Forum sets tone on how Africa can feed Africa

Efforts by Africans to feed themselves and escape the food importation trap and put the continent on the path to economic growth must give attention to soil fertility, according to the Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga.

He has been addressing participants at the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week organized by the Forum of Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) in Accra.

Dr. Sanginga highlighted the impact of agricultural research over the years and concluded that Africa must adopt scientific innovations and pay attention to natural resource management to drive the agricultural development agenda.

“The issue of soil fertility must be addressed if Africa wants to feed itself,” he said.

The IITA boss expressed optimism for Africa’s agricultural transformation, highlighting the increasing attention being paid to agriculture by governments on the continent.

However, he reiterated that efforts need to focus on restoring soil fertility, creating an enabling environment for market policies, and developing more resilient and productive farm systems.

He warned against policies that limit African researchers from taking advantage of modern technologies, stressing that such a move would deprive Africa from making progress and put the continent farther from the African Green Revolution.

The 6^th Africa Agricultural Science Week provided an opportunity for Africans and partners to rethink the commitment by African governments 10 years ago which also led to the establishment of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

CAADP focuses on improving food security, nutrition, and increasing incomes in Africa's largely farming based economies. It aims to do this by raising agricultural productivity by at least 6% per year and increasing public investment in agriculture to 10% of national budgets per year. So far, only a few countries have met the CAADP targets.

Dr Kanayo Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said there is still a lot to be done in the context of the ever-changing and increasing challenges choking agricultural development in Africa.

He noted that the world is producing enough but that the food is not reaching those that need it most.

"We must put our efforts both in improving productivity and reducing postharvest losses," he added.

The IFAD President called for a paradigm shift in addressing food insecurity in Africa.

“Over the past three decades, agricultural productivity in Africa has been stagnant or in decline…Funding to agriculture, to universities and to research centres fell steadily and steeply…To make matters worse, average global spending on agricultural research also fell. We know what needs to be done and we know what can be done”, state Dr. Nwanze.

According to him, research and development need to be “repositioned” into research for development to bring the benefits of research to the farm.

He advised scientists to ensure that their research is in consonance with the reality on ground and that it addresses the challenges of development in an empirical manner.

Dr. Frank Rijsberman, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, noted that strong and dynamic partnerships will be key to addressing the challenges of poverty and food security in Africa.

He highlighted the need for collaboration and coordination to ensure better alignment of research priorities, as well as to support uptake of new technologies.