Annan group ploughs $13 mln to help Africa farmers

A green group headed by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan has given $13 million in grants to help small businesses in Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya to reduce prices of supplies to farms in a bid to boost farming output.

The small retailers would sell supplies such as seeds, tools and fertiliser to 1.6 million rural households that could benefit 8.8 million farmers and their families in the three countries.

"Lack of access to basic farm supplies has made it virtually impossible for small-scale farmers to increase their yield or incomes, reinforcing widespread poverty," the farm group said in a statement on Thursday.

The group, named Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), was officially launched in June and is partly bankrolled by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. It aims to help small-scale farmers across Africa fight poverty and hunger through sustainable increases in farm productivity and incomes.

AGRA, which works in tandem with African governments, said all the three country programmes aim to increase rural smallholder incomes by 30 percent and reduce the price of inputs by 15 percent in three years.

They also intend to halve the average distance farmers need to travel to purchase farm supplies.

Malawi and Tanzania each received $4.3 million, while Kenya was awarded $4.4 million in the grants awarded under AGRA's Agro-dealer Development Program (ADP).

The group said it was common for rural farmers to travel great distances to buy seed or fertiliser, and at the end of their journey they frequently found stores lacked the items they needed or were selling them at unaffordable prices.

More than 200 million Africans are malnourished and hungry, with many of them heavily reliant on farming or some form of agriculture to lift them out of poverty, UN data shows.

Team Book Place in Semis

As widely expected, Malawi confirmed their place in the semifinals of the maiden edition of the annual Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) under-17 tournament under way in the capital.

The infant Flames defeated the relatively young and inexperienced Lesotho outfit by 4 goals to nil in the play-off for the second best-placed team deriving from the three groups in the competition, at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek yesterday.

Lesotho needed a win to propel them to the semifinals of the eight-day tourney while the Malawians only needed a draw to reach the knockout stages of the 10-nation tournament.

After a goalless first half, defender Zasha Mnongoneza put Malawi ahead 5 minutes into the second half.

Four minutes later, Andy Sumukonda killed off any hopes the boys from the mountain kingdom might have entertained of coming back into the picture when he neatly placed the ball into a vacant net to open the floodgates.

Two late goals via the boots of Watson Kandulu and Lawrence Milanzi put the result beyond any doubts as Malawi cruised to a well-deserved victory to book a date with Group A winners South Africa's Amajimbos in the first semifinal at the Sam Nujoma Stadium later today at 16h00.

Group B victors Zambia confront Group C winners Zimbabwe in what promises to be a real humdinger in the second semifinal at the same venue at 18h00.

A fuming Lesotho's coach Kananelo Moletsane blasted some nations in the region for their apparent greed for glory by fielding over-aged players.

"Most of these countries just want to win at all costs at the expense of development," said Moletsane.

"We are building a team for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa and are eager to develop a decent pool of players that can go all the way and challenge for a place in the finals of the global showpiece."

"My brother, if you honestly look at the composition of our team, you will notice that we have three boys under the age of 14 and two 16-year-olds while the rest are between 14 and 15, which only augurs well for our Vision 2010," added the 30-year-old mentor.

Moletsane also applauded the local organizing committee (LOC) for their flawless handling of many of the main tasks at hand such as accreditation, first class accommodation and meals as well the hospitality of the local folk.

His Malawian counterpart John Felix Kaputa could not contain his joy over the red carpet treatment meted out to them upon their arrival and reckoned Namibia has the required infrastructure and organizational acumen to host bigger events in the not too distant future.

The Malawians are boasting an impressive record of 11 goals in just 270 minutes of play and have just conceded two in the round robin stages of the tournament.

"That's water under the bridge and we will now have to focus on our next game against South Africa in the semifinal," said the articulate Kaputa.

"South Africa remains a closed book to us, as we have not watched them in action because all our group matches were played simultaneously, while they had the luxury of seeing our team in action against Lesotho in the play-off for the second best placed team," concluded Moletsane.

The third place play-off is scheduled for Friday with the final to be played on Saturday at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.

The "Brave Gladiators", as the Namibian women's football team is fondly known at home, will be engaged in the curtain-raiser as they take on Botswana in the second leg of the African Women Championship qualifiers.

Namibia won the first leg 3-nil away in Gaborone a fortnight ago and should have little trouble in booking a date against Nigeria in the next round.

