East Africa Regional

Region Profile

Population

200

million

Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania combined

Poverty

percent

40% of the East African population was classified as poor in 2008

GDP

percent

Agriculture accounts for almost 30% of GDP in East African countries

Labor

percent

Agriculture employs more than 60% of the population in East Africa

Staples

percent

Staple foods represent 75 percent of total agricultural products traded

Context
Strategy

Some countries face food crises when there is more than enough food in the region as a whole

Staple foods such as maize, wheat, rice, beans, millet, potatoes, and cassava are the fastest growing set of commodities in agricultural trade in eastern and southern Africa, with an estimated annual value of $50 billion, and represent 75 percent of total agricultural products traded. The integration of regional markets in East Africa opens opportunities to balance regional supply and demand, opening up opportunities and incentives to increase productivity.

Some countries face food crises when there is more than enough food in the region as a whole

Output in any given country fluctuates widely due to factors such as weather; infrastructure; policies; and local, short-term changes in supply and demand. Some countries face food crises when there is more than enough food in the region as a whole. Open regional trade and investments in infrastructure, services and the diffusion of innovations will help countries and geographic sub-areas take advantage of regional diversity and different harvest periods, moving staple foods from surplus to deficit areas.

However, fragmented local and national markets are too small to achieve efficiency and to attract private investment that would stabilize prices and supply. Additionally, moving goods along transport corridors to regional markets requires lots of time and money, due to inadequate transportation infrastructure and policies that hamper trade (or the lack of trade-enabling policies). Regional cooperation and investment in policy, infrastructure, standardization, and value chain improvements will facilitate trade and help make staple food commodities more competitive, particularly for smallholder farmers. Investments will also help facilitate regional sharing of research and innovations that address value chain improvements.

The diverse patchwork of agro-ecological zones across the region makes it difficult for under-funded national research and extension systems to meet the range of needs and demands for technologies, many of which are similar to those faced in neighboring countries. Regionally-coordinated research, decision-making support, and sharing of best practices on alternative, more drought-resilient staple crops and on more resilient livestock management practices will have wide regional benefits and address increasing variability in weather conditions throughout the region.

Additionally, regionally-coordinated, harmonized standards and procedures can help control aflatoxin and other food safety issues, as well as catalyze existing African programs on agriculture, nutrition, and health.

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East Africa FY2010 Implementation Plan

East Africa Strategic Review

East Africa Multi-Year Strategy

The goal of the East Africa regional strategy is increased access, availability and utilization of African-grown staple foods in regionally integrated markets. The objective is increased trade flows of staple foods in the region, linked to the northern and central transport corridors. To achieve this, as well as contributing to the objectives of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), Feed the Future East Africa is making core investments in the following areas:

Better integrated national and regional markets
Expanded regional access to improved technology, knowledge and inputs
Increased private sector investment in regional

East Africa FY2010 Implementation Plan

East Africa Strategic Review

East Africa Multi-Year Strategy

Better integrated national and regional markets
Expanded regional access to improved technology, knowledge and inputs
Increased private sector investment in regional agriculture and nutrition
Increased capacity of African regional partners
Increased coordination and services among Feed the Future programs in East Africa

Cross-cutting issues include gender, climate change, natural resource management, and governance.

Highlights

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA). USAID/East Africa has been supporting COMESA in various aspects of its trade agenda, including customs reform, internet-based information systems for processing customs procedures, harmonization of standards, and CAADP coordination. COMESA aims to achieve regional integration through the harmonization and rationalization of a wide range of trade policies, regulations, and procedures. A COMESA Free Trade Area with 13 members was established in 2000. In June 2009, a Customs Union was formed that will be harmonized with two neighboring Regional Economic Communities, the East Africa Community and the Southern African Development Community, under a Tripartite Agreement.

The East Africa Community (EAC). The EAC has five member states—Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi—and is focused on economic and political integration. It has a regional parliament and each country has a Ministry for East African Affairs to follow up on the implementation of policies at the regional level. In 2010, the EAC launched its own common market for goods, labor, services, and capital; it has set goals for a common currency and political federation. USAID/East Africa and several of its partners have been working closely with the EAC on activities related to trade policy, harmonized regulations, grade and quality standards, streamlined border procedures, natural resource management, and global climate change. Increased support to the EAC by Feed the Future focuses on trade in staple foods and food security, management of aflatoxin, nutrition, and adaption to climate variability. Assistance will be closely linked with the evolving U.S. Government inter-agency EAC Integration Initiative.

CAADP Process Implementation. Feed the Future will continue to work with and support the African institutions responsible for overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the CAADP agenda. The principal partner is the COMESA Secretariat, which is also supported by a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank and to which USAID contributes. The focus in the first year will be the completion and implementation of the CAADP regional compact, within the framework of the Tripartite Agreement (noted above). The regional Feed the Future strategy will support activities linked to CAADP Pillar II (markets and trade), Pillar III (food security and nutrition), and Pillar IV (science and technology).

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East Africa Regional