Arab Organization for Agricultural Development Strategy for Sustainable

Arab Organization for Agricultural Development Strategy for Sustainable Arab Agricultural Development for the Upcoming Two Decades

BACKGROUND: § The issue of Arab agriculture was addressed by the Arab Leaders in Tunis Summit, 2004. § Issuance of Tunis Declaration, 2004 on Sustainable Agricultural Development and Food Security in the Arab Region. § Call for coordinating country specific agricultural policies within a pan Arab agricultural development strategy that supports the processes of Arab agricultural and economic integration and achieve the goals of Arab economic bloc. § Convening of a high level agricultural policy meeting in the Arab Region, December 2004.

§ Algiers Summit (2005) Resolution which designated AOAD General Assembly (Arab Ministers of Agriculture) to draw up a strategy for sustainable Arab agricultural development for the upcoming two decades (2005– 2025). § The main directives of the strategy were identified by the Resolution as: Enhancing the competitiveness of Arab agricultural products in accessing the international markets. Achieving Arab economic integration. Meeting the Arab countries’ needs of food commodities. Setting required guidelines for implementation.

Methodology of Preparation and Approval of the Strategy: § Comprehensive Approach of Participation: Involvement of the concerned Arab, regional and international organizations and institutions (implementation partners). Specialized permanent committees (member countries). Elite group of experts. § Approval Process : Approval by the AOAD Executive Council. Approval by the AOAD General Assembly. Approval by the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League Final approval by the Arab League Council.

APPROVAL: § Riyadh Arab Summit Resolution (2007): Approval of the Strategy for Sustainable Arab Agricultural Development (SSAAD) for implementation. Incorporating the (SSAAD) in the Joint Arab Economic and Social strategy. Calling on the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development to embark on implementing the Strategy for Sustainable Arab Agricultural Development in coordination and cooperation with all concerned parties and to submit periodic reports to the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League on progress of the implementation of the Strategy.

PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENTAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STRATEGY

First: Lessons Learnt from Past Experience Lack and Scarcity of water Resources Limited Improvement in Agricultural Technology. Imbalances between Improvement of Production and Marketing Services. Excessive Emphasis on the National Perspective as a Basic Guide For Development. Disparities in the Concepts of Food Security and Self –sufficiency.

Second: Challenges of Sustainable Agricultural Development § Improving the Development Capacities of the Agricultural Resources with Particular Emphasis on Water. § Coping With Regional and International Changes. § Coping with Rapid Technological Developments. § Striking a Balance Between the National and Regional Perspectives in Planning and Implementation of the Economic and Agricultural Policies. § Increasing the Efficiency of Farmers' Associations, in particular smallholders, in Supporting Production and Marketing Activities. § Attracting Arab Investments to Agricultural Areas with comparative advantages in the region § Achieving Stability in Rural Communities. § Provision of Safe Food. § Increasing the Competitiveness of Arab Agricultural Products in the International Markets.

Third: Pillars of the Sustainable Development Structure : Positive Development in Political and Economic Environments. Institutional Framework for Development. Legislative Prerequisites for Development. Existence of Suitable Resource base for Development. Availability of Suitable Market Capacities for Achieving Development Objectives. Availability of Human Resource base Capable of Shouldering Development.

The Vision and Strategic Objectives of Sustainable Agricultural Development:

First: The Vision q A future perspective for such a strategy can be formulated as follows: “Achieving agriculture Development characterized by its high levels of effective resource use, capable of achieving food security and providing the means of livelihoods for workers in the agricultural sector. ”

Second: Objectives: § Five key long term objectives proceed out of such vision as follows: Adoption of an Integrated Approach to the Utilization of Arab Agricultural Resources. Achieving a Joint Arab Agricultural Policy Enhancing the Capacity for Providing Safe Food. Achieving the Sustainability of Arab Agricultural Resources. Achieving Stability in Rural Communities.

