Posted on April, 16, 2024 at 09:23 am
Scrutinising Africa’s food security, Dr Babagana Ahmadu, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) representative in South Africa, shared a grim look at the state of agriculture on the continent at the of the Young Farmers Indaba held at Lavender Kontrei Market in Pretoria North.
Ahmadu highlighted the multifaceted role of livestock agriculture as a source of food, income, employment, and livelihood for many people across Africa.
However, despite its significance, Ahmadu expressed concerns over the worsening food security in Africa. He said global reports consistently depict a bleak picture, with African countries lagging behind in terms of ensuring full access to food for their citizens. According to him, this disparity is particularly stark when compared to the progress witnessed in other regions of the world.
“In our case, except for very few countries, our situation is deteriorating. I feel I can do something to create awareness especially with our governments and try and see what it is that we can do to save ourselves from yearly embarrassment, because every year we are painted black in every report.
“There is not a single country on our continent that has achieved the millennial development growth in full. Now we have sustainable development goals and almost halfway through the calendar, we are nowhere near to achieving any of those standards.
“This to me is a very big shame and we need to put our house in order. This is the reason why I was motivated to go into it,” he said.
Ahmadu lamented the annual decline in Africa’s rank in food security indices, attributing it to a lack of concerted efforts and commitment from governments across the continent.
Reflecting on his tenure as the first director of agriculture at the African Union, Ahmadu acknowledged past efforts to foster cooperation among African nations in advancing agricultural initiatives. However, he regretfully noted that many of these plans had yet to materialise, describing it as a “very sad story”.
In light of these challenges, Ahmadu advocated for a strategic reassessment of Africa’s agricultural sector. He highlighted the pressing need to address issues such as desertification and land degradation, particularly in West Africa, as well as the imperative to enhance the capacity of small-scale farmers to access broader markets beyond the continent.
“We also went into strengthening the capacity of our farmers to produce goods that are marketable in Africa because usually our produce does not go beyond our borders and we don’t get access to European markets and others. We have come up with a programme to train our farmers, especially small-scale farmers to produce goods that could go beyond the African continent.”
A key aspect of Ahmadu’s proposed strategy involves empowering national institutions to train farmers and develop marketable agricultural products. Additionally, he emphasised the importance of increased domestic investment in agriculture, urging African governments to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to agricultural development.
While acknowledging the role of external support, Ahmadu cautioned against over-reliance on foreign aid, advocating instead for greater self-reliance and financial commitment from African nations.
He expressed disappointment that only a handful of countries had fulfilled their commitment to allocate sufficient resources to agriculture development, urging others to follow suit.
“Outside support is fine but only to a limited extent, not to depend entirely on outsiders to fund,” he expressed.
Ahmadu called for a renewed focus on agriculture as a catalyst for sustainable development in Africa. He emphasised the need for collective action, political will, and domestic investment to unlock the sector’s full potential and address the pressing challenges facing the continent.
“We then agreed with member countries in Africa to allocate at least 10% of their national budget to agriculture development because of its importance.
“When we agreed with these countries, it was about 15 years ago and today I am sorry that not more than five countries in the entire African continent have lived up to that commitment,” he said.
Source: Food for Mzansi