The CAADP and Emerging Economies: The Case of Tanzania

Increasing investments into the Tanzanian agricultural sector brings new much needed resources. Yet, it is unclear if Tanzania has sufficiently coherent policy framework to turn resources to agricultural development. One major factor is the establishment of the pan-African Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). Tanzania signed their CAADP Compact in July 2010, and subsequently finalized the Investment Plan “Tanzania Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plan” (TAFSIP) in November 2011. Key Messages It is important to highlight the obvious, namely that emerging economies are not a homogeneous group but rather a set of countries with very different experiences, approaches and strategies. Most of emerging economies’ agricultural development projects are provided on an ad hoc basis and tend to be smaller in scale and timeframe compared to that of traditional donors. These support projects and programs are often targeted towards capacity and vocational training and technological transfers, while the direct financial support tends to be more limited. The perception of emerging economies’ agricultural programs in Tanzania, and of its capacity to develop and implement efficient agricultural development strategies, also diverges among different actors. While Tanzanian officials often expressed that they see traditional development partners as increasingly pessimistic in their cooperation with Tanzania, emerging economies are perceived to be more forward looking. Most interviewed stakeholders welcome further investments in land, both national and international, and see it as a necessity for enhanced overall agricultural development. Background This country case study forms part of a wider study conducted by the European Centre for Development Management (ECDPM), which looks at the increased presence of emerging economies in the African agricultural sector and how their activities relate to the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Programme (CAADP). Together with literature reviews, field trips and interviews were undertaken in Tanzania, Ghana and Ethiopia, aiming to understand how stakeholders perceive the emerging public and private partners and their agricultural activities. The Tanzanian case study is a joint research project between ECDPM and the Department of Forest Economics at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro, Tanzania. Conclusion One of the key features of the CAADP approach is that should provide a single platform for partners to identify, align and coordinate their activities within a clear agricultural policy framework with strong national ownership. Currently there appears to be too many competing agricultural strategies that all involves partner support. This risk not only to decreases the domestic agricultural policy coherence but it can also potentially reduce the traction of CAADP. As a first step it is necessary to better take into account the differences amongst emerging economies, in terms for example of the factors driving investment. Secondly, while it is important to recognize the differences between the approaches of traditional donors and those of emerging economies, it is also vital to highlight similarities and areas of shared interest. Thirdly, as EE’s in general tend to cooperate bilaterally and engage in ad hoc technical projects rather than long-term strategic dialogues, it might be more feasible to take a country-by-country and project-by-project approach. Fourth, there is a need to further question how CAADP can be made more attractive for emerging economies. Fifth, establishing informal multi-stakeholder discussion platforms, aimed towards mutually beneficial partnerships and improved understanding of each other’s objectives, modalities and practices is an imperative step forward. Finally, with regard to the private sector, a more inclusive approach to private investment might be achieved by improving government-business dialogues.