A very important of the Strategy aspect of empowerment is the ability of communities to avoid or, at least, to mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters, enabling rural communities to mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters.