Rome, Italy
June 4, 2008
An unprecedented partnership among
key players in agricultural development aims to significantly
boost food production in Africa’s “breadbasket regions,” link
local food production to food needs, and work across Africa’s
major agricultural growing areas—or agro-ecological zones—to
create opportunities for smallholder farmers. Today’s agreement
marks a significant transformation in the way major global
agencies work with smallholder farmers to assist them in solving
Africa’s chronic hunger and food problems.
The “Memorandum of Understanding” was signed today by
the Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA),
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP) at the FAO High-Level
Conference on World Food Security.
Multiple challenges
Among the challenges facing accelerated food production in
Africa are poorly developed markets, lack of investment, and
poor infrastructure in rural areas. Despite this, there exist
opportunities that can be tapped to help end chronic hunger and
food problems. This new partnership aims to make a difference
now by optimizing food production in areas with relatively good
rainfall, soils, infrastructure, and markets—or “breadbasket
areas.”
The new partnership announced today will work closely with other
stakeholders in these breadbasket areas to rapidly improve food
production, food security and rural incomes. Careful
environmental monitoring, and conserving biodiversity, water and
land will be given high priority. The agreement also calls for
coordinating and sharing agricultural development innovations
across diverse ecological zones and associated crops. At the
country level, the partnership will support the efforts of
governments and work with farmers and other stakeholders to
rapidly boost agricultural productivity and farm incomes. Each
agency will deliver unique expertise towards achieving an
environmentally and economically sustainable green revolution
that will end the continent’s perennial food crisis.
“This collaborative initiative is part of AGRA’s strategic
vision to build partnerships that pool the strengths and
resources of the public and private sectors, civil society,
farmers organizations, donors, scientists and entrepreneurs
across the agricultural value chain,” said Mr. Kofi A. Annan,
Chairman of the Board of AGRA. “We must implement immediate
solutions for today’s crisis and do so in the context of a
long-term concerted effort to transform smallholder agriculture,
to increase productivity and sustainability, and to end poverty
and hunger.
Per capita food production has declined in Africa for the past
30 years and farm productivity in Africa is just one-quarter the
global average. Today, more than 200 million people are
chronically hungry in the region, and 33 million children under
age five are malnourished. To turn things around, there is need
for urgent focus on raising agricultural productivity. More
investment is needed to improve soil and water management of
rainfed and irrigation agriculture, more adaptable new crop
varieties, improved access to seeds and fertilizers,
environmentally sustainable integrated pest management
practices, reduction in post-harvest losses, and improvement of
rural infrastructure, especially roads and communication
infrastructure. These will need to be bolstered by bold pro-poor
policies to help transform smallholder agriculture.
Unlocking Africa’s potential
FAO Director-General Mr. Jacques Diouf said, "Unlocking the
potential of agriculture in Africa is a huge challenge, but it
can be done. This initiative is an important contribution to
reduce the number of more than 200 million hungry people in
sub-Saharan Africa by boosting food production and productivity,
and improving the livelihoods of millions of people in rural
areas. FAO will actively participate in this important
initiative by assisting in stimulating local food production,
providing technical input, and developing new agricultural
investments.”
AGRA will develop and promote higher yielding, locally adapted
seeds, soil fertility options, water management systems, and
market development to aid smallholder farmers and pro-poor
policies that will catalyze farm productivity growth in the
breadbasket zones. “We hope to spur a green revolution in Africa
which respects biodiversity and the continent’s distinct regions
and great variety of crops—from millet and sorghum in the Sahel,
to the root and tuber belts that cut across humid West Africa,
to maize in the high and lowland areas of Eastern and Southern
Africa,” said Mr. Kofi A. Annan, Chairman of the Board of AGRA.
IFAD President Mr. Lennart Båge said, “Smallholder producers
constitute the largest group of economic actors but are often
the poorest segment of the population in sub-Saharan Africa.
IFAD, by working in collaboration with AGRA and the Rome-based
UN agencies, will help lift the rural poor from poverty by
expanding their production capacity, strengthening their
institutions and voice, and improving their access to critical
markets.”
As a major buyer of food in Africa and the developing world, WFP
will use its purchasing power to contribute to a green
revolution in Africa and to market development—a powerful
incentive for agricultural production. This agreement assures
farmers a market, without which many well-meaning efforts to
increase farm production have failed. Last year, WFP purchased a
record amount of food—US$612 million in 69 developing
countries—of which US$253 million was in Africa, most notably in
Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Zambia and Malawi. From 2001-2007, WFP
purchased more than US$1.2 billion of food on domestic markets
in Africa. This new partnership could result in millions more
being spent in potential breadbasket areas where surpluses
exist.
"WFP is delighted to work with AGRA, a critical player who will
help stimulate agriculture production," said Josette Sheeran,
WFP's Executive Director. "Together with FAO and IFAD, we can
bring major improvements to the lives of small-scale producers
and food- insecure farmers all across Africa, and help reduce
hunger and vulnerability."
Today’s new partnership will help to advance the goal of the
Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP)
of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) towards
achieving at least 6 percent annual growth rate in agricultural
production by 2015.
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