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CDll$ultiJJlI with AGRA; S yh1:1 tHwlchuU. DJi'ectDr CommunjCiJtioni Marla MuJiIldi :lad Di:.IJbe Gra),-FaM eI'ol AGRi-I at In e
AGRA dialogue
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C.iDs
irl AlriCiJ meetmg h e ld in AcUd recently.
1.laize Ju;socialioll of Iii g~ri6 ti, IAN) has str<?:ssed .ht: UE:eO for g.JVf:rmllent!; <It all lev-
iUr. 'Olson Dogbe, iJ {.:searcher ;"jlh Sai'.iiniJJI AgrlcU/turdJ Rseach Iols/Jru/e. TilmaieGhana iJntl Dr. iU arle P.iJr~ leya . Progrllm Dllicer with AGRA a' a d emollSt(3tion larm In UbI, Ghana.
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ITH ovef 70 percent of Ai ricans engaged in Agricul. UHe, II is believed th e conl,inenl has the capacity 10 not only feed its people but also h l!lp c reale a secure g lobal food .system. Bul lhe recen t images from the hom of Africa bave called Inlo questiollihe a bilily of the conli nent to iced itself, noC to lalle of
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helping 10 meellhe needs of the
hungry ilC!OiS Ihe world. So, one cannot bul agree wit h
Alliance for a Green !lel/olution in Alrica (AGRA) w h en it said
the re is no belief lime than now to e ndeitvour \0 raise agricultural production and produruvny In Africa, gIVen the rl!;;ing lood prices 10 the global markeLS. Dr. Namanga Ngongi, AGRA PreSId ent, wb ile d eclarin g open th e AGRA d ialogue with Civil Sncieties in Africa meeting Accra, Ghana, said it Is shame th a t in this day and age, we a re still sooing increasing cases of severe hunger ilmong the rural poor and over 265 million unde rnouris hed peo ple in Afri ca. AGRA IS a parlner.;hlp-baM!d organization that works across th t; AIric.. n contment to help mil!inns nt smatl-SCflle fanner.; and tlleir families lift themselves out of l)(Iverty and hunge r. Alrican led and Africa-based. AGRAdevelops p rograms aimed at implementing prac tical solutions to Significantly boost smaUholder farm productivity and incomes while sa feguardin9tbe environmll.nt and promoting equity. Today, AGRA puts the African s mallholder fanner at the hean oi th e Groon Revo lution, thereby ensllring that poUcies and programs ilre responsive to their needs and amb itions. AGRA is currently working with farmers in abou t thirteen African countries to double or triple their produ ctivi ty and thereby dramaticall y reduce povel·ty ilnd s pur rural economic deve lopment. nle meeting witll Civil Socleues is a confinnation of the body that Atncan Green Revolution requires is broild based coaUtion o f pa rtners who s h a re a common vision a nd the belief that the continent win s ucceed in ending hunger in our lifetimes. AGRA. Nongi said, ca ll not sLiccessfu.lly cata lyze a Green Revolution for Africa without active and dedicated involvement of civil sociely organizati ons. ~Civil sociely has an imponant
els 10 pr<.mo te mecbarused fill ..l illlJ by rmvidm!]" farrr.<! rs wlln trad ufS 0 boo:.t proJ uction. Dr A.b ola J ob , the N atioh .•1 fer of lhe assoclallon, sa id tlus in IbadWl while sredLing wll h lile News Agency If N I!j£:lia (NAN). Jo b n(;t ~ll lhat nlojorily oJ! lIIal ze fa rm · erJi dc ro;s the couutry hOld ,10 ilccess 10 tra ct or, and c ould not Olffo.d to acquire the m,,chinf: ry vil li p ersollill funds. He called on the g ovemmen to ad drds thiS aud other ch alle nges IncLOg f.. mlers In regam 10 the a V~ ilablhty 01 mputs in liS effurt to dEvelop th e ;;tgnculturOIl sector He SIl~!l lJ:i t ed Ihal an)" tractors idl e al ly ing the Agri cultural Developmen t pfO!Jramme {A.DPJ offices across Ihe cuul,lry shc.u ld be hi red 0111 t o fa rmers lo r o ptimum utillsiili.,n to boost maize (>10duction. He aho urg ed various cc.m · modllY illlrme,s to reglsler vlit b tllelr aswcla tiolls fo r recog nilio n and to bt= able 1(, enJoy any bene· fit s aeeming 10 the m.