National Agro-dealer Networks Launched to Reach 1.6 Million Rural Farming Households in Africa with Essential Farm Supplies

Launching an intensive effort to revive small-scale farming and agricultural markets hobbled by the scarcity and high costs of basic farm supplies such as seed, tools and fertilizer, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has awarded US$13 million in grants to establish nationwide networks of rural agro-dealers in Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.

"All three country programs aim to achieve a 30 percent growth in rural smallholder incomes; a 40 to 50 percent reduction in the average distance farmers need to travel to purchase farm supplies; and an up to 15 percent decrease in the price of inputs within three years," said A. Namanga Ngongi, the new president of AGRA.

The agro-dealers will operate small businesses that reach poor farmers in remote areas. In addition to selling affordable farm supplies in the quantities needed by small-scale farmers, the agro-dealers will be trained in the safe handling, efficient and environmentally sound use of farm inputs, and will pass this knowledge on to farmers.

These agro-dealer networks will give poor farmers access to basic farm supplies that are otherwise beyond their reach. Now, it is common for rural farmers to travel great distances just for the opportunity to purchase seeds or fertilizers. And at the end of their journey they frequently find stores lack the specific items they need or are selling them at unaffordable prices. Lack of access to basic farm supplies has made it virtually impossible for small-scale farmers to increase their yield or incomes, reinforcing widespread poverty.

The AGRA Agro-dealer Development Program (ADP) will provide emerging, small retailers in rural communities—many of who farm themselves—with the training, capital and credit they need to become certified agro-dealers. These agro-dealers will in turn reach a total of 1.6 million rural households, potentially benefiting 8.8 million farmers and their family members.

Ambitious Goals in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania

The US$4.3 million Malawi initiative, led by the Rural Market Development Trust (RUMARK) is focused on developing a network of over 600 rural agro-dealers, up from the existing core of 160.

The US$4.3 million Tanzania Agro-dealer Strengthening Program (TASP) will build a network of 840 agro-dealers. The Tanzania program aims to transform what is now a fragmented farm supply distribution system into a more tightly linked consortium of businesses. The program will emphasize gender-equal participation and ensure that women have full access to training and financing. It also will focus on giving farmers greater access to Tanzania's government-run fertilizer supply program.

Kenya's Agro-dealer Strengthening Program (KASP) will use its US$4.4 million grant to scale-up an existing network of 243 agro-dealers, who are concentrated in Western Kenya, to include 1,800 rural farm supply businesses in 32 districts across the country. It will also work with 10 "Millennium Villages", part of the Millennium Villages Project of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, to increase the economic sustainability of their farm input subsidy program.

"The agro-dealer programs build on great initial success in Malawi, which has seen the country transform itself from being a net importer to a net exporter of maize, and even to become a donor of food aid to neighboring countries. If Malawi can do it, it can be done by every country in Africa," said Akin Adesina, Vice President for Policy and Partnerships at AGRA.

Turnabout for Malawi Maize

Malawi faced a major food crisis just a few years ago due to drought that left millions of people starving. In response, the Malawi government began distributing subsidized fertilizers and improved seed to assist poor farmers. In tandem with this effort, RUMARK began training and certifying agro-dealers who could set up shop in remote regions, giving farmers access to the farm supplies.

In 2006/2007, Malawi provided farmers with some $60 million in so-called "smart" or "targeted" subsidies. Based on this system, farmers can trade in government-issued vouchers to certified agro-dealers in exchange for partially subsidized farm supplies.

"The system made sound economic sense by combining public sector support for poor farmers with an exchange system that strengthens the private sector," said Adesina. "This was in sharp contrast with previous approaches that delivered subsidized supplies solely through government agencies, displacing the role of the private sector."

"The results of all of these efforts—plus favorable rains and Malawi Government policies—have been stupendous," said Richard Chapweteka, director of RUMARK. "In 2006/07, the country generated an additional maize surplus of 1.4 million metric tons. It sold $160 million worth of maize and donated 10,000 metric tons of food aid to neighboring Lesotho and Swaziland."

In addition, the program showed that, with modest levels of support, grassroots agricultural entrepreneurship can thrive in rural Africa.

"It was important for me to get training in business management and the types of seeds and fertilizers to sell," said Dinnah Kapiza, who transformed her used clothing business into a full-line farming supply store in rural Malawi that now serves 600 small-scale farmers. "I also developed relationships with government extension agents because farmers want more than seeds or fertilizer. They want advice on the best crops to plant and the farming techniques that will produce a good harvest."

However, even in Malawi, much work remains to be done to expand farmers' access to supplies and to cash markets on a larger scale, and to improve access to finance and credit. To this end, the Agro-dealer Development Programs in all three countries will implement a variety of innovative financing tools.

