Pillar 1: Extending the area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems;
Pillar 2: Improving rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access;
Pillar 3: Increasing food supply, reducing hunger, and improving responses to food emergency crises; and
Pillar 4: Improving agriculture research, technology dissemination and adoption.

CAADP has made significant strides since African Heads of State in their 2003 Maputo declaration stated their dedication to implement the programme.

Under CAADP, COMESA is working to ensure that its member States purposefully move towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1 to cut hunger and poverty in half by 2015 and contribute to MDG 6, to attain environmental sustainability.

The region is undertaking detailed consultations and analytical work to best provide alternative strategies that will allow member States to reach the agriculture sector’s minimum growth rate of 6 per cent required in the CAADP framework.
COMESA member States are cognizant of the critical role that agriculture plays in their national economies and while the majority of the citizens of COMESA derive livelihood from agriculture, the sector’s overall productivity is low. The main challenges to enhanced agricultural development and competitiveness in COMESA are market-related challenges, technological obstacles and policy constraints that lead to low agricultural productivity resulting in food insecurity. In order to raise productivity and competitiveness of the COMESA region’s agricultural sector, the organization has in place a number of initiatives at different stages of implementation.

To ensure COMESA’s regional agricultural development programmes are CAADP compliant and to assist member States target the agreed objectives of reaching MDG 1, delivery of 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture to attain a sustained 6% sector growth rate, COMESA has prescribed the routes that will be taken at the national and regional levels for CAADP implementation. At both levels, compacts (agreements) must be produced highlighting the key policies, strategies and programs, existing gaps, required alternative investments, appropriate investment levels and necessary dialogue mechanisms for consistent broad based implementation of CAADP.

Accomplishments

CAADP in COMESA has made excellent progress. To date 18 of the 19 member States have initiated the CAADP process by nominating CAADP Focal Points. These are Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Seychelles, Djibouti, Eritrea, Malagasy, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Comoros, Egypt, Mauritius, Swaziland and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  Of the 18 states, 13 have launched the CAADP R/T process. Three countries have signed the CAADP Compacts, with Rwanda being the first country to sign a compact in 2007, followed by Burundi and Ethiopia in August 2009.

In addition, Uganda will sign its Compact on October 29, 2009 and Zambia on November 19, 2009. The Malawian government has approved their CAADP compact, while Swaziland and Sudan have completed their stocktaking reports and are in advanced stages of the Roundtable process.

COMESA has also launched the development of a Regional Compact through its contractor, FANRPAN and its partners. The Regional compact is expected to outline key-interventions common to member States or with spill over positive impacts in the region. It will identify strategic areas, key issues and challengesneeded to achieve the overall goal of the COMESA region. Signing of the regional Compact is slated for November 2009.

Another accomplishment has been the endorsement of the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) as a specialised agency of COMESA to promote competitiveness and integration of small farmers in national, regional and international markets, by the COMESA Authority during the 13th COMESA Heads of State Summit. ACTESA will be the region’s key thrust in attaining objectives of CAADP Pillar II (agro trade related capacities) and CAADP Pillar III (food/nutrition security). 

From 2007 to date, communication has been enhanced to get countries to align their agricultural programmes to CAADP and to deliver 10% of their national budgets to agriculture as well as raise advocacy to ensure effective use of donor budget support.

Apart from development at the regional and national levels, COMESA through CAADP has been making progress and partnerships in Africa and beyond. Cooperation with the   private sector and farmers organizations has been an ongoing process, which is yielding the desired results to have a strong team championing CAADP.

COMESA CAADP Early Action Activities

COMESA has continued to implement the following early action activities under each CAADP Pillar:

• Pillar 1: Climate Change Initiative, Irrigation Program, Fisheries Strategy, Forestry Strategy
• Pillar 2: Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), African Agricultural Markets Programme (AAMP), Strengthening Trade in Agricultural Inputs at a Regional Level in Africa, (STAR), Regional Fertilizer Programme, Seed Sector Alliance, Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE), Agricultural Market Promotion and Regional Integration Project (AMPRIP) and African Development Corridor Platform (ADCP).
• Pillar 3: Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA); Regional Enhanced Livelihoods in Pastoral Areas (RELPA) program.
• Pillar 4: Regional Approach to Biotechnology and Bio-safety for Eastern and Southern Africa (RABESA II).