Author: AGRF Digital

The briefing notes that were issued prior to this debate cited the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world.” This quote feels ever more prophetic and far sighted when you consider he made it in the 1960s well before the explosion of globalization or the emergence of China and other Tiger economies in global supply chains.  

Since then, of course, the homogenization of the supply chain has multiplied endlessly and almost to a person we depend, in some way or the other, on food production and distribution chains, a fact made more stark by the threat that climate change poses to them.

No one denies that globalization of food systems has brought enormous benefits to the consumer and the countries themselves but it has also exposed vulnerabilities when the chains are broken or disrupted as we see today with the Ukraine crisis. Nowhere are these cracks more keenly felt than in Africa but it has galvanized the continent towards food sovereignty thus disrupting the well-established trade systems.

African agriculture however can turn this narrative around and it has enormous potential to do so. The African continent is home to about 60% of the potential agricultural land in the world , along with a huge youth population and water resources.

The topic for thedebate that was put to its illustrious panel was ‘What is your big idea to build resilient food systems, in a way that is sustainable and fair, so that the continent with the world’s youngest and fastest growing demographic can overcome future shocks and eliminate dependencies?’

Leading individuals from policy, trade, development, health, finance and international civil society gathered here and duked it out in a positive and respectful fashion, discussing how to safeguard local, regional, national and international food systems, highlighting the opportunities that must be grasped, changes that must be made and challenging one another on points of difference with the singular aim of finding the common ground needed to build consensus on how to advance the African cause.

The moderator Ms. Tania Habimana, a journalist and Anchor for CNBC Africa, challenged the panel by asking ‘how do you try to unlock our potential, how do we move forward as a continent?’

Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh-Diong, UN-ASG and Director-General, Africa Risk Capacity Group kickstarted proceedings by pointing to the necessity of sustainable finance, investment needs to take a longer-term view and the National Banks need to seriously look at the sector properly because that is where the cheap money is for investment purposes rather than VCs and private capital.

This was a view echoed by others on the panel, pointing out the fact that ‘28% of the continent are already entrepreneurs and it’s about unlocking that huge amount of potential. Agriculture is the fastest growing sector within venture capital. We need to bring together the pieces and end the over dependence on foreign capital.’

Mr. Khalid Bomba, Managing Director, Agrifood Transformation Agency Support Center (TASC) urged the need ‘to build the capacity within public sector to be competitive and end the reliance on private sector and outsourcing’. Pointing to successes in Ethiopia through the Government stepping into map the soil across the whole country resulting in targeted fertilizer recommendations which improved yield and prevented soil erosion. 

Dr. Sandy Thomas, Director, Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition however felt that the big idea needed to consider at how policy makers looking to embrace food transformation systems ‘need to consider multiple crises and not focus on the most immediate one’ but rather look at those that might emerge over a longer time frame. She also suggested that a ‘drive towards diversification in crops would reduce risks of monoculture’.

H.E. Lionel Zinsou, Board Member, Danone and Former Prime Minister of Benin took a different position to other members of the panel and suggested that empowering the people, not the public sector or government made more sense as, ‘the best experts are the small farms not the ministers’.

The moderator deftly challenged the panel and probed them on their answers, pushing them to expand on their answers. When challenged on what should be the priorities given the competing needs of the region, Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh-Diong stated very clearly that it was hard to conceive of a greater one than food production – ‘I can’t think of a better priority than feeding our people.’

Mr. Acha Leke, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co advocated for greater sovereignty within the country, urging countries to act together as a region not just as individual countries as the inner conflict simply allowed countries outside of Africa to profit on the disconnect, ‘when we’re importing products we’re exporting jobs’.

Unlike a conventional debate there were no winners or losers, although it might be argued that the winners were Africa herself. This was about a free exchange of ideas, daring to be bold and ambitious and over reaching in the desire to flip the script. The debate highlighted not just the interest present at ARGF 2022 but also the experience and wisdom needed to elicit change from a region that has too often got in its own way.

