Author: AGRF Digital

In a critical year for food systems transformation, 140 distinguished delegates from the private sector, governments, civil society, media, and development partners gathered at the Sankara Hotel, Nairobi, for the AGRF 2021 Summit launch. More than 900 people joined virtually.

Rallying cries for accelerated action towards the AGRF’s 2021 themes of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems were made by the Chair of AGRA and the AGRF Partners Group, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn; Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda, Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana; Managing Director of The Rockefeller Foundation William Asiko; Special Envoy on COVID-19 for the World Health Organization (WHO) David Nabarro, and many others.

It was widely agreed that Africa’s food systems are not working for all of its people and that the answers to future resilience lie in collaboration – specifically partnerships with and investment from private sector organizations; leadership commitments; and the elevation of the voices of children and youth.

At the launch, Tom Staal, Deputy Mission Director, USAID, said: “The upcoming AGRF 2021 Summit is a great opportunity for the private sector community to forge partnerships in the agriculture sector.

“The AGRF 2021 themes of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems are right on point,” he added.

COVID-19 was also a key point of discussion, with many saying the pandemic was a catalyst for change, not the single cause of the recent rise in moderate and acute food insecurity globally.

“[The pandemic] is causing challenges and revealing weakness – including that food systems are not working as they should and highlighting the need for food systems transformation everywhere,” Special Envoy on COVID-19 for WHO, David Nabarro, said.

In a hard-hitting address, Jai Shroff, CEO of UPL Limited, empathized with Africa’s smallholder farmers, highlighted the serious threat of climate change, and brought to light the opportunities, not just the challenges, that lie ahead.

“UPL started in India; we understand the pain and challenges being faced by the smallholder farmer and food systems. We have this challenge of climate change; we have food prices at all-time high and commodity prices high – these are fantastic opportunities for farmers,” he said.

“Climate change is the single biggest risk the world is facing. Agriculture is one of the most important areas to reduce the impact – it can reduce the carbon from the atmosphere and plough it back into the soil,” he added.

All delegates agreed that with increased working capital – that will come in part from the de-risking of agriculture for private banks – agriculture can drive GDP growth and prove farming can be a business.

The President of AGRA, Dr Agnes Kalibata, stated: “Our continent lives on farming. 70% of our people are involved in agriculture. 60% of women are farming. Yet we are not making enough out of this. We need to make it a viable business.”

In a heartfelt statement, Senior Vice President of Africa Programs at Heifer International, Adesuwa Ifedi, said: “The next generation of farmers are not begging for job opportunities in agriculture. Agriculture in Africa is actually begging for their involvement to unleash its potential.”

Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and AGRF Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn urged African youth to come forward and mobilize towards achieving resilient food systems, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the AGRF’s contributions to the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS).

“I invite all of you to join us in the campaign for agricultural and food systems transformation, and I hope you will all join us at the Summit 6-10 September. It is your participation and thought leadership that makes AGRF the leading Forum for our shared cause,” said H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn.

Nairobi, 1 July 2021 – Kenya will host the AGRF 2021 Summit, which this year will focus on the bold
actions needed for agriculture to fuel the continent’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and
continued food systems transformation. The four-day Summit will take place from September 7 until 10
in Nairobi, Kenya.

Speaking during a courtesy call to H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President, Republic of Kenya, H.E.
Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Ethiopia Prime Minister and AGRF Board Chair, applauded the
Kenyan Government for making agriculture a priority, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s inspiring to see the progress Kenya has made in agriculture, this is the kind of visionary leadership
that the continent needs to end hunger and malnutrition and for our continent’s shared prosperity,” H.E.
Hailemariam Dessalegn said.

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the
agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture
forward.

Jennifer Baarn, acting Managing Director, AGRF, said that the 2021 Summit is taking place at a defining
moment for the continent. “This year’s AGRF takes place when the global voices converge around food
systems. It is also the time when the world’s focus turns to the economic and social recovery from the
COVD-19 pandemic. We have learned a lot in the past 18 months, there are a lot of opportunities to
accelerate and catalyse agricultural transformation,” Ms. Baarn said. She added that the 2021 Summit
will provide a platform to highlight and unlock many of the political, policy, and financial commitments
and innovations needed to get back on track to targets outlined in the Malabo Declaration and the
Sustainable Development Goals.

This year the Summit is expected to host over 10,000 delegates virtually with a scaled-down physical
event in Nairobi.

For Media Inquiries Contact:

Simon Crump – +254 791 398 792
Eugene Ng’ang’a +254 703 516 173
agrf@hudsonsandler.com

About AGRF

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the
agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture
forward. Under AGRF’s current strategy, the Forum is particularly focused on driving progress of the
Malabo Declaration by 2025 as the priority set of commitments African Heads of State and Government
have made to strengthen agricultural development at the center of the continent’s overall development
and progress. The AGRF is organised by the AGRF Partners Group, a coalition of institutions that care
about Africa’s agriculture transformation.
https://agrf.org/

About the AGRF Partner’s Group

The AGRF Partners Group is made up of 26 leading actors in African agriculture all focused on putting
farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies. Members include: African Development
Bank (AfDB), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), African Union Commission
(AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), CGIAR System Organization, Corteva
Agriscience, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Foreign, Commonwealth
& Development Office (FCDO), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Government of Rwanda,
Grow Africa (AUDA-NEPAD), Heifer International, IKEA Foundation, International Development
Research Center (IDRC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mastercard
Foundation, OCP Group, Rockefeller Foundation, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural
Unions (SACAU), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Syngenta Foundation, The Tony Blair Institute,
UPL Limited, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yara International ASA