*Investing in Africa’s Capacity to Feed Itself – and to Help Feed the World*
*Jane Karuku, President***
*Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): *October 17, 2012:
Ambassador Quinn, distinguished panelists, ladies and gentlemen. I am
pleased to be here with you today discussing the best ways to invest in
food security for Africa and the wider world.
Let me start with a bit of good news: This week the UN’s Food and
Agriculture Organization announced that progress has been made in reducing
global hunger. Much of that progress can be attributed to improvements in
African agriculture. Globally, however, approximately 870 million people
still suffer from hunger and chronic malnutrition. So while we have made
important headway, we cannot afford to lose momentum.
To drive forward and feed future generations, we must take decisive action
in three core areas.
**· **First, we must build new, innovative public-private
partnerships. ****
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**· **Secondly, we must ensure international donors and African
policymakers keep and fund their commitments. ****
**· **And finally, we must listen to what farmers really want and
need. ****
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*Public-private partnerships* are critical to our shared success. AGRA
believes that in order to rapidly expand African agricultural yields and
improve global economic growth, we need to work creatively across sectors.
For example, AGRA has been working to establish small risk-sharing loans
with several commercial banks in order to leverage more affordable credit
for farmers and agribusinesses. Together with our financial partners, we
have made a total of $17 million US dollars available to three commercial
banks, which leveraged access to about $160 million US dollars in credit to
farmers and African businesspeople on the ground. Our efforts demonstrated
the effectiveness of this approach, which is now being taken up on a much
larger scale by several African governments. ****
The most successful partnerships are those in which everyone has put money
on the table and is tangibly invested in a shared outcome. Whether we are
working with private-sector agribusinesses, small farmers, governments, or
international NGOs, we know that in order to succeed, we must share skills
and resources to move African agriculture forward. The strongest alliances
begin and end on an equal footing.****
In addition to building equitable partnerships,* we must hold African
governments and international donors accountable to keep and fund their
commitments.* There is a Nigerian proverb that says, “Fine words do not
produce food.” Africa’s smallholder farmers deserve nothing less than
concrete action. For far too long we have seen leaders pledge without
paying. I am here today to call for the funds that have been committed in
Africa and abroad to reach the farmers who need it most.
When the funds reach our fields, we must ensure they are invested across
the full agricultural value chain – from better seeds and soils, to
improved markets, more affordable financing and smarter policies. We need
to ensure balanced growth to transform subsistence farming into a viable
commercial enterprise that will drive economic growth.
AGRA firmly believes that African farmers can lead the way to a stronger
global economy. If we keep our commitments today, Africa will make a
substantial contribution to global food security tomorrow.
*Most importantly, we must continue to listen to the voices of African
farmers. *We must deliver solutions that address the challenges and
opportunities they face every day in the fields and marketplace. ****
At AGRA, we know that farmers are battling climate change. Therefore the
action we take should be focused on long-term sustainability. AGRA and its
partners promote “climate smart” agriculture. Rebuilding soil health and
enabling Africa’s smallholders to grow more on less land will reduce the
pressure to clear and cultivate forests and savannahs, thus helping
conserve biodiversity and the environment. ****
Farmers also are looking to us for more options to grow Africa’s staple
crops. We need to provide more robust varieties that can better withstand
shifting weather patterns. But I don’t need to tell a room full of farmers
from Iowa about the importance of growing drought-tolerant crops! ****
Finally, farmers are looking to us to transform the* business* of
agriculture on the continent. We must improve access to financing so they
can take their operations to scale; we must apply global best practices to
dramatically increase yields; and we must demonstrate to our young people
that there is a strong financial future in farming.
In closing, I want to leave you with a fundamental truth: Africa’s farmers
are *not* needy victims. We have something to offer the world – a vast and
verdant supply of arable land. Like us, the rest of the world needs to
eat. In order to reduce global hunger and malnutrition, and to help ensure
a strong global economy, we need to form action-oriented partnerships, keep
and fund our commitments and maintain a focus on farmers that builds a more
food-secure future for all. ****
Thank you.
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