Facilitating Financing and Market Connections

To increase the flow of credit to rural areas, and get farmers and agro-dealers start-up capital, the programs will support a range of innovative financing tools. These include "guarantee facilities" that share risks 50-50 with agricultural firms that supply farm inputs to the agro-dealers in rural areas. In Malawi, guarantee facilities have shown strong initial success. Over the last five years, since the program was first initiated with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, each dollar of credit guarantee has generated 16 dollars worth of farm supply sales in rural areas, with the loan default rate of certified agro-dealers at less than 1.5 percent.

"That's remarkable. Now, the government, donors and commercial banks should scale up lending to these agro-dealers at national scale," Adesina said.

The programs will also utilize matching grants for activities such as storage and sorting of products and small-scale food processing. Other efforts will link agro-dealers to supply companies, especially local seed companies that are distributing varieties responsive the needs of local farmers.

Programs in each country are linked to a wide number of partners, from trade associations to agricultural research organizations and financial institutions. The nonprofit Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs will coordinate the projects in the three countries.

"AGRA will work with governments to take things to scale. The remarkable growth in food production experienced in Malawi can be replicated elsewhere," Ngongi said. "Success will depend on consistent support that over a period of years allows farmers to generate streams of consistent surpluses. Only then will broad-based and deepened rural economic growth be self-perpetuating."

About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural "value chain"—from seeds, soil health, and water to markets and agricultural education.

AGRA's Board is chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. With initial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AGRA maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana. For more information, go to www.agra-alliance.org .

Steroid Fails to Ease Meningitis in Trials

But results from Asia, Africa may not apply to patients in the West, experts say
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News)-- Disappointing the hopes of researchers, new trials using a powerful steroid to treat deadly bacterial meningitis have shown little or no benefit from the drugs.

"It was a surprise," said Dr. Matthew Scarborough, a clinical lecturer in infectious diseases at the University of Malawi College of Medicine, and the lead author of one study. "Following publication of a European trial that showed benefits, our results showed none," he said.

The results of the two trials, which were conducted in Vietnam and in the south African nation of Malawi, are published in the Dec. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Despite the results, guidelines for the treatment of bacterial meningitis in the United States will almost certainly continue to recommend use of steroids, in part because of the positive results of the 2003 European trial, Scarborough said.

He noted that there were significant differences between the patients treated in that trial and the 465 participants in the Malawi trial.

"Ninety percent of the patients in Malawi had HIV co-infections," Scarborough said. "They also presented later in the disease. Also there was a high incidence of neurological complications. We don't know which of these factors explains the results."

Meningitis is an infection of the spinal fluid (meninges) that surrounds the spinal cord and brain. The illness can be caused by a virus (typically less severe) or, more rarely, by bacteria. Bacterial meningitis is considered much more dangerous, even lethal.

In the Malawi study, researchers gave participants suspected of having bacterial meningitis either the corticosteroid dexamethasone plus an antibiotic, ceftriaxone, or ceftriaxone alone.

Overall, there was no difference in the incidence of death, disability and severe complications between those who got the steroid and those who did not.

A trial of 435 patients with suspected bacterial meningitis patients treated in Vietnam showed similar results, with similar rates of death and disability at one and six months in groups that got steroids or did not. But a significantly lower rate of death and disability was found in patients where the suspected diagnosis of bacterial meningitis could be confirmed.

The Vietnam trial was led by Dr. Jeremy Farrar of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The studies suggest that different treatment approaches may be needed in different locales, Scarborough said.

"At the moment, I don't think there is any reason for a change of guidelines in Europe and America," Scarborough said. "In Europe and America, patients will still get steroids as adjuvant therapy. There is no evidence that in Africa or Asia, there is a benefit in children or adults. The guidelines will have to be separated."

"The results of the newly reported studies are not entirely unexpected," said Dr. Dean A. Blumberg, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, Davis.

"The field has not been entirely clear," Blumberg said. "We have been looking at different patient populations, of different ages, some with a large proportion of HIV-infected individuals. Some have different pathogens."

While the two trials were "exceptionally well done," the relatively small number of participants makes it more difficult to interpret the results, Blumberg said.

"Steroids might be allowing someone to live who might otherwise have died," he said. "I don't think this will affect guidelines here. In less developed areas, it may lead to a change in recommendations there."

More information

There's more on bacterial meningitis at the U.S. National Library of Medicine.