Agriculture will help us realise vision 2025

After what appeared to be a worrying start, the fifth phase government has steadily re-shifted agriculture to the front burner on the basis of the 2nd-phase of the country’s Sh13.8 trillion ‘Agriculture Sector Development Programme’ (ASDP-II: 2018-23). ASDP is a framework for developing Agriculture and operationalising the Agricultural Sector Development Strategy (ASDS) that’s intended to develop the national economy – thereby markedly reducing poverty.

The 2018/19 budget also has agriculture at the core, with major plans to boost this critical sector.

What with one thing leading to another, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has smartly stepped in to aid Tanzania in general, and ASPD-II in particular, in changing the fortunes of some 1.5 million smallholder farmers.

With the motto ‘Growing Africa’s Agriculture,’ AGRA is a partnership between the Bill-&-Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation that “exists to fulfill the vision that Africa can feed itself and the world…”

AGRA will support ASDP-II, which is well-positioned to transform agricultural systems, increase the productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers – thus ensuring food security without necessarily restricting cereals exports…”

Fair enough.

But all that can only be achieved if and when the relevant authorities (including especially the government) disburse budgeted funds in full as required – not only for the Agriculture ministry, but also for related ministries such as Water and Irrigation; Land; Livestock development, etc.

Engaging 67 per cent of the workforce, and contributing around 30 per cent of the GDP, Agriculture is economically cross-cutting, ‘pervasive.’ In that regard, its potential to transform Tanzania into a semi-industrialised, middle-income economy by the National Development Vision-2025 must not be pooh-poohed, but must instead be tapped most effectively.