Third: Developmental Programmes § The Strategy composes seven main programmes: The main programme for developing appropriate agricultural technologies in Arab Countries. The main programme for encouraging Investment in agriculture and agro industry in favourable agricultural environments. The main programme for enhancing the competitiveness of Arab agricultural products.

Third: Developmental Programmes The main programme for setting policies and agricultural legislation structures. The main programme for human and institutional capacity building. The main programme for prosperity of rural areas. The main programme for developing appropriate management systems for agricultural and environmental resources.

Fourth: Distribution of the Proposed Developmental Components of the main programmes at national and regional levels § The proposed main programmes composed of 34 sub programmes, containing 114 developmental components, classified into two groups: Developmental Programmes and Components at Country Level: The First group: Consists of the developmental components at country level which are to be implemented by the countries. The Second group: Includes the developmental components of pan -Arab of joint nature where implementation is assigned to the Implementation Partners

4 1: Development Programmes and Components at Country Level § The main and the secondary developmental programmes contain (48) developmental components of a country nature.

§ The First Main Programme: Developing Agricultural Technologies in Arab Countries: Improving efficiency of irrigation systems. Improving water use efficiency methods and technologies. Improving transfer of water technologies and distribution Agricultural drainage water re-use technologies. Improving animal breeds. Adaptation of animal breeds and plant varieties. Dissemination and adoption of best plant varieties. Improving fertilization application technologies. Best agricultural practices technologies. Improving land preparations and crop husbandry technologies.

Improving agricultural practices under nontraditional agricultural systems. Improving animal husbandry practices. Improving fish processing and marketing technologies. Improving feed production methods through the use of agricultural residues. Improving methods of fuel production through the use of crop residues. Improving industrial uses through use of waste. Improving re-cycling and or getting rid of agricultural wastes. Tissue culture technologies. Nitrogen fixation technologies.

The Second Main Programme : Encouraging Investments in Agriculture and Agro industry in Appropriate Agricultural Environments: Developing the infrastructure in main investment areas. Enhancing the capacity of agricultural investment institutions at country level. The Third Main programme : Enhancing the Competitiveness of Arab Agricultural Products: Improving marketing infrastructure. Linking legislation and laws to relevant international changes . Linking smallholders to the markets. Supporting marketing services directed towards smallholders

The Fourth main Programme : Setting Policies and Agricultural Legislations Structure: Rehabilitation of research infrastructures. Testing and adaptation of modern technologies. Monitoring and evaluation of Arab agricultural research programmes. Policies determining the integrated role of the private sector in building of the strategic commodities supplies. The Fifth Main Programme : Human and Institutional Capacity Building: Demand analysis of agricultural human resources. Vocational training in agricultural fields. Training of agricultural extensionists. Improving agricultural institution performance

The Sixth Main Programme : Enhancing Rural Prosperity: Research and studies on poverty alleviation Empowering of rural women. Supporting bread winners women. Developing small and medium rural projects. Small and micro credit in rural areas. Agricultural food industry.

§ The Seventh Main Programme : Developing Agricultural and Environmental Resources Management Systems: Dune stabilization technologies. Geographical information systems. Genetic resource banks. Protection of reserve parks and wildlife. Institutional integration in water management. Managing and improving range lands areas. Strengthening extension, veterinary and marketing services in range lands areas. Enhancing forestry and reserve parks management.

4. 2. Joint and Pan Arab Programmes and Components: § Selection Criteria: The implementation of a development component requiring financial and/or technological funding that is difficult to be realized by one country. The implementation of a development component requiring coordination among Arab countries. The implementation of a development component that is linked to more than one country. The component that lies within the mandates or specialization of one of the joint action organizations. In light of the above mentioned criteria, the joint Arab agricultural action programmes include 67 components in total as follows:

The First Main Programme: Developing Agricultural Technologies in Arab Countries: - water harvesting. water desalination. water treatment. Breeding of high yielding plant varieties and animal breeds. Combating animal epidemics and plants pests and diseases. Improving feed production technologies through the use of agricultural residues. Genetic engineering technologies Collection and analysis of agricultural data and information. Establishing agricultural information data bases. Disseminating of agricultural information. Experts systems. Environmental monitoring. Modern methods of marine fishing.

