The future of agriculture in Africa (III)

[Mirror]

International Organisations, civil societies and donors must be close partners who will work with the farmers and other actors in the chain based on what is relevant, appropriate and uplifting. There should be no onesize- fits-all.

The old practice of dictating to any country what must be done and how, whether or not it is relevant or suitable must give way to genuine partnership and emphatic cooperation.

The Processor and manufacturers must work with farmers so that farmers can produce to the specifications, standards and requirement of the market.

Also, processors and manufacturers must encourage farmers not only to produce but to secure the right market prices for their produce. The distance between the farmer and the processor must be the shortest possible without interposing plethora of middlemen in between. The farmers must be challenged to being innovative and seeking new opportunities.

What applies to processors and manufacturers more or less applies to marketers and distributors. The farmers and the marketers must work in close collaboration and cooperation without exploitation. Where possible, commodity exchange should be established and made to work as in Ethiopia. The suppliers of equipment from land clearing and preparation equipment to input of improved high-yielding seeds, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides, etc, play a most significant role in the value chain.

They must ensure quality and specification and timely delivery of inputs. So must suppliers of inputs for non-crop aspects of the agribusiness like livestock. If the farmers are kings, then consumers must be their gods. And that is where we all come in. If you are not any of the other eight actors, you must be a consumer. You have a role to play in the food and nutrition production, security and value chain. You have to eat well to live well.

And it is in eating well-balanced and nutritional food that your health is maintained and that all the other actors get adequately compensated for the input, labour and sacrifice. It is that which makes the economy grow, creates employment, generates wealth and makes for progress, growth and development.

Food security is no doubt a daunting challenge facing the African continent and a major bottleneck to socio-economic development. A nation is food secured when food is available and accessible in sufficient quantity and quality for a productive livelihood for every individual.

A future for agriculture must entail and encompass a serious attitudinal change on the part of everyone, government, international community and farmers. Again, to get to the Promised Land, we must have a revolution – a revolution of thoughts, policies and actions. It cannot be business as usual.

Recent calls for the evolution of the average agricultural production into agribusiness in Africa and new and emerging activities such as "Feed Africa Project" and 'Grow Africa and Feed Africa' signal the beginning of the future for agriculture. Every one of us must belong to at least one of the groups of actors earlier mentioned.

We all, therefore, have our role to play and let none of us be found wanting in carrying out his or her responsibility to make Africa self-sufficient and indeed be a net-exporter of food in the shortest time possible. Let us be the change we want to see. I have set the year 2025 as the latest target date for Africa to reach the stage of self-sufficiency and net food exporter to the world.

Food insecurity is arguably Africa's greatest solvable problem. Let us all wake up to our responsibilities and duties to Africa. Enough of theories and talk. Let us now go for action. Let us walk and work our talk.

CONCLUDED

National Mirror