(4) Agriculture

The population of undernourished people still remains large, and grain prices tend to rise again. In such circumstances, efforts toward agricultural development are urgent issue for the achievement of "eradication of extreme poverty and hunger," Goal 1 of the MDGs. In addition, three out of four poor people in developing countries live in rural areas. Because the majority of these individuals rely on farming for living, efforts to develop agriculture and rural communities are important, and measures to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development through economic growth are required.

<Japan's Efforts>

As Japan's ODA Charter states, Japan recognizes the importance of cooperation on agricultural efforts to poverty reduction and Japan is proactively striving to address food problems as a global issue. In the short term, Japan provides food assistance to avert food shortages, and in the medium- to long-term, Japan aims to help increase and improve production and productivity in developing countries in order to prevent and eliminate the cause of food shortages including hunger.

Specifically, Japan uses its knowledge and experience to strengthen development and disseminate capacity of agricultural production technology suited to the cultivation environment, to strengthen organizations of farmers, and to assist policy-making as well as to improve the infrastructures like irrigation facilities and farm roads. Japan has also supported the research of NERICA* (New Rice for Africa) and the spread of its production techniques, as well as introduction of a market-based approach that aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. In particular, in order to assist for reducing post-harvest loss* and promoting intra-trade and distribution, Japan supports transportation/storage and improvement of loading ports at the distribution stage, as well as development and management of water resources and agricultural land resources. Further, Japan provides assistance in the agricultural sector through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and other international organizations.

Senior volunteer demonstrates rice planting in Sri Lanka, where the practice is not prevalent. (Photo: Hiroshi Furukawa/JICA Sri Lanka Office)

At a side event of the TICAD IV in 2008, Japan announced the "Coalition for African Rice Development" (CARD)* initiative that aims at doubling African rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa from the original 14 million tons/year to 28 million tons/year over a period of ten years. Currently, Japan is working with rice-producing countries in Africa and international organizations, to support the creation of a National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) for each of the 23 Sub-Saharan African countries, and is implementing projects based on that strategy.

In addition, at an outreach session on food security at G8 L'Aquila Summit (Italy) in July 2009, Japan pledged at least $3 billion over three years in 2010-2012 for agricultural development including infrastructure and has already achieved the commitment. Additionally, the intensification of agricultural investment in developing countries has become an international issue. For this reason, Japan proposed Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI)* at the L'Aquila Summit and has since led worldwide discussion on the topic. Furthermore, the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition* was established at the G8 Camp David Summit (the U.S.) in May 2012. As an active contributor to the New Alliance, Japan has stressed the importance of agriculture as an industry that will play an important role in ensuring food security, reducing poverty, and stimulating economic growth throughout Africa.

At the G20 Los Cabos Summit (Mexico) in 2012, Japan introduced efforts to assist the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS)*, which aims to enhance agricultural market transparency.

Farmers from Rwandan producers' association test out push weeders. (Photo: Kenshiro Imamura/JICA)

●Kenya

The Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion Unit Project (SHEP UP)
Technical Cooperation Project (March 2010 - Present)

In terms of Kenya's economy, agriculture is an important industry that produces 24% of the country's GDP and 80% of its employment. To promote agriculture as a lively industry, it is important to empower smallholder farmers, who produce over 75% of agricultural products for the market. That, in turn, will lead to the development of Kenya in its entirety.

Since 2006, Japan has been conducting a technical cooperation project known as the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment Project (SHEP) in the rapidly growing field of horticultural crops. In order to raise the income levels of smallholder famers, SHEP works to organize small farms; increase their productivity through guidance of their cultivation techniques; and assists in marketing in order to sell the products at a reasonable price.

Regarding the marketing, in particular, the project adopted a market-oriented approach that allowed farmers to examine the market and decide what crops to grow, based on the assessment, moving from a "Grow and Sell" agriculture to a "Grow to Sell" agriculture. Also, through implementing easy techniques for farmers technically and financially, such as repairing roads with sandbags and creating their own bokashi fertilizer, local farmers have gained a sense of self-reliance. In terms of Gender Mainstreaming, the project also promoted the mutual understanding of male and female (husband and wife) roles in farm management and had wives participate in training courses. This raised farm management efficiency and changed the husband-wife relationship from "husband as manager and wife as laborer" to "managing partners". All these efforts resulted in more than a two-fold average increase in earnings for the target farmers.

Promoting changes in the mentalities of farmers and showing tangible improvements in income, the SHEP approach has been praised highly by the Kenyan government. Consequently the Kenyan government has established a special department within its Ministry of Agriculture to expand the SHEP approach nationwide. SHEP UP, started in 2010, helps support this department's efforts to efficiently spread the SHEP approach. Through this project, Japan is promoting commercial horticulture that will allow smallholder farmers throughout Kenya to earn a better living.

(As of December 2012)

Conducting market research so that farmers are able to grow crops with an awareness of the market. (Photo: JICA)

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