Fishing methods in inlands lakes and rivers. Advanced methods of aquaculture. Improving fish stock developments technologies. genetic engineering. Use of agricultural residues in rural industries. Improving agricultural residues recycling and disposal methods. The Second Main Programme: Encouraging Investment in Agriculture and Agro industry in Appropriate Agricultural Environments: Enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural investment institutions. Agricultural investment risk reduction. Identification and promotion of investment opportunities

The Third Main Programme: Enhancing the competitiveness of Arab Agricultural Products Defining unified standards for agricultural commodities. Support standard specification institutions in Arab countries. Improve foreign trade facilities. Establishment of units to analyze and monitor resolutions of the World Trade Organization. The Fourth Main Programme : Setting Policies and Agricultural Legislations Structure: Import/export legislations and procedures. Measurements and standards policies. Food safety policies and procedures. Customs institutions procedures. Intra agricultural trade policies. Detailed regulations of origin/ policies and procedures. Property rights legislations.

§ Trade funding and export incentives policies. § Researchers training and skills upgrading policies. § Water reserves and joint basin policies. § Marine fisheries policies in coastal areas of Arab countries. § Improvement of investment climate policies. § Legislations and procedures on dealing with investors. § Agricultural funding, insurance and investment guarantee policies. § Trans boundary diseases and epidemics combating policies. § Agricultural and veterinary quarantine policies. § Food safety and phyto sanitary legislations.

§ Policies related to building strategic reserve of food commodities at country levels. § Agricultural production subsidy policies. § Procedures determining criteria and levels of subsidy, and the mechanism of conflict resolution. § Establishing a technical unit under the umbrella of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development in the field of the analysis and evaluation of agricultural and trade policies.

The Fifth Main Programme: Human and Institutional Capacity building: Improving capacities and skills in the fields of formulation of agricultural and trade policies and international arbitration. Improving capacities and skills in the field of negotiation. Improving the skills of legal cadres in the field of defense of Arab commercial and economic rights. Improving policies of education and training in Arab agricultural sectors. Comparative study of agricultural education curricula. Restructuring of agricultural extension institutions. Strengthening institutional communication networks in agricultural sector at the regional and international levels. Strengthening the civil societies organizations and cooperative institutions in Arab rural sectors.

The Sixth Main Programme : Enhancing Rural Prosperity: Poverty reduction research and studies. Defining the role of education in constrains of poverty in rural families. Social security policies in rural areas. Insurance and social solidarity policies in rural areas. Supporting national price funds and budgets to reduce agricultural risks. Contractual agricultural systems.

The Seventh Main Programme : Improving Agricultural and Environmental Resources Management Systems: Improvement of remote sensing and monitoring systems. Boosting environmental extension services. Developing monitoring and forecasting mechanisms for natural disasters and threats. Developing GIS. Registration of varieties and protection of Arab property rights. Policies on the participation of water users in recovering water delivery costs.

Five: Priorities of Joint Arab Agricultural Development Action Priorities for Selection Criteria : § The logical sequence imposed by the nature of development components. § Meeting the requirements of boosting Arab economic integration. § Extent of development impacts. § Current and near future perspective implementation capacities of Arab joint action institutions

5 1. Components Enhancing Arab Economic integration: This category includes 11 development components for coordination of Arab agricultural policies in the following areas: § § § § § Import/export legislation and procedures. Specifications and standards policies. Food safety policies and procedures. Customs procedures. Intra agricultural trade policies. Detailed regulations of origin procedures. Trade funding and export incentives. Investment policies. Policies and procedures for combating trans boundary diseases and epidemics. § Veterinary and agricultural quarantine procedures. § Subsidy policies.

