ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, January 29, 2014/ — The ONE Campaign (
http://www.one.org) 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.
140128.jpg”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.