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KIGALI, (Xinhua) --
Agricultural experts on Monday called on African economies to empower small
holder farmers in rural areas in order to ensure food security and end hunger
and poverty across the continent.
They made the
remarks while speaking at the opening of the African Dialogue on the World In
2050 (TWI2050) in Rwandan capital Kigali, aimed at exploring ways how
agriculture can contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The two-day
meeting, dubbed:”how can agriculture contribute to meeting the SDGs in the
context of socio-ecological resilience and the conservation of agro-biodiversity
in Africa?” has brought together participants including policy makers,
academicians, business leaders and civil society, from across Africa.
“For Africa
to end hunger and poverty across millions of citizens in rural areas, we must
invest in smallholder farmers to massively increase crop yield for home
consumption and surplus for markets. We need to acknowledge and empower
smallholder farmers as key investors in agriculture and food systems,” said
Patrick Kormawa, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa.
He emphasized
that smallholder farmers make the majority of the population in Africa and are
the most vulnerable when it comes to poverty, hunger and starvation because they
are ill-equipped with knowledge and skills to improve their agricultural
practices.
The forum
organized by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) and
Stockholm Resilience Center (SRC) will discuss the role and importance of
agriculture and biodiversity for attaining the SDGs in Africa within the
planetary boundaries, and continuously following a sustainable trajectory up
till 2050.
TWI2050 is a
global research initiative in support of a successful implementation of the
United Nations’ 2030 Agenda.
“For TWI2050
to be relevant in the Agenda 2030 processes, it needs to reflect a diversity of
African perspectives including promotion of improved and sustainable agriculture
that suits the lives of smallholder farmers in Africa,” said Belay Begashaw,
Director General of SDGC/A.
He said
smallholder farmers play a crucial role in resolving world hunger, but they’re
also those most likely to fall victim to hunger and poverty.
According to
the World Bank, there are an estimated 500 million smallholder households
globally, amounting to upwards of two billion people, and about 800 million
people living below the global poverty line work in the agricultural sector.
African
economies should increase the levels of aid and investment flowing to
smallholders to increase their produce and improve incomes, said Johan Rockstrom,
Executive Director of SRC, an international center that advances
trans-disciplinary research for governance of social-ecological systems.
“Improved and
sustainable smallholder agriculture practices represent the best option for
addressing poverty, hunger and malnutrition in rural farming communities across
the continent,” he added.
FAO estimates
that 233 million people in Africa were hungry and undernourished in 2014.
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