New
campaign aims to help lift more than 85 million Africans out of poverty
through targeted investment in agriculture and “enhanced CAADP”
policies
The ONE Campaign today released a new report and launched Do Agric, It Pays, a campaign
calling for African governments to commit to spending at least 10% of
national budgets on effective agriculture investments, through
transparent and accountable budgets.
At the heart of the Do Agric
campaign is an effort to push political leaders to adopt better policies
that will boost productivity, increase incomes and help lift millions
of Africans out of extreme poverty.
Nigerian
singer-songwriter D’banj was on hand for the Do Agric, It Pays kick-off
event in Addis Ababa today. Civil society partners at the launch
included the Pan African Farmers Association (PAFO), ActionAid
International, Acord International, Oxfam, East and Southern African
Farmers Forum , ROPPA, Southern African Confederation of Agriculture
Unions, the Africa Union Commission, Becho Welisho and the Alliance for
Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Campaign champions include Tanzanian
President Jakaya Kikwete, Beninois President Dr. Thomas Yayi Boni and
Côte d’Ivoire footballer Yaya Touré, with Touré starring in a new ONE
PSA, which debuted today on http://www.one.org/doagric.
The
launch of Do Agric in Addis Ababa coincides with the 2014 January
African Union (AU) summit, where heads of state have gathered to discuss
key development challenges across the continent. The AU has declared
2014 the Year of Agriculture in Africa.
“Now
is the time to get our leaders to commit to a big push toward
implementing effective agricultural policies, scale up public investment
in agriculture and catalyze private sector participation in agriculture
development,” says ONE Africa Director Dr. Sipho Moyo. “Of the more
than 400 million Africans living in extreme poverty, 70% live in rural
areas that depend on agriculture. Remarkably, the multiplier effect of
agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to be 11 times
greater in reducing poverty than in other non-agriculture sectors, such
as utilities and mining.(1)”
D’banj
said, “There are massive untapped business opportunities in agriculture
that could create jobs for millions of Africans on and off the farm. I
want Africans to know that farming is not only the foundation of the
economy, but also that farming is cool. I believe that, if the needed
attention is given to agriculture, we Africans will not only feed
ourselves, but also the rest of the world.”
“While
other African leaders have made statements of good will, currently only
eight countries have kept their promise to invest 10% of their national
budgets in agriculture. It is therefore essential to do more, to go
further. Agriculture is not only important, it is also vital.
Agriculture pays,” said Yaya Touré.
A
new ONE report, called Ripe for Change: The Promise of Africa’s
Agricutural Transformation, calls on African governments to implement an
“enhanced CAADP” package of policies to accelerate economic development
in Africa through an African-led agricultural transformation agenda
steered by the AU’s own CAADP (Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme). The package of policy recommendations, which was
developed after a lengthy consultation process with African farmers and
farmers associations from all over the continent, includes:
1)
Make time-bound commitments to meet the Maputo pledge of spending at
least 10% of national budgets on effective agriculture investments,
through transparent and accountable budgets.
2) Eliminate the gender gap in agriculture.
3) Strengthen land governance and security of tenure rights.
4) Reduce barriers to intra-regional trade.
5) Increase R&D investment to at least 1% of agricultural GDP and bolster extension services.
6) Integrate sustainability and climate resilience into national agriculture plans.
7) Prioritise the reduction of post-harvest loss in national agriculture plans.
8) Design nutrition goals into agriculture sector strategies.
9) Foster an enabling environment for smallholder integration and responsible private sector investment.
10) Accelerate implementation of agriculture plans and ensure results for smallholder farmers.
The
report also highlights recent success stories resulting from increased
agriculture investment and enhanced CAADP-style policy reforms, such as
those in Ghana, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. In Ghana, agriculture is the
biggest driver of poverty reduction, with initiatives such as credit
reform, targeted subsidies for farmers, and new infrastructure
supporting private sector investment, particularly in the cocoa sector.
Perhaps no country illustrates the opportunities that agricultural
investment can unlock better than Ethiopia.
Three decades after
experiencing a devastating famine that captured the world’s attention,
the country has boosted cereal production and emerged as a leader in
agricultural innovation, with an agriculture growth rate of 7% on
average since 2003. In Burkina Faso, the government spends 10% of its
budget on agriculture, resulting in growth rates of more than 6% per
year in the sector. Following reforms, cotton production has tripled,
leading to export earnings of $165 million and household income growing
by between 19% and 43%.
Dr.
Moyo added, “The good news is there are real success stories across the
continent to build upon. These African-led successes must now be
scaled, adopted and adapted across the region so that small farms can
become small firms, young people can find good jobs and African
economies can thrive.
This virtuous cycle of agriculture-led
industrialization will bring stability and prosperity across Africa.
This is the future for African agriculture we can create together, if we
seize the great opportunity of 2014.”
Citizens can learn more and sign a petition in support of agriculture investment and the enhanced CAADP reforms at http://www.one.org/doagric.
(1) FAO 2012
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of ONE.
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