IRRI IS developing high-iron and high-zinc rice
AGRA partners CSOs on agriculture development turalsector employs 65 percent of the labour force and generates 32 per cent of GOP growth. ''Vet this sector is largely overlooked in development policies role to play In ensuring that agand prog rams. While 75 percent riculture meets its strong gfowlh of tbe wor ld's poor li ve in roral potential and ensures employareas in developing counuies, me nt creation in Africa . We all only 4 per cent of ofHcial d evelneed to work togelhe r to ensure opment assistance goes 10 agriimproved agricultural producculture." tivity. reduction In food prices. He explained thdt neither the lflcrease in wage levels and comgovernmen t nor any single instipetitiveness in the economy as a tution has the means to J e liver a whole. "Without investments in green revo l ution for Africa . agriculture there is a risk that "Lasting success requires smart higher food prices could e rad ipart ners hips, committed aDd cate five to 10 years of poverty sustained African leaders hip, re duction efforts." antl increased investments by The AGRA President said the y donors and governments." believe thai Agricultural develDr. Narnanga Ngongi. whose opment is the key to poverty respeech was read by Sylvia Mwi- . ductio o in Africa as thereisdemchuli, said this is the reason why onstrated e viden ce I.hat GDP AGRA's supports effons like the growtb originating in agric ulture is two to four times more ef- . AU's Comprehensive Airican fective in raising incomes of a - 'Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and the US-led tremely poor people lhan GDP Feed the Future initiative, which growth originating outside [he are coordinating funding and sector. actions to support agriculture While noting that investments in small-bolder and subsistence . and African fanners , M] believe st.fongly that Africa farmers are critical in a pro-poo r has tbe capadty to feed itseU and developmentllgenda, be said MIn to even be lhe breadbasket of the Sub-Saharan Africd,tbe agricul-
rest of the world . What Is lacking are clearly policies and adequate investments in the sector. He urged the parlicipants to remember that sma llholder farmers are th e foundation of Africa's development and that fanning 15 th e mains ta y o f most African economies and family incomes. "Yet. the mdjority of small· holder fanners are. net purc h aser.; of food and livi ng in abjeci poverty. As esos we mus t advocate for the creation of sal.;!ly nets and smart subsidie s for such groups." The Head, Policy and Partr.ership Unit of AGAA. Augusti,le Langyinto added tbat the Ud.precedented d emand from lhe African public tbat a GreeD Revolution is essentiai for Africa's future cannot be acliieved without the s upport of the esos. -AGRA canuot generate such public support alone. Our success depends on th e strong involvement of dvil50aety organiza'tioos in advocating for change, as well as their help in preparing a wide range of stakehnlders for the changes Ihat are
"oed'"
and vitamin A de ficien c:iw are highly prt::\/alent InLicronu(fle nt deficiencies comRON, 7.IOC,
mon i n rice-consuming coun tries. nl ~ cost of these deficie ncies in h..flns of lives and qUillity nf life lo .. t Is e nofln ous .. C urre!",t rice varieties a lone do not prov id e enough mlcronutrienls for leading healt hy productive Jjv e~. Since riCI! is the dominant cereal c 'op In most Asian countrie.; and is tile staple food lor more Ihan ball of the wor ld 's population, e ven iI small increase lu micron utrient content in rice gra ins could have a slg · nificant impact on hum.an health. Biofortih cation, or the process of breeOlng food staples w itli high mkronutricnl content, hilS evolved .is a ne w strategy to address micron ut rien t maJnutriti ~.... Biolortification has the poteilualtGreach rural house!ioldi. iIS the imprOve ments are tilTgeted 10 thE: crops and foods that can be gTOwn and sourced locally. IRRI i..i developing rice with more iron. zinc, and Vitamin A to help paople g e t enoug h of these imp ortont micron ulrie nlS and add."ess m ..jor public health issues . To help address the dev~ aslating lmpa ..:ts 01 vitamin A deficiency. particularly on the poor in Asia, IRRJ and its nationilland inlernational partners are developing Gollden Rice - a newllype 01 rice tllat contains a source of vitamin ~