Thoughts
At the turn of the century, the food and nutrition security status was worse in Africa than in other developing regions despite the Continent's relative wealth in natural resources. There were over 67 million more undernourished Africans at the end of the 20th century than there were 20 years earlier . Average annual agriculture productivity per worker in Africa declined with value added per worker average at just US$365 in the 1990s (constant 1995 US$), 12 percent lower than in 1980s, when value added per worker stood at US$424. Average annual incomes per person had also stagnated during the 1990s at just US$540, compared with US$629 in 1980 (constant 1995 US$). Most of the countries that have grown rapidly during the past 50 years have also experienced strong increases in agricultural productivity per worker. This facilitated the alleviation of poverty by generating the surpluses used for investment in both agricultural and non-agricultural activities.
Africa is faced with many and diverse constraints to improve its economy. Technologies are not sufficiently used by farmers and pastoralists, poor governance, imposition of counter productive policies, insufficient investment in market infrastructure and deficiencies in human capacity, diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS and, declining standards of education. But I believe that with concerted efforts we could face these challenges. Similar problems were shared by other continents that have succeeded where Africa has failed in alleviating poverty and improving food security. I believe that Africans have the first responsibility for their own development but the misery endured by the world's poorest people who live in Africa can not just be an African problem. It affects the conscience of humanity as a whole, it threatens the global environment and it impedes world trade and development everywhere. There are technical options that smallholders and pastoralists should be made aware of and given support in adapting and adopting. There are also exciting emerging scientific possibilities for productivity enhancing technical breakthroughs. Agricultural research for development has a crucial role to facilitate the required changes and catalyze agricultural innovation. But technical innovation in African agriculture must be accompanied by institutional change so that the context is right for innovation. All stakeholders, which includes farmers, extension workers, in-put suppliers, trader, processors and policy makers, etc., must be involved in conceiving, developing and validating innovations. The enormity of the challenge facing African agricultural development demands that the contributions of all stakeholders, African and non-African be harmonised so that they can work in unison and add value to each others efforts. Under this context I think even a small contribution by citizens of the developed could go a long way. The forum for agricultural research in Africa (FARA) is offering its structures within which all philanthropists can contribute most effectively to the collective effort to improve the livelihoods of the poorest people on earth. |
