Small farms make up 80 per cent of all farms in sub-Saharan Africa. And
contrary to conventional wisdom, small farms are often more productive
than large farms. Illustration/John Nyagah
By Kanayo F. Nwanze
In Summary
- The majority of our people are engaged in agriculture, and the neglect of that sector must stop if we really want to realise the healthy, peaceful and food secure Africa that we know can be. It is not a dream; it is a responsibility.
Judging from the daily outpouring of commentary, opinions and reports, you would think that there were two African continents.
One of them is the new land of opportunity, with
seven of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies, offering limitless
possibilities to investors. There is, however, this other image: A
starving and hopeless continent, hungry and poor, corrupt and prey to
foreign exploiters.
As Africans, we are tired of caricatures. But we
are also tired of waiting. Waiting to be led toward the one Africa we
all want, the Africa that can and should be.
We know the real Africa, filled with
possibilities, dignity and opportunities, able to face its challenges
and solve them from within. Never has the time been more right for us to
finally realise our full potential. It is within our grasp.
As a scientist, I am always interested in facts.
Africa is a land rich in resources that has of late enjoyed some of the
highest economic growth rates on the planet. It is home to 200 million
people between the ages of 15 and 24. And it has seen foreign direct
investment triple over the past decade.
As the head of an institution whose business is
investing in rural people, I know that you also need vision and
imagination. At the International Fund for Agricultural Development, we
have banked on the poorest, most marginalised people in the world, and
over and over again these investments have paid off. For people, for
communities, for societies. And more than half of the people we invest
in are Africans.
More than 10 years have passed since the Maputo
Declaration, in which you, as African leaders, committed to allocating
at least 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture and rural
development – key sectors in the drive to cut poverty, build inclusive
growth and strengthen food security and nutrition.
Today, just seven countries have fulfilled the
Maputo commitment consistently, while some others have made steps in the
right direction. Ten years is a long time to wait. In less time, I have
seen projects turn desert into farmland.
In just a few days in Malabo at the 23rd African
Union Summit, I will join those of you, African leaders, who will gather
to discuss this year’s focus of agriculture and food security.
This is my call: Don’t just promise development,
deliver it, make it happen now. Make real, concrete progress toward
investment that reaches all Africans. Investments that prioritise rural
people.
Our biggest resource is our people. To squander
this is worse than wasteful. If we don’t act now, by 2030 Africa will
account for 80 per cent of the world’s poor. Is this the legacy that we
want to leave for future generations?
The AU declared 2014 as the Year of Agriculture
and Food Security. And this is the year we look beyond the deadline of
the Millennium Development Goals to a post-2015 world with new goals and
targets to reach. I hope that this means that we will be dedicating
ourselves fully to making agriculture a priority.
GDP growth due to agriculture has been estimated
to be five times more effective in reducing poverty than growth in any
other sector, and in sub-Saharan Africa, up to 11 times.
Ironically, it is countries that lack lucrative
extractive industries and that have had to invest in agriculture who
have found out what is now an open secret: Agriculture not only improves
food security but creates wealth.
Small family farmers in some parts of our
continent contribute as much as 80 per cent of food production.
Investing in poor rural people is both good economics and good ethics.
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