Tanzania’s perspective on the global pact on transforming agriculture, food systems

Dar es Salaam. The COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action underscores the urgent need for global collaboration in the face of escalating climate threats to agriculture.

Tanzania is among 152 countries that endorses the declaration on the just ended climate summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

Also read: How Tanzania can realise climate-smart agriculture

In agriculture the 28th Conference of Member States of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC-COP28) that concluded on December 13, 2023 countries came out with the pact that identifies common grounds, areas of collaboration and how they will fulfill the commitment, by 2025.

The declaration sees nations commit to immediate adaptation and transformation, emphasizing agriculture’s pivotal role in innovative climate responses. The primary goal is to ensure resilience, address hunger, malnutrition, and economic challenges while fostering shared prosperity amid climate imperatives.

The declaration outlines key objectives, pledging to prioritize climate action by scaling up adaptive measures for farmers and fishers, offering financial and technical support, and promoting sustainable food security and production.

Also read: How Samia has spearheaded climate change response

Vulnerable groups, particularly women, children, youth, Indigenous Peoples, smallholders, and persons with disabilities, receive targeted support through social protection and research.

Integrated water management in agriculture is highlighted to ensure sustainability and minimize adverse impacts on communities. Balancing climate benefits and harms involves conserving and restoring land and ecosystems within national contexts, integrating agriculture and food systems into climate action across policy agendas.

By 2025, nations commit to inclusive engagement, integrating agriculture into key climate strategies. Policies will align to boost incomes, cut emissions, and enhance resilience, with a focus on nutrition, water efficiency, and ecosystem health.

Diverse finance sources, including public-private partnerships, will fund climate adaptation in agriculture. Evidence-based innovations, including indigenous knowledge, aim to enhance productivity, resilience, and rural livelihoods.

The declaration concludes with a commitment to a fair multilateral trading system, emphasizing transparency and inclusivity. Ministries will collaborate across sectors, sharing progress at COP29 through ongoing reviews and global engagement, reflecting a collective determination to address climate challenges and secure a sustainable future for global agriculture and food systems.

Tanzania Position

Earlier on December 04, 2023 at COP28 Tanzania government hosted a strategic agricultural meeting with stakeholders led by the President Samia Suluhu Hassan that presented the country's direction toward “green agriculture reforms “aimed at dealing with climate change.

President Samia made a country statement that showed how Tanzania is going to achieve sustainable agriculture for climate change (Climate Smart Agriculture - CSA).

According to President Samia, the plan aims to increase employment for young people, the largest group in the country, and to deal with climate change while making Tanzania a food hub in the East and Central Africa region.

“We need to change and do sustainable agriculture by supporting various innovations that are compatible with the current situation. This project needs money. However, getting money to finance these activities has continued to be difficult,” said the president.

At the meeting the ministry also highlighted the investment opportunities available in the country by mentioning the ongoing BBT project (Building a Better Tomorrow) and the large expansion of irrigation infrastructure.

Stakeholders’ viewpoint

Agriculture stakeholder Audax Rukonge said the success of the declaration depends on two things, which are the political will and the inspiration of the people, because implementation, management, and decisions depend to a large extent on political wiliness, and when this is lacking, citizens can push the government to implement the agenda.

He says “the country has good strategies for agriculture and food systems, and we have seen a political reaction to that, such as an increase in the budget in recent years, research on crops and seeds, subsidies on agriculture, and even the Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has lowered interest rates, which commercial banks are following.”.

But Rukonge, who is a former Executive Director of the Agricultural Non-State Actor Forum (Ansaf), expressed concerns on some aspects, noting that “I don’t know to what extent there is implementation. But does it arrive on time? Because the issue of climate change is a matter of timing and urgency.”.

Talking about integration between the ministries, he said the issue of agriculture and food systems is not only for the Ministry of Agriculture; he mentioned the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance, which tax plans or reforms have been put in place to support the implementation of the Agricultural Development Plan (ASDP II) or other initiatives.

“Having a good integration helps to attract investment and the private sector. That’s why I emphasize the issue… but also the participation of stakeholders like the media is needed for issues like providing education,” he added.

Rukonge advised the inclusion of the most affected groups, such as indigenous farmers, children, and women, and that the most affected areas should not be left behind. He was quoted as saying, “We should leave no one behind”.

Agriculture Tech Company Altitude X Managing Director Rose Funja suggested the country should integrate the concept of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in agriculture and food systems that she believes can enhance effectiveness and efficiency.

“DPI involves leveraging digital technologies to provide foundational services and data that can be accessed by the public, businesses, and government entities. It consists of digital weather and climate information and precision agriculture technologies.

She then says Foster partnerships with technology innovators, startups, and research institutions to continuously explore and integrate cutting-edge digital solutions into CSA initiatives are key issues and to encourage the development of open APIs (application programming interfaces) to promote interoperability among different digital tools and platforms.

“To encourage data collaboration for CSA, incentives include financial rewards, tax benefits, and priority access to government resources for active contributors. Recognition programs, capacity-building support, and transparent data ownership agreements foster engagement. Public-private partnerships, collaborative research opportunities, and certification systems enhance participation,” she advises.

Africa and agriculture

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of AGRA, who is also the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Dessalegn, said that Tanzania is a center for agriculture and an innovator of food systems, and they are convinced that it can feed Africa and more.

“Due to the existing capacity and leadership, I want to say that we are here to contribute to ongoing programs in Tanzania, especially the BBT project. We are implementing a project about reducing post-harvest loss in seven African countries, including Tanzania, and $100 million has been provided,” he said.

Director of energy and climate think tank Power Shift Africa – Kenya based Mohamed Adow said, since Africa is the most affected continent, the most important thing that needs to be done is climate adaptation that will be implemented to achieve food and energy sovereignty.

"Africa has a large agricultural land that has never been cultivated, why should we not use this? 65 percent of arable land suitable for agriculture is on the continent “he said adding that all those need financing and political will.