Regional agricultural information network set up in Nairobi

A new initiative to strengthen food security and enhance economic growth in East Africa through a sustainable, long term partnership between governments, traders, producer associations, development and aid agencies has been set up in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Supported the United States Agency for International Development and the Famine Early Warning System, the Regional Agricultural Trade Enhancement Support and FOODNET projects, the information network aims to gather, analyse and increase access to information about key food commodities such as maize and beans in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Entitled the "Regional Agricultural Trade Intelligence Network" (RATIN), the network also convenes monthly "crop and trade" meetings where stakeholders in marketing staple foods within the region share experiences. "Existing public sector services suffer considerable limitations in data accuracy, analysis and timeliness of dissemination. There is little integration of national datasets into regional systems and there have been no serious attempts to integrate market information and intelligence with food aid procurement, financial planning and strategic food reserves," RATIN said in a statement. Information from RATIN is available on their website: www.ratin.net