Arguably the centrepiece of the week – The Presidential Summit is the highest-level moment of the AGRF, with Heads of State & Government, eminent persons, and hundreds of leaders and stakeholders present from across Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness sector. Playing to a packed out auditorium the scale and significance of the summit lived up to its promise.

Opening today’s Presidential Summit was internationally acclaimed conference moderator and Human Capital Advocate for The World Bank and Global Citizen Ms. Nozipho Tshabalala, who after setting out the agenda introduced a video –  Grow. Nourish. Reward – Bold Actions for Resilient Food Systems.

Ms.Tshabalala ceded the stage to allow the official welcomes from Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda who emphasised the need to ‘move beyond intent and aspirations’ but made special mention of the good that could come from the AGRF, ‘I believe this summit holds the key to shaping up the promises of a food system that benefits all of us.’. The Host of the AGRF, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Chair, AGRF Partners Group and Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia went on to highlight the need for collective will, collective commitment and collective action, ‘The prosperity of Africa depends on translating the commitments we have made.’

There followed an emphatic and optimistic keynote address from H.E. President Paul Kagame, Rwanda who thanked his colleagues across the continent for working tirelessly together with the goal of shared prosperity. He addressed a series of issues and topics including the ongoing food crisis whilst taking note of the litany of competing issues that have accelerated the problem but he urged that in order to thrive ‘It is about ensuring that Africa is more resilient in the face of unexpected shocks.’

The moderator went on to probe H.E. President Kagame asking how the current crisis, which exposes major fault lines in food systems and food security, changes the continental political agenda in Rwanda. His robust but measured response was ‘We need to develop a sense of urgency, to ask ourselves how did we get to this point. See where we fell short and try and correct what we can, as fast as we can so we don’t have to repeat the mistakes or shortcomings.’

It was then the turn of H.E. President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe who held court on the subject of Western sanctions and how the circumstances had forced them to adapt and be bold and ultimately thrive, even in the midst of the Ukraine crisis, ‘In the midst of the crisis Zimbabwe built its food resilience. In the past, we used to grow three months supply of wheat. Today we can grow thirteen months’ worth of wheat.’ Indeed they are now producing excess wheat – he went on to say ‘this crisis does not affect us’.

H.E. Dr. Philip Mpango, Vice-President, Tanzania then spoke of the impact of the crises on Tanzania and how policy intervention was used as a response. ‘Tanzania, fortunately is self sufficient in food. It is clear that productivity in agriculture has remained low, due to low technology, very little use of fertilizer, the sector is unattractive to youth, and dependence on the vagaries of weather – which weighs heavily on our food systems.’  However he pointed to increased investment in fertilizer factories which sought to offset some of the issues around supply chain, also investing in irrigation technologies to give them an opportunity to become ever more self-sufficient and create jobs and this combined with substantive change around taxation to remove barriers for smallholders could, it was felt, make an enormous difference.

The panel then turned their attention to the upcoming COP27 and assessed where the continent was when set against their targets. With COP27 being labelled Africa’s COP, the question was asked what should African leaders be putting on the table and what is the common position when it comes to Climate Change and food system transformation?

H.E. President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe urged a common sense response and to be willing to understand and recognize where they are falling behind and examine how can they can catch up. ‘There is a willingness to embrace green technology and clean technology but we must be given the time to transition away from thermal energy towards clean energy. When we go to COP27 in Egypt the African voice will be loud and will be saying we must be given the space to transition, but if they want us to leapfrog to their position they must be willing to pay’.

H.E President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger echoed this sentiment by saying there was a need to understand what is a reasonable expectation in terms of what we can do within the timeframes given.

Changing tact slightly the moderator pushed the panel on how to ensure that the spotlight remained on food systems transformations in spite of everything else that is happening in the world. H.E. Dr. Philip Mpango was firm in his response, ‘For us as Africans we have to push our friends from the north to honour their commitments. We need transparency on funding green technologies. The transition from fossil fuels cannot happen overnight just because others in the north are way ahead, we should be assisted to adjust to green technologies. The way we keep it on the agenda is because we don’t have a choice, bold and visionary leadership is needed.’

