Jacob Zuma: Millennium Development Goals on Agriculture and Food Security

Address by the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma, on Sub-Theme 3: Millennium Development Goals on Agriculture and Food Security, at the 3rd Africa-European Union Summit Tripoli, Libya

29 Nov 2010

Co-Chairs
Your Excellencies,
Your Majesties,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen  

The bread and butter of the African people is the rural economy. The vast majority of African people work and live in rural areas; and the burden of most rural households lies on the shoulders of women.  

Despite the fact that Africa has abundant arable land and human resources that could potentially be translated into increased production, incomes and food security, our continent remains a region with the highest proportion of people who suffer from hunger, including the largest population of people living below the poverty line.

Africa faces unique challenges with regard to agriculture and food security.

These range from low productivity and poor infrastructure, to weak market access as well as weak institutions and policies.  

Nearly all of Africa's farming systems are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, and this makes our agricultural productivity entirely dependent on the environment and vulnerable to the effects of climate change.  

In the light of this, Africa has prioritised agriculture and food security as the basis for socio-economic development, not least because of our conviction that our continent has the potential to be the breadbasket of the world.  

Agriculture is the backbone of the rural economy and food security is a fundamental human right. 

We need investment in agriculture to allow us to maximise this potential and contribute to job creation and food security. 

To this end, and within the framework of NEPAD, Africa has since developed the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). 

This Programme aims to enhance investments in growth stimulating sectors, create on-and off-farm jobs mainly for the youth and thereby significantly reduce poverty and hunger.  

CAADP has targeted six percent average annual sector growth rate at the national level and increasing investments by allocating at least 10 percent of national budgets to the agricultural sector. 

Noting the benefits associated with regional cooperation, CAADP pushes for the exploitation of regional complementarities and cooperation to boost growth. Furthermore, CAADP emphasises application of principles of policy efficiency, dialogue, review, and accountability.

Most importantly, CAADP has embraced partnerships and alliances including farmers, agri-business and civil society. 

Increasingly, more and more African countries are allocating more of their public budget to agriculture.  

Although the share of agricultural spending has not reached or surpassed the CAADP targets of at least 10 percent, the trends in a number of AU Member States are extremely encouraging.  

More importantly, and in countries where CAADP implementation has advanced, the increased resources to agricultural sector are targeting growth enhancing policies, strategies and plans. 

Within the CAADP framework, it is noted that attaining the agricultural sector objectives and therefore CAADP targets require complementary investments in other sectors especially infrastructure, health and education. 

These complementary sectors are as critical in enhancing jobs. 

Similarly, Excellencies, at the Summit of the African Union in July in Kampala, Africa welcomed the initiative by our Chair of the AU, His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika,who proposed what he called the "The African Food Basket: Innovations, Interventions and Strategic Partnerships".The African Food Basket is a new and focused approach that, among others, emphasises agriculture and food security as a springboard for growth.

The slow pace of rural infrastructure development in Africa hampers the marketing and movement of agriculture products from one region to another. 

Accordingly, at the July 2010 AU Summit, we launched the NEPAD priority infrastructure initiative, which focuses on agriculture and food security, among others.  

As South Africa we are championing the North-South Corridor. This is a concrete step that we as Africa have taken to become food secure, and we invite the EU to partner with us in this initiative, and in all NEPAD projects, so as to ensure that this partnership results in tangible outcomes.  

The Africa-EU Partnership allows us the opportunity to engage on these fundamental issues, and work together in overcoming the challenges facing our agriculture and food security sector.

This partnership can demonstrate to the world, including other partners of Africa, what can be achieved when we work together to support initiatives that are led and owned by Africa, to combat hunger, grow our economies, and create decent jobs.

One of the concrete steps that our partners from the EU can take, in the spirit of this partnership of equals, is to be bold and give needed support towards the speedy conclusion of the Doha round of Trade Negotiations for a just and balanced agricultural trade.  

Excellencies,  

The emphasis on agriculture and food security cannot be considered without addressing the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals that were adopted in September 2000 by the largest ever gathering of Heads of State and Government of the United Nations.

In adopting the MDGs, we also emphasised the special needs of Africa. 

Two months ago the world convened again in