Windhoek:  African agriculture will not jump the vital stages of agricultural and rural transformation processes, commented Dr Anandaja-yasekeram Ponniah at the opening of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) in Windhoek yesterday.

He said the sector would require an intensification of investments in key prime movers to "get agriculture mo-ving", adding that poor macro-economic and sectoral policies have contributed to poor agricultural performance.

He urged African governments and public sector agencies to have a key and central role in rebuilding the continent's agriculture.  For now, he said, the agricultural sector share in national accounts has declined, with a lopsided development in rural/urban areas as rural/urban migration dynamics exacerbate over-stretched urban areas, while rural areas experience an unending flow of human capacity out of agricultural areas.

"No prime mover on its own can get agriculture to grow on a sustainable basis," said Ponniah.

The research network said the biggest constraint to get the agricultural sector moving is the general lack of comprehensive agricultural policies.

It states that poor sectoral and macro-economic policies have contributed to the stagnation of the sector, as has the inadequate capacity of national and regional institutions that have failed to address agricultural policy matters.

Ponniah said there is thus a need to integrate agricultural policy with industrial policy and to develop agro-industries to attain more value-addition.

Other important tenets for African agricultural development, he said, are trade, marketing and pricing policies "to be clear and supportive of farmers".

FANRPAN has recommended to Southern African Developing Community (SADC) member states to create the proposed Regional Agricultural Policy Analysis and Research Institute (RAPARI) that will, through collaboration of regional universities, be responsible for research and analysis that lead to the coordination of agricultural policies and strategies in the region.

It is also anticipated that this institute would create an operational agricultural commodity research and information system to promote intra-regional trade and build the region into a strong trade block.

South African-based senior partner in Agricultural Biotechnologies, Dr Wynand van der Watt, said Africa is the only continent that has shown a decline in per capita food production, while other countries, and notably other developing countries, have doubled or tripled their agricultural outputs.

He said Argentina has been able to double its soya production by 80 percent in the last two years, while Brazil is fast becoming the biggest soya and maize producer, outstripping the United States of America.

"We should not take incremental movements; we need massive steps," said a participant in the four-day indaba.

Adding to the challenge of Africa's inability for accelerated agricultural production, is the relatively "new" phenomenon of climate change, said ILRI regional representative for Southern Africa, Dr. Mario Herrera.

He said agriculture in Africa is changing rapidly and that the sector needs to understand how production systems will change in the future.

He said mitigation options for Africa go hand in hand with adaptation options.

For livestock farming, he said, this could mean managing demand for animal products, or improved and intensified diets for ruminants, reduced livestock-induced deforestation, or a change of animal species.

"The impacts of climate change on livestock and agriculture in Southern Africa is not heterogeneous but potentially severe," he said, adding that good development is the best solution for dealing with climate change and rainfall variability.