That drew to a close the Presidential panel and what followed was a special video message from H.E. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, UN where she spoke of the need to prevent stalling and make greater progress to ensure that food poverty is a thing of the past. ‘The rising cost of nutritious foods continues to keep diets out of reach of many Africans. Ending hunger requires us to consider food as a system.’

There followed a series of commitments to action for Food Systems Transformation and Climate Action, beginning with Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland QC, Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat who said the commonwealth’s primary commitment was ‘not just to talk, but to do.’ More specifically however she said, ‘Africa has the potential to feed itself. If we can make a joint commitment, we can be the difference we want to see in the world. I commit to working with every single person in this room to deliver a future for our children.’

Finally wrapping up what was an extraordinary few hours with boldness, imagination, humility and collaboration at its heart were some closing remarks from Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President, AGRA and Host of the AGRF Secretariat who delivered a rejoinder that will surely echo with those present today, ‘I am extremely grateful to the heads of state for making me proud at this summit. As we go forward, we will be focusing on the answers of how we got here and how we can act differently.’

With more than two thirds (37) of African countries pledging to unite behind a Common African Position on food systems transformation last year, with a goal of achieving the 2030 Agenda, the table was set for a fascinating session which did not disappoint.

Leaders from around the world gathered to explore how to accomplish this goal and why, now more than ever, it is not just desirable to do so but necessary to ensure nutrition security for millions of people globally.

With a global consensus having been reached on the idea that reshaping global food systems is essential to the relief of poverty and for food security and sustainable agriculture, the stakes couldn’t have been higher as delegates and speakers from around the world gave their take on what must happen to enshrine the political goodwill into meaningful action.

The President of Zimbabwe, H.E. Mnangagwa provided the opening remarks, talking about the threat of climate change not just for African agriculture but the threat it posed globally with so much of the world reliant on the African agriculture industry, as a ‘source of raw materials for Africa and beyond.’ He urged the countries of Africa and the farmers ‘to work extra hard to ensure the continent becomes self-sufficient.’ An endeavour that cannot be realized without embracing diversity – ‘There can be no success without the participation of women’.

The President of Malawi, H.E. Lazarus Chakwera picked up the baton and spoke about the tragedy that had allowed a continent that had the greatest amount of fertile, farmable land to be at the mercy of whether Ukraine could send them food. ‘We as African leaders have allowed our countries to be at the mercy of other nations… We must take our place at the top table as the leaders in food production.’

The opening remarks were followed by a series of thought-provoking speeches from around the agricultural, political and humanitarian world.

A celebrated Keynote speaker in the form of the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and former British Prime Minister made impassioned arguments for the benefits of championing and advancing Africa’s food systems.  

He encouraged governments around the world to learn from the issues that were thrown up by Covid-19 and ‘take what they do during a crisis and do the same in normal times.’ Collaboration and co-operation was possible when required and can be again. He went on to remark that the issue Africa currently faces with food insecurity thrown up by the Ukraine crisis hasn’t ‘caused the problem, it simply exposed it’.

These remarks were followed by a presentation from Martin Bwalya, Ag Director, Knowledge Management and Programme Evaluation (KMPE), AUDA NEPAD on establishing a Framework in Advancing African National Pathways for Food Systems Transformation and the necessity to drive change ambitiously and with a uniform and dedicated approach.

While Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, AUC spoke about Food Systems indicators and the need and methodology required to keep tabs and monitor the Malabo declaration. He emphasised the need for accountability but there is a need to develop better tracking and reporting and to maintain focus to ensure that all countries can hit their commitments.

There followed a series of showcases on the progress of a number of countries with representatives of Ghana, Malawi and Rwanda all in attendance. The Hon. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ghana reported that since 2017 they’ve pushed a robust agenda aimed at smallholders by encouraging development of Food Security, Planting Cocoa Trees, Hi-tech Greenhouses for vegetables, Livestock and Mechanisation.

The progress showcases were capped off by Jean-Claude Musabyimana, Permanent Secretary, Minister of Agriculture, Rwanda who reported that they are happily on the 3^rd stage of their 3 stage plan which is implementation of their food systems transformation much of which is focused on increasing the export of high value crops.

A fascinating panel discussion rounded off the afternoon with the focus squarely on leadership, finance and accountability – how does a continent the size of Africa ensure a unified approach that works for everyone, and how can we maintain accountability on this scale? With a panel that included representatives from the UN, the Rockefeller Foundation and the IFAD, it was stacked with quality delegates all of whom had much to say on this critical matter.

Alavro Lario, President-Elect, IFAD remarked that whilst the will is there ‘what’s lacking is financing and co-ordination’ this is what they are looking to correct, focusing on medium term resilience and through advancing their credit rating allowing them to engage with private banks. ‘investments have to be part of the solution, how we implement has to take into account the most vulnerable.’

Ms, Geeta Sethi, Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems, World Bank noted that action has to be at a country level, within that there is a framework they are working to within the world bank, ‘the 3 I’s Incentives. Innovation. Investment.’  She commented that ‘50% difference across countries in GDP can be explained by productivity’, an issue she attributed to investment in the structure and questioned how to make it more attractive to investors.

Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President, Rockefeller Foundation drew some grimmer conclusions, ‘when you look at productivity over the last 10 15 years we haven’t actually made that much progress. If we keep doing what we’re doing we’re going to get the same results. Unless African governments invest we aren’t going to get the results we want. We’re not making the changes we need.’ He exhorted that there was an immediate need to take a food systems approach and only through true cost accounting can we show the value versus the cost of the agriculture industry and although the disparity between the two was sobering, he went on to suggest that the food systems approach remains the best solution.

Closing remarks came from Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, Director of UN Food Systems co-ordination Hub, he ended the session with a hopeful message that he was more optimistic than ever that the level of investment required was achievable as the countries accepted the reality of their position. ‘We need to listen to the exact needs of the country and support food systems transformation, it is the ticket to see Africa as a global leader in this area.’

By Shanni Srivastava, Regional Head of East Africa, Middle East & IOI at UPL

A glance at recent news coverage – from the extremes of flooding in Pakistan to droughts across North America – leaves little question that climate change is not only here, but that its effects are worsening. Until we make profound and lasting changes to how we treat our planet, until we adapt our existing practices, and until we utilise new and existing utilise tools at our disposal to support this mission, it is difficult to see a reversal of this trend.

In the energy sector, global leaders around the world are making bold and important commitments to help decarbonise the world through shifting from fossil fuels to clean, green, renewable sources. But whilst these measures can help slow and lessen overall greenhouse gas emissions, they cannot reduce those emissions which we’ve already put into the atmosphere. And yet across the world, one overlooked and underutilised sector is evidencing that it can in fact do this: agriculture.

Whilst agriculture is often characterised by its environmental challenges – including greenhouse gas contributions, land and water use – at UPL we committed to showcasing to the world the climate-positive opportunities inherent in farming activity all over the world. Put simply, agriculture is the only natural process that offers a practical way for us to put carbon back into the soil. Techniques such as no-till farming, cover crops, carbon-fixing bacteria, crop rotations, bio-fertilizers and smart irrigation practices can help increase organic carbon stocks in soil, not only locking away that carbon indefinitely, but also making the soil more fertile, healthier which in turn helps crops and those who grow them thrive.

But we cannot expect farmers to invest the time and resources into these performing these practices, nor take on the burden of climate change alone. Africa’s farmers confront risk and uncertainty every day. From flattening yields, to interchangeable commodity prices, and increasingly erratic trade relationships. Working off of tight financial margins, on plots frequently smaller the two hectares, and under harsh and often unpredictable climatic conditions, Africa’s growers must undertake practices that will help boost their productivity and benefit their livelihoods. And they must be supported to implement these practices.

Across other industries, we see grants and subsidies being offered for those who choose environmentally sustainable practices or choices: in short, good practices bring rewards. And this must be mimicked in the agricultural sector. We must support, equip, and empower the farmers who we have relied upon for decades to feed our population, and come to increasingly depend upon as guardians of our planets prosperous future. We cannot expect those farmers, particularly those who face other competing priorities and pressures, to farm sustainably without the right rewards.

Guided by this belief, alongside our partners at the FIFA Foundation, we launched the Gigaton Carbon Goal. We wanted to go beyond our commitment to going Net Zero by 2040, aspiring not just to reduce our own emissions, but work with likeminded farming communities to help them capture carbon emissions already in our atmosphere. We thought what better way to do this, than set out an ambitious goal – and an industry first – to help farmers sequester 1 gigaton, or 1 billion metric tonnes, of carbon dioxide between now and 2040, and reward them for adopting sustainable agricultural practices?

As part of this initiative, we will work with reliable and recognised carbon certification bodies that enable agro-ecosystems to create and validate emission and carbon capture protocols that will generate carbon credits that will directly benefit farmers. The Gigaton Carbon Goal pilot phase is already underway and has reached farmers across South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, India, USA and some European countries with the tools they need to perform sustainable agricultural practices.

Africa’s potential to help tackle the climate crisis through carbon farming in immense – but remains largely untapped. According to a report commissioned by the IUCN and the UNFCCC High Level Champions and steered by a working group of African partners ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, in Africa practices such as soil management and agroforestry can help the continent further social, environmental and economic goals through boosting crop yields, enhancing human nutrition and livelihoods, whilst supporting soil and ecosystem health. Indeed, through a 50% adoption of regenerative agriculture across Africa, the report forecasts that farmers could see: an income increase of up to US$150 per year; 30% reduction in soil erosion; up to 60% increase in water infiltration rates; and 24% increase in nitrogen content; and 20% increase in carbon content.

At UPL we are unapologetically optimistic about the possibilities for climate-positive, and undeniably confident that, with access to the right solutions, technologies, and incentive schemes, farmers of all sizes can be the champions of our Net Zero future. In South Africa, our carbon journey is beginning and we have had introductory meetings with our key distributors, looked at downstream food and beverage companies in South Africa to partner with as our programme develops, and we are planning to launch our pilot project in the upcoming summer season. And in Kenya, the maize ProNutiva program, our unique and bespoke approach which combines traditional crop protection products and biosolutions, is helping deliver the best outcomes in terms of crop health, food safety and food security. The core objective of this program is supporting farmers who face issues around soil infertility, acidity, and building soil health which can be turned into a huge carbon sink. The trials this year has demonstrated amazing results despite the erratic delayed rain that has been experienced in Kenya for the third season this year. The program is designed to create long-term sustainability by incentivising and rewarding farmers through the provision of carbon credits. The platform is ready, tested & ready to be rolled in October 2022.

With an over 35-year history working with farmers across Africa, an even longer history of developing agricultural solution sets designed with the smallest farmer in mind, combined with our unrivalled presence across the continent, we are uniquely placed to help farmers embrace this new climate-positive farming future. We are committed to mobilising our resources and experience to identify and invest in tools, techniques and technologies that can help farmers Reimagine Sustainability, giving them empowering them to become the new heroes of our net zero future.

We are so pleased to see the emphasis AGRF has placed on the importance of rewarding farmers through this year’s conference theme ‘Grow, Nourish, Reward – Bold Actions for Resilient Food Systems.’ We look forward to seeing everyone at this year’s Summit and invite others to join our journey to support agricultural practices that secure food supply, strengthen livelihoods and sequesters carbon. We must urgently join forces to scale these proven practices, guided by the needs and interests of farmers, and ensure that they are directly and rightly rewarded.