World Economic Forum Calls for Support for Smallholders to Address Food Crisis

Participants in the 18th World Economic Forum on Africa said on Thursday that governments, multilateral organizations and aid agencies should ensure that African smallholders receive the inputs they need for the next planting season and create the conditions for sustained growth in agriculture to tackle the food crisis.

In a session entitled Food Insecurity: A Perfect Storm, the panelists believed that despite the critical nature of the challenge, people should have the reason to remain optimistic.

The most important thing is to get the resources to farmers for the next season, said Thorleif Enger, president and chief executive officer of Yara International, Norway.

Monty Jones, executive director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, Ghana, emphasized empowering smallholders to make sure they can access information and outside inputs and have their voices heard.

If that happens, I foresee a considerable increase in production, he said.

Experts said the private sector had already working with small farmers to move in this direction and can do more in partnership with governments, multilateral agencies and civil society organizations.

They suggested more partnerships between large and small retailers to help shorten supply lines.

More than 800 participants from 50 countries are participating in the forum that runs through Friday. The discussion on food insecurity took place concurrently with the United Nations food summit in Rome. The debate in Cape Town focused on medium- and long-term solutions to the problem.

Source: CRIEnglish