Editor: At the recent World Food Prize Symposium in the U.S., I shared an important truth: Africa’s farmers are not needy victims. They have something to offer the world – a vast and verdant supply of arable land. Like us, the rest of the world needs to eat. To ensure long-term food security, we need to invest in new public-private (PPP) partnerships in Nigeria and across the continent.
We know the most successful partnerships are those in which everyone has made a tangible investment in the outcome. As conversations on how to feed the future gather momentum – at the recent meeting in the U.S., the African Green Revolution Forum in Tanzania and the Camp David G8 Summit – it has become clear we need to focus on combining government resources with private sector expertise to rapidly expand African agricultural yields and improve global economic growth.
We have seen the power of this model. For example, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has been working to establish small risk-sharing loans with several commercial banks in order to leverage more affordable credit for farmers and agro-businesses. Together with our financial partners, we have made a total of $17 million available to three commercial banks, which leveraged access to about $160 million in credit to farmers and African business people on the ground. Our efforts demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, which is now being taken up on a much larger scale by several African governments.
In addition to building equitable partnerships, we must hold African governments and international donors accountable to keep and fund their commitments. For far too long, we have seen leaders pledge without paying. AGRA is calling on leaders in Nigeria to make the important pledge set forth in the Maputo Declaration nearly 10 years ago to invest 10 per cent of its national budget in agriculture. We must also continue to listen to the voices of farmers and deliver solutions that address the challenges and opportunities they face every day in the fields and marketplace.
One of the challenges confronting smallholder farmers is climate change. AGRA and its partners are promoting “climate smart” agriculture. Rebuilding soil health and enabling Africa’s smallholders to grow more on less land will reduce the pressure to clear and cultivate forests and savannahs, thus helping conserve biodiversity and the environment.
To transform the business of agriculture on the continent, there is need to improve access to financing so they can take their operations to scale. Global best practices must be applied to dramatically increase yields while demonstrating to our young people that there is a strong financial future in farming.
Reducing global hunger and malnutrition and ensuring a strong global economy will require the formation of action-oriented partnerships, keep and fund our commitments and maintain a focus on farmers. A more food-secure future for all is desirable.
Jane Karuku is the president, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
