Agriculture has always been a part of Africa’s
story, albeit a largely underutilized lever of economic growth. Time and
again, experts have asserted that Africa can feed the entire world if
it takes the right steps; and the most recent reminder in this regard
has come from Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania and Chair of the
African Union (AU) on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the
adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme
(CAADP).
“On the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive
Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), African Union declared
the year 2014 to be the Year of Agriculture and Food Security in
Africa. There is much to celebrate; agricultural production in Africa
has increased steadily over the last 30 years: its value has almost
tripled showing an increase that clearly exceeds the growth rate for
global agricultural production over the same period, almost identical to
that of South America and below but comparable to growth in Asia based
on NEPAD statistics,” President Aziz writes.
Agriculture can create jobs, end hunger and poverty
According to him, over 530 million Africans depend fully or
partially on agriculture for their livelihood and a successful
agriculture transformation agenda can end hunger, create jobs and
eradicate poverty. Beyond feeding itself, the continent can also become a
major food supplier for the rest of the world.
Aziz further provided figures to justify his argument. “First of
all, it is estimated that Africa has around 600 million [hectares] of
uncultivated arable land roughly 60 percent of the global total.
Secondly, agricultural statistics estimate that 80 percent of the
cultivated land in Africa is rain-fed and not irrigated. Thirdly,
according to recent data the productivity of agriculture in Africa is as
low as one third of productivity in other parts of the world,” he
further stated.
His thesis on improving agricultural output involved a three-step
process: developing uncultivated arable areas, relying more on
irrigation, and substantially enhancing agricultural productivity in a
sustainable way. With this done, Africa can make a big leap in fighting
hunger, unemployment and poverty. This is also key to unlocking the food
markets currently valued by the world bank at $313 billion and
projected to rise to more than $1 trillion by 2030.
Obstacles on Agriculture’s way
However, the continent continues to see structural impediments on
the achievement of these goals. The first of these is the well-known
huge infrastructure gap which has to be the starting point for
remediation. Other obstacles include the adverse effects of climate
change, the mismatch between education outputs and the economy needs,
the disconnect between the primary sector and the rest of economy, the
low coverage of extension services, and the weak value chain approach.
“Overcoming these constraints called for a new holistic approach
and a newly designed partnership among all the stakeholders. The Africa
2063 Vision and building on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme adequately address these challenges. Never before
has the agriculture vision for Africa been clearer, the objectives
smarter and the tools handy; we are really on the eve of an
unprecedented transformative shift in Africa’s agriculture, entailing
greater participation of women and youth.”
“The African Union Summit is a suitable occasion as African leaders
prepare to adopt the post 2015 agenda to pledge to work with developed
countries and emerging economies to reaffirm their commitment to
Africa’s agriculture agenda and to materialize their support by
fostering investments
in Africa, improving global agriculture policy and strengthening global
governance in agriculture, while sharing knowledge and developing
skills,” he concluded.
source: ventures-africa
in Africa, improving global agriculture policy and strengthening global
governance in agriculture, while sharing knowledge and developing
skills,” he concluded.source: ventures-africa