Agricultural transformation is a real possibility in Africa if governments will put in place the right policies, infrastructure and input support for small farmers, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists before the opening of the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) talks, being held at a mountain resort some 30 km east of Arusha, Annan urged African leaders and the continent’s development partners to understand that agriculture offers many opportunities for African populations, especially the young, to lead promising lives comfortably.
“Our young people will not abandon their rural homes and rush into cities to live in slums if the agriculture sector is given the right back-up by the governments and the private sector to achieve what we call the green revolution,” said Annan, who chairs the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) .
As big consumers of what the rural people work hard to produce, he said “African cities should also give farmers some respect.”
Annan and Melinda Gates, co-founder and co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are co-chairing the AGRF 2012 which by late Wednesday had some 1,200 registered participants.
Annan and Melinda had a field visit early Wednesday which both described as amazing after seeing what small Tanzanian farmers were doing to cope with the effects of climate change, and drought in particular.
“The farmers are incredibly ingenious. They talk very openly about drought and what they are doing to cope with it so that they can feed their family,” remarked Gates, apparently impressed by the way they planted drought resistant varieties of maize and cassava crops.
“Women understand the nutritional content of what they grow on their farms. They are really taking the message to the heart,” she said, calling on all African governments to devote at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture and put the small farmer at the centre.
“It was really great to see that in practice today.''
Meanwhile, Annan has reiterated his call to Africa’s development partners and global finance institutions to honour their pledges and commitments to improve Africa’s agriculture.
“The record is there for all to see. We had many commitments from donors in the past and then they moved away from agriculture. Our governments in response moved their attention to other areas which were not productive.
“We now have new commitments from the G8 and other private partners. I would urge all to honour their commitments,''Annan emphasised.
Recent increases in world food and energy prices have made agricultural growth an imperative for achieving food security, and African governments and donors have committed to a revamped food security agenda.
At the same time, higher agricultural commodity and energy prices, in combination with Africa’s abundant resources, have turned African agriculture into a business opportunity for food, raw materials and biofuels.
As a global statesman, Annan cautioned African leaders to take a leaf from the recent uprisings in the Arab world, noting that food shortages, though not the only cause, have provoked riots and disturbances in many places around the world.
“If we can produce enough food, we may be able to move forward and avoid similar uprisings happening in Africa. But, in addition, African leaders have to understand and accept democratic rotation of leadership,” Annan added.
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