Home

About RATES

Partners Fund

Newsletters

Photo Galleries

Useful Links

Policy Program > Highlights

COMESA Endorses Shift from National to Regional Food Security Approach

The COMESA Ministers of Agriculture meeting held in Nairobi , Kenya on October 15th-16th, 2004 , endorsed the principle of moving from a national to a regional approach in dealing with regional food security. To achieve this, the Ministers agreed on two major principles:

To open up the region to the free flow of agricultural trade by removing all barriers to such trade. This policy is in line with the COMESA strategy of "Maize without Borders".
To commit to source maize first from the region before resorting to importation from outside the region. The COMESA Ministers recognized that in order for these two principles to happen, sound infrastructure and efficient transportation systems must be put into place so that agricultural trade becomes an attractive and cost effective business. The Ministers agreed that the two key strategies were to improve the region's transportation systems and to reduce costs. Doing so will allow the region to move from a national to a regional approach in planning and managing food security.

Market Information System. COMESA agreed that they should set up an integrated regional agricultural market information system (MIS) which would be linked to national systems. This linkage would facilitate a quicker and more timely exchange of accurate intelligence on the region's food balance sheet and therefore the region's food security situation. Currently, the region relies on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome to provide such information. During the two day workshop on agricultural MIS held in Nairobi , COMESA further agreed that the proposed regional MIS should build upon regional systems that are already in place such as RATIN (Regional Agricultural Trade Intelligence Network) which provides vital trade and market information intelligence.

Informal trade recognized. Another important decision made by the Ministers of Agriculture was to recognize and accept the importance of cross-border, informal trade as an integral part of the region's trade. The Ministers recognized the need to put into place measures to facilitate and record such trade rather than frustrate it, as is happening at some border points. Further discussions took place on the subject that such trade was not only important to regional food security, but also in providing livelihoods to otherwise marginalized populations, including women and youth who are involved in such trade.