Concrete Actions to Accelerate Africa’s Green Revolution
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Accra, Ghana, 7 September 2010 – Consensus by African leaders attending the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) on a plan of action to transform agriculture has moved the continent one step closer to achieving food and nutrition security. On the eve of the MDG 10 year review, public and private sector institutions, development organizations, the donor community and farmers agreed Africa’s Green Revolution is fundamental to eradicating hunger and poverty and generating economic development.
“Today we move forward, strongly united and passionately committed to the concrete actions that we have jointly developed,” said Mr. Kofi Annan chair of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). “I am thrilled to see that a genuine movement has emerged. It is a collective, all-inclusive movement.”
For many, the Forum has kick-started a new phase for the continent:
“We have brought together in Accra great minds and strong spirits who, even as they depart in different directions, will stay bound by the common purpose and firm outcomes we have agreed on,” said Akin Adesina, Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, AGRA.
Key to AGRA’s work is the agreement to pool efforts and resources to scale-up breadbasket project plans and investment blueprints for agricultural growth corridors.
In a communiqué issued to delegates, the moderators of breakout panel sessions published a series of concrete outcomes, including:
· Empowerment of women throughout the agricultural value chain by accelerating access to improved technology, finance and markets
· Support for an Impact Investment Fund for African Agriculture to scale up access to finance by farmers and agribusinesses
· Increased investment for science, technology and research for food nutrition security
· Accelerated access to improved seed by promoting the entire value chain, including support for plant breeding, seed companies and seed distribution systems
· Improved fertilizer supply systems and more efficient fertilizer value chains
· More inclusive business models linking agri-business, commercial farms and smallholder farmers
· The need for better management of Africa’s water and natural resources
· Acknowledgement that mixed crop livestock systems are the backbone for Africa’s agriculture
To ensure progress is made on the firm commitments, the AGRF issued to delegates a detailed plan of action. Government and development groups including the African Union and AGRA will conduct peer review assessments to ensure various science and technology inventions and innovations are implemented as soon as possible.
“I am delighted to see that we have agreed on monitoring mechanisms on the actions proposed,” said Jorgen Ole Haslestad, CEO of Yara, strategic partner of the AGRF.
Agri-business companies, Yara and Syngenta said at the AGRF they are working towards a new land use initiative to create a fact-based dialogue and to better understand the interaction of agriculture and climate change.
The road ahead
“We pledge ourselves to work with all other key partners to ensure that capacity is not a limiting factor in the green revolution,” said Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA.
Mr. Annan urged governments and parliamentarians to help eradicate poverty and realize the dream of a green revolution.
“The time for action is now. For as you leave this forum, you are carrying upon your shoulders the vibrant hopes of a generation and a continent. We will not dash the dream of the African farmer,” said Mr. Annan.
“With our hands on the plough, we will till this beautiful land’s soil together, and help Africa reap a bountiful harvest.
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About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programmes develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education.
AGRA's Board of Directors is chaired by Kofi A Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr Namanga Ngongi, former Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, is AGRA's president. With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK's Department for International Development and other donors, AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana.