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28 October 2004

USAID Expands Agricultural Development Strategy

Focus is on boosting production, market access, agency's Simmons adds

By Kathryn McConnell
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has adopted an expanded agricultural development strategy based on helping food and fiber producers, processors and distributors increase productivity and access to international, regional and local markets, says a top agency official.

The strategy recognizes that improving agriculture production is vital in a world with a growing population -- concentrated in developing countries -- and a scarcity of water resources, said Emmy Simmons, assistant administrator for economic growth, agriculture and trade. Simmons spoke at an October 27 meeting of the agency's Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid in Washington.

Increasing the performance of the agricultural sector and producers' access to markets are important for the overall economic growth of many developing countries, Simmons said.

The new strategy recognizes the need to better link agricultural development with sustainable natural resource management, Simmons said. This includes helping communities regain the productivity of degraded lands and secure endangered organisms in seed banks. It also includes helping communities reduce their vulnerabilities to natural and conflict-related disasters, according to USAID.

The United States is a supporter of the new Global Crop Diversity Trust, an endowment to fund seed banks around the world, Simmons said. The trust, which entered into force October 21, is the result of an effort by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the 15 Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which the U.S. also supports.

Researchers need a preserved genetic base to develop new varieties of crops that can resist diseases and other stresses, Simmons said.

Besides food crops and livestock, the agriculture strategy covers animal feed, fiber crops such as cotton, fisheries, and forestry products, she said.

The strategy includes a focus on training women in agricultural sciences, Simmons said. Women provide a substantial share of farm labor and are largely responsible for food security in developing countries, she said. Approximately one-third of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa are now headed by women, and 90 percent of rice cultivation in Southeast Asia is done by women, according the aid agency.

Simmons said the new strategy also will focus on increasing access to science and technology and helping developing countries build the capacity to support innovation. Those changes could boost agricultural production and food and fiber quality, and could increase consumers' access to agricultural products. To this end, USAID will support the development of public/private partnerships in science and technology and help countries and regions develop science policies and regulations, the agency said.

The strategy also calls for strengthening USAID's agricultural training, outreach and adaptive research programs and expanding science-based relationships with U.S. universities and non-U.S. educational institutions, according to the agency.

People involved with agriculture in developing countries need more access to production, storage and processing technologies, Simmons said.

The official said USAID has increased its efforts to help developing countries adopt policies, such as protection of individual property rights, that support growing agricultural sectors. She also said developing country governments need to realize that allowing agricultural markets to operate freely benefits their countries' economies more than controlling food and fiber prices.

Simmons said USAID also will support the development of producer organizations that can help reduce market transaction costs and improve access to market information and information about sanitary and phytosanitary standards.

The Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid was established by presidential directive after World War II to serve as a link between the U.S. government and private voluntary organizations involved in humanitarian and development work overseas.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)