From May 5-7, 2010 leaders from across Africa and over 1,000 participants from 85 countries converged in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for the 20th World Economic Forum on Africa, entitled, “Rethinking Africa’s Growth Strategy.” Participants examined opportunities to unlock Africa’s growth potential. African and international leaders are focused on a wide range of topics important to Africa’s growth and development, ranging from regional integration to how to create a more conducive business climate and how regulatory reform can encourage both local and international investment.
One issue that quickly moved to the forefront of discussions is the importance of food security for Africa. In the first session of the first day entitled, “Africa Brainstorming: Turning Vision into Reality,” participants noted that Africa’s potential to feed the world is huge, but that there are also significant obstacles to achieving this vision. For Africa to be capable of not only feeding itself but of also serving as a breadbasket for the world, African infrastructure and technology, as well as governance need to become the focus of development efforts. If Africa can overcome these obstacles, it can help achieve global food security while creating jobs and economic growth through strengthening export capacity. Growing demand for food represents an opportunity for African agriculture in terms of rural investment, food security for Africa, jobs, and export opportunities.
Kanayo Nwanze, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, highlighted the importance of empowering small-scale farmers and expressed the need to rethink how to turn political will into profits for Africa’s agricultural sector, 95 percent of which is smallholder farming. He also stated that African governments must create the right policy environment to allow agribusiness and agro-industries to develop and flourish.
Since 2006, CIPE has partnered with the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) to support Ghana’s smallholder farmers and empower them to access their local government representatives and government-sponsored community development programs that benefit not only the farmers but entire communities. Improving dialogue between government officials and smallholder farmers helps foster a policy environment that supports increased productivity and food security.
As Ghana emerges as a role model for democracy in Africa, it must ensure that the basic needs of its citizens are met. Without food security, democratic gains cannot deliver even the most basic needs to its people. Despite the fact that Ghana’s farmers contribute to a significant portion of the economy, they lack the proper representation and a unified voice in democratic dialogue on the issues crucial to improving their livelihoods. Poor food security has the potential to destabilize democracy, but better policies in the agricultural sector and rural areas, with farmers that are able to proactively contribute to the policy dialogue, will serve as the foundation for a democracy that delivers.
The Private Enterprise Foundation began its work with Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs) by implementing a pilot advocacy program for FBOs in several districts of the Central, Volta, and Eastern Regions of southern Ghana. The pilot program provided a highly successful model for strengthening the advocacy capacity of FBOs and supported informed, evidenced-based input into policy making. The participating organizations formed an umbrella body that has quickly established dialogue with the District Directorate of Agriculture, leading to streamlined agricultural support programs and markedly more effective local agribusiness advocacy efforts.
PEF’s successful pilot program produced a model that farmers adapted to meet the conditions in northern Ghana, where farming comprises about 70 percent of the economically active population but is significantly less developed than in the south. In addition, FBOs in Ghana’s north are hamstrung by a lack of basic administrative and advocacy capacity, which inhibits their attempts to gain access to the necessary extension services, credit and other inputs to increased incomes and productivity.
As a result of opening channels for constructive discussion, farmers have been able to improve their agribusiness and are now empowered to engage their local representatives in future policy reform. By further strengthening the voice of a marginalized group in a marginalized region, PEF emphasizes the importance of merging agribusiness with democracy and governance to ensure that smallholder farmers are empowered with the tools they need to gain access to agricultural extension services through increased and improved policy input in the democratic process. Enhanced democratic dialogue, resulting in concrete improvements in farming and access to development programs, enhances food security in Ghana and embodies CIPE’s philosophy of supporting democracy that delivers.
Kelly Spence is a CIPE program officer for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Published Date: May 10, 2010