5 2. Components of High Developmental Impact This group includes seven components: § Improvement of water harvesting technologies. § Improvement of high yielding plant verities and animal breeds technologies. § Improvement of genetic engineering technologies. § Improvement of aquaculture policies. § Improvement and dissemination of expert systems technologies. § Management of joint water reserves . § Irrigation water cost recovery policies.

5 3. Components Supporting Institutional Performance : This group has eleven components: § Analysis and monitoring of the International Trade Organization’s resolutions. § Analysis and monitoring of agricultural policies and trade. § Improvement of agricultural information data collection and analysis techniques. § Establish agricultural information data bases. § Dissemination of agricultural information. § Capacity building and skills upgrading in the areas of negotiations and international arbitration. § Improvement of natural disasters monitoring and forecasting techniques. § Registration of varieties and the protection of Arab property rights. § Improvement of education and training policies in agricultural sectors. § Identification and promotion of investment opportunities. § Reduction of agricultural investment risks.

Six: Implementation Partners: § Country Organizations and Institutions. § Joint Arab Action Institutions concerned with Arab Agricultural Sector. § Regional and International Development Organizations concerned with the Arab Region. § Joint Arab Action Funding Institutions, Regional and International Development Organizations.

Seven : Potential Sources of Funding Country level funding: Funds that Arab countries include in their development plans according to circumstances and particularities of each country. Pan Arab and joint funding: included essentially in annual budgets allocated to specialized joint Arab action organizations. Financial grants from donors for funding joint or specific country projects.

Eight: Time Framework of Implementing and Executing the Strategy Programmes and Objectives Goal and objectives Period (years) and Achieving strategic vision realizing long term objectives 20 General strategic framework Establishing programme priorities, project funding needs and achieving Medium term objectives 6 Medium –Term Plan Allocation of resources needed for programmes, project and implementa tion, achieving short term . programme goals 1 -2 Entity Work plans

Nine: Implementation General Framework Country Programmes and Components: § Concerned country institutions will incorporate these activities in their development plans and national strategies. § Preparation and Implementation will be carried out with technical support from AOAD and cooperating institutions (Implementation Partners) upon request from concerned countries. Joint Programmes and Components: § Will be incorporated in the annual and medium-term work plans and programmes of concerned Arab action institutions for implementation. § Preparation and implementation of joint projects and programmes by various implementing partners according to procedures to be agreed upon.

Ten: Implementation Time Frame: Joint programmes: § Responsibilities for actions to be assigned to relevant Joint Arab Action organization/ institution through a meeting that brings together all concerned parties, to be held on 16/2/2008. § Preparation of plans and implementation programmes where each of the joint Arab action organization/institutions assumes the task of preparing medium term implementation plans to meet their roles, during the first half of 2008. § Coordination of medium term and short term plans and programmes during the second Implementation partners meeting in the third quarters of 2008.

§ preparation of joint projects for funding to be presented to a conference ( donor conference) that brings together all concerned parties, scheduled at the end of 2008. § Commencing execution of the work plans in sequence and in accordance with national and regional priorities, starting from early 2009. National Programmes: § Reviewing of programmes and components with concerned Arab countries with support from Implementation Partners in the first half of 2008. § Formulating country specific projects for implementation in collaboration with implementing partners during the first half of 2009. § Provision of the necessary technical support for implementing country projects in collaboration with all partners during the first half of 2009.

Mechanism of Monitoring and Evaluation § Establishment of a unit in the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development to follow up the implementation of the strategy. § Establishment of specialized units in the ministries of agriculture and agricultural affairs bodies in the Arab countries to coordinate with parties concerned to follow up and evaluation. § Preparation of annual follow up reports in cooperation and coordination with the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development and Headquarters Secretariat /League of Arab States for the presentation to the Economic and Social Council and Arab summit as of 2008.

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