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Welcome to the Agricultural Consultative Forum website.
The ACF promotes in a non-partisan manner, evidence based private-public sector dialogue, consultation and participation in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of agricultural sector policies and programmes.
Vision: To see an inclusive, efficient, sustainable and prosperous agricultural sector and thereby contribute to national food security and income.

 

Click to read the following :

FANRPAN - Relief Seed Trade Study

  FANRPAN - Relief Seed Voucher Study
  Troika of Lead Donors in the Agricultural Sector
  Sustainable Aquaculture Development for Africa
  ACF Stakeholder Survey Report - Dec 06
  ACF Gender Audit & Monitoring Report - Feb 07
  Zambia's Cassava Value Chain
ACF News:

CAADP Stakeholder Meeting

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) provides an integrated framework of development priorities aimed at restoring agricultural growth, rural development and food security in the African region. Although CAADP is continental in scope, its key principles and targets are to be transformed strategies and investment programmes at country level in form of a Country CAADP Compact.

The country level process is done in two steps, the first is a stock-taking and investment options analysis, which form the background for the development of a Zambia Country Compact based on and complementary to the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) programmes. The second step is about building partnerships and alliances between key actors under the leadership of the Governments in so-called Country Round Tables (CRTs).

As part of this process the ACF in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) held a stakeholder meeting at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka on 27th March, 2008, to review the draft Zambia Country Compact. The objective of the meeting was to come up with broad based consensus on the development agenda for Zambia’s agricultural sector, collect stakeholder input and formulate resolutions that will support the joint implementation process in Zambia. The Farming Systems Association of Zambia was "Tracking the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme" on behalf of Concern Worldwide, which provides a critical review of the inclusion of marginal farmers in the Country CAADP Round Table process.

Research in Use

The ACF facilitated a stakeholder meeting on behalf of team from the Research in Use (RiU) on 6th May 2008. Southern Africa has been identified by RiU as one of the key regions which have the greatest potential for a large scale improvement in livelihoods for the poor through up-scaling of existing research outputs. At the meeting stakeholders in Zambia were introduced to the RiU programme approach and objectives. Subsequent workshops aimed at developing a country strategy for Zambia. This work is still on-going. 

ACF Advisory Note on World Food Prices

The ACF, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Central Statistical Office (CSO), and the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) held a stakeholder meeting on 19th June, 2008 on the "Impact of rising world food prices on the Zambian economy". The invited speakers pointed out the threats and challenges to the Zambian food markets but also elaborated on opportunities for higher incomes from agricultural production. Stakeholders agreed that it is only possible to realise these opportunities if full attention is given to agricultural development programmes. The ACF has subsequently submitted a Policy Advisory Note to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives that includes recommendations emanating from the discussion of this meeting.

The Zambia Food Security Monitor

The Zambia Food Security Monitor is compiled and published by the Agricultural Consultative Forum on behalf of the Food Security Task Force chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives / MACO, with financial support from the European Commission / MACO project “Support to Agriculture Diversification and Food Security in Western and North-Western Provinces”.

This is the first issue of the Zambia Food Security Monitor and obviously we are still trying to find our feed. The monitor may change its look and contents in future issues depending on data availability and responses from stakeholders to this issue. As an introduction we first present the concept that “The Zambian Food Security Monitor” follows and place it within the strategic framework for food security under the Fifth National Development Plan. We then move on to provide information on indicators from the Food Security Monitoring Matrix, which was endorsed by stakeholders as the official cross-sectoral monitoring instrument.

 

Notice:

The 12thAfrica Forum 2008, co-organized by the Sector Network Rural Development (SNRD) of GTZ and the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) of NEPAD, will take place in Addis Ababa from 29th September to 3rd October 2008.  The forum seeks to support the implementation of CAADP through information and experience exchange of success stories in agriculture and rural economy. Hence, the focus will be on agri-business development.

Up-coming Events at the ACF:

August:

  • The ACF is participating in the Agricultural and Commercial Show 2008.

September:

  • The ACF will hold its Annual General Meeting at the ACF offices in Kabulonga, Lusaka in September 2008.  (exact date will be announced at a later stage)

ACTIVITIES

Facilitation of stakeholder consultation, provision of policy advisory services, and stakeholder networking and information sharing. The Forum will also be involved in the monitoring of agricultural development programmes. . click to read more.
 

BACKGROUND

ACF comprises different stakeholder groups that lobby Government through an institutionalized consultation process, which will help forge constructive partnerships between public and private sector entities.
click to read more.
 

MEMBERSHIP

ACF membership has been improved to make it more concomitant with the sector's focus on commercialization. The membership has now been made more representative of the different stakeholder groups.
click to read more.
Click to read the recent policy documents:
Agricultural Market Development Plan (pdf format)
National Agricultural Policy 2004-2015 (pdf format)
National Irrigation Plan (pdf format)
Agricultural Input Marketing Plan - final draft version (pdf format)
FNDP Chapter 5 Agriculture
FNDP Chapter 6 Land
Useful web-site links:
Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust - GART
Zambia National Farmers Union - ZNFU
Famine Early Warning Systems Network - FEWSNet Zambia
Food Security Research Project - FSRP Zambia
Africa Forum on Rural Development  
Agriculture Support Programme - ASP
Export Board of Zambia
Food Agriculture Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network - FANRPAN
Zambia Online - The National Homepage of Zambia
Infobridge - Global Farmer Field School Zambia

Last Up-dated: July 29, 2008

 
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