During the three-day meeting of ASARECA member-states, officials have called for new solutions and research in the agricultural sector.
Chairman of the Council of Patron Ministers (CPM), Uganda's Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze, urged for adaptive studies on agriculture to address problems that African countries are now facing in this area.
"The research should help farmers build resilient seed systems and solutions to diseases for both animals and crops. It should be adaptive and impactful. We want to see all member countries sharing innovations to build resilience for our ecosystems," the minister noted.
Tumwebaze also noted that greater output will change the game and that innovation would be necessary to double output.
Moreover, the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) was also tasked by the minister to carry out a consumable study that solves issues facing farmers. The natural touch should be used, he cautioned, nonetheless.
Enock Warinda, executive director of ASARECA, stated that the countries were considering measures that would facilitate the free flow of trade and agricultural products, local media report.
"We are looking at policies that will increase the free movement of goods and agricultural commodities from one country to another. The ministers also resolved to create a platform where farmers and scientists can share knowledge, ideas, and technologies," Warinda outlined.
Each of the three-day meetings included a general assembly segment during which agricultural ministers from the member nations focused on ASARECA's work. The ministers' agreement to lobby their respective governments for legislation that will support the groups' initiatives represented one of the meeting's major successes, reports say.
According to reports, ASARECA influences the lives of approximately 400 million in East and Central Africa, with its major objective to furnish nourishment to the population. Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda are some of the organization's newest members.