EAC Rice Development Strategy (ERDS), February 2023
CARD-EAC Working Week for drawing East African Community Rice Development Strategy Implementation Plan (ERDSIP)
Though not a traditional crop, rice has recently emerged as an important food crop for East African Community (EAC) region. Except for South Sudan (RSS), other EAC Partner States such as Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda hold membership with the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD). With guidance from CARD Secretariat, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda had already formulated their National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS). Burundi and DRC are in the process of finalizing their NRDS. Although RSS does not have NRDS, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in RSS has drawn plans for developing rice sector.
The NRDS and/or plans of the EAC Partner States intend to increase rice production in their respective countries through improvements in rice value chain efficiency. However, national markets in the EAC region are becoming increasingly integrated under the spirit of regional economic community (REC). NRDS of partner states have not adequately addressed the challenges and opportunities for collectively advancing rice sector under such integration process. In 2020, EAC established an EAC Rice Platform (ERP) with representations from Partner States. With technical assistance from CARD, the ERP formulated and validated EAC Rice Development Strategy (ERDS) in order to improve coordination of rice sector development in the EAC region in September 2022.
During the validation of ERDS, the ERP members agreed to develop an implementation plan for the ERDS. Subsequently CARD Secretariat requested JICA headquarters for organizing a working week for drawing an ERDS Implementation Plan (ERDSIP). This report provides a summary of activities and outputs from the working week.
Activity and the results
The Working week was organized at Sarova Stanley Hotel, Nairobi (Kenya) during 20-24 February, 2023. ERP members representing all the seven EAC Partner States were present during the week. Representatives from EAC Secretariat and Kilimo Trust were also present throughout the week. The meeting was facilitated in English and French languages. The purpose of the working week was to draw ERDS Implementation Plan.
Specific objectives of the activities at the workshop included obtaining: – (i) a consensus on major interventions that will lead to concrete implementation of the ERDS, (ii) details of the identified interventions such as time frame, budget estimate, risks, mitigation measures and objectively verifiable indicators that are in alignment with ERDS-indicators, and (iii) way forward on the next steps.
Regional Consultant (CARD) reminded the participants on salient features of ERDS and explained how ERDSIP could be derived using a ‘logical framework’. The consultant also elaborated how a logical framework allows participants to establish links with external factors on ERDS implementation. The logical framework can also serve as a main reference for developing project proposals and/or project concept notes in the future for each major intervention.
After the briefing on the background and methodology for drawing ERDSIP, the participants were divided into two groups. Based on their expertise, the participants chose group-I (for strategic objectives #1 and #2) and group-II (strategic objectives #3-5). Each group was represented by at least one member from each Partner State. Each group was headed by a group leader and rapporteur for organizing discussions amongst the members.
Using logical framework, the ERP members identified ‘major interventions’ under each strategic objective of the ERDS through consensus. Details such as expected output, activities, purpose, duration, budget, risks involved, mitigation measures, implementing institutions and objectively verifiable indicators were also identified for each of the proposed interventions.
Through a plenary session, the outputs from the two groups were presented by representative of each group and were collectively peer-reviewed. Following this plenary session, suggestions and feedbacks were captured by the individual groups through group work in the logical framework. This logical framework will be integrated with the finalized ERDS document, and submitted for approval by EAC’s Sectoral Council for Agriculture and Food Security (SCAFS).
Way forward
ERP members agreed to incorporate the logical framework derived from this workshop as annexure in the ERDS document, and seek approval from SCAFS. Upon approval, the ERP members will further elaborate the key interventions into project concepts and/or proposals and lobby Partner States and development partners for funds.
