Optimising Policy Space in the Context of Increasing International Support for CAADP

The policy brief examines the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a pan-African framework designed to improve food security and environmental resilience. While international support has surged—including a $1 billion implementation fund and G8 commitments—the document highlights a critical gap in African leadership and policy capacity. It argues that without strengthening the expertise of those managing the policy process, Africa cannot fully optimise this support to achieve its target of 6% annual agricultural growth. The brief also notes that CAADP's inclusive structure provides a more legitimate and durable governance model for agricultural research and development (ARD) than previous programmes.

• The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) aims to drive agriculture-led development in Africa with specific targets of investing 10% of national budgets into agriculture and achieving a 6% growth in agricultural domestic product.
• CAADP is structured around four interrelated pillars: sustainable land management and water control (Pillar I), rural infrastructure and market access (Pillar II), food supply and hunger reduction (Pillar III), and agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption (Pillar IV).
• International support for CAADP has increased significantly, evidenced by a $50 million multilateral trust for compact agreements and a separate $1 billion fund for country-level investments supported by the US, Spain, and Canada.
• The G8 has committed to supporting CAADP's 6% annual productivity growth goal and aims to double the production of key food staples in qualifying African countries within five to ten years, focusing on smallholder agriculture.
• Despite increased funding, African agricultural productivity remains relatively low, and many governments lack the capacity to lead policy processes, implement research and development policies, or manage complex aid architectures.
• CAADP is considered more effective and durable than other agricultural research and development (ARD) programmes because it better reflects continental power structures and ensures buy-in from major political players.

APA

Jones, M., Tambi, E., & Odularu, G. (2010). Optimising Policy Space in the Context of Increasing International Support for CAADP. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-21.pdf

Chicago

Jones, Monty, Emmanuel Tambi, and Gbadebo Odularu. Optimising Policy Space in the Context of Increasing International Support for CAADP. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2010. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-21.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones |first1=Monty |last2=Tambi |first2=Emmanuel |last3=Odularu |first3=Gbadebo |title=Optimising Policy Space in the Context of Increasing International Support for CAADP |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=21 July 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-21.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2010optimising, author = {Jones, Monty and Tambi, Emmanuel and Odularu, Gbadebo}, title = {{Optimising Policy Space in the Context of Increasing International Support for CAADP}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-21.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }