The world will not produce enough food to feed humans by 2030, but increasing Africa’s food production can help.
This is according to Dr Ibrahim Assana Mayaki, former prime minister of Niger and current chief executive of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).
He spoke at a recent seminar of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), hosted in Pretoria by Nepad, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, and our Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).
The CAADP was established as part of Nepad and endorsed by the African Union Assembly in July 2003. Through this programme, African governments are committed to raising agricultural production by at least 6% annually. This is a minimum required growth rate for Africa to achieve agriculture-led socio-economic growth.
According to Dr Mayaki, the CAADP aims to make agriculture a substantial contributor to the economic development of Africa. “Agriculture is the best way to reduce poverty and create employment in the continent,” he said. Dr Mayaki called for the involvement of the South African government and for smallholder and commercial farmers to help implement the programme.
He said South Africa already has agricultural models in place that the CAADP would like to use, such as the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP). “Our partnership with the DAFF involves finding ways on how best to roll out the processes and implement the CAADP strategies,” said Dr Mayaki. “When we are developing Africa’s agriculture, we are also feeding the world.”
Sipho Ntombela, acting director-general at DAFF, said it is critical for the government and farmers to help make sure that the CAADP’s goals are met. “We know that in SA the dominant players in agriculture are commercial farmers, therefore we have invited them to be part of the implementation of the CAADP,” Mtombela said.
“In South Africa the new growth path places agriculture at the centre of development in the long term,” he added. The department is also leading the Zero Hunger programme, which aims to ensure the CAADP meets its goals. – Peter Mashala
