AGRA, NEPAD in historic partnership…to increase food production
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) have announced a groundbreaking partnership that will link African governments' commitment to agricultural development with concrete programs in seeds, soil health, policy, and markets.
“This partnership will enable African countries to close the gap between intention and action on behalf of smallholder farmers,” said Mr. Kofi A Annan, Chairman of AGRA and former Secretary-General of the United Nations. “NEPAD has mobilized public support among African governments to prioritize and invest in agriculture. AGRA develops and disseminates the technologies farmers need; bolsters policy reform; builds markets and involves the private sector. Our combined efforts will be a strong force for change across Africa.”
Based on the Memorandum of Understanding, the two organizations will join forces to work directly with national governments and partners across the agricultural value chain in a comprehensive effort to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers growing Africa's staple food crops. They will focus particularly on plans to develop high potential breadbasket areas of African countries.
“An African strategy that increases the productivity of smallholder farmers is crucial to reaching our goal of 6 percent annual agricultural growth,” said Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD, who signed the Memorandum with AGRA.
NEPAD works closely with African governments to implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), a framework to accelerate economic growth and boost food security through greater investments in agriculture. Endorsed by African leaders, CAADP calls on African governments to allocate 10 percent of their national budgets to agriculture, in order to achieve 6 percent annual agricultural growth.
AGRA is a partnership-based organization whose integrated programs in seeds, soil health, market access and policy work to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers and transform African agriculture into a highly productive, efficient, and sustainable system.
“African leaders have unified behind the CAADP vision and have taken bold steps to put agriculture at the center of the development agenda,” said Dr Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA. “This vision has galvanized partners around the world to support agriculture. Our partnership will accelerate CAADP's implementation at the country level.”
The new partners will work together through CAADP's national Roundtable processes, which will direct investments toward implementing policies and programs that strengthen smallholder farmers' access better soil management techniques and improved seeds and fertilizers, increase their access to markets, and build the capacity of African institutions to advance agricultural research and to develop home-grown, evidence-based agricultural policies.