The East African Community (EAC) has officially launched a new three-year project aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and sustainability across the region. The Sustainable Regional Agricultural Extension (ENSURE) Project, with a total budget of USD 12.5 million, is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and is designed to improve agricultural extension services in the region.
The ENSURE project aims to strengthen the long-term sustainability of agriculture in East Africa by enhancing access to comprehensive extension services. It will also help improve the capacity of partner states to deliver responsive and adaptive services, in line with Article 105 (2d) of the EAC treaty.
The project will focus on creating an enabling environment for regional harmonized extension and inputs policies, deploying a regional, pluralistic extension approach that involves public, private, and NGO sectors, and establishing a regional capacity-building program to address trans-boundary pests and diseases, particularly the fall armyworm and desert locusts.
The initiative is expected to benefit over 5 million people, both directly and indirectly, with at least 50% of beneficiaries being women. Additionally, the project is expected to create at least 1 million jobs, 50% of which will be targeted toward women, through bundled extension packages and existing pluralistic approaches in the region.
At the launch event Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political Sectors, highlighted the significance of the project at a critical time. “The project begins at a pivotal moment as we strive to transform our agricultural sector through various initiatives, including the Agricultural Inputs System Development Programme and the EAC Regional Agriculture Investment Plan,” said Ariik.
Ariik also stressed the importance of a regional approach to agricultural extension, which aims to enhance the role of extension services in supporting farmers, facilitating access to valuable information, and promoting climate-smart technologies to increase the resilience of farming communities.
“I ask everyone to concentrate on how our efforts will contribute to the project’s broader goals, while also emphasizing value for money. Our citizens are the true stakeholders in this process, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the outcomes of this project lead to meaningful improvements in the agricultural sector of the Partner States,” Ariik added.
The Deputy Secretary General further emphasized the critical role agriculture plays in the region’s economy, noting that the sector remains the backbone of EAC economies and provides employment to over 60% of the population.
The ENSURE project is a significant step toward improving agricultural productivity and addressing challenges like pests and diseases in the region, with the ultimate goal of fostering long-term sustainability for East Africa’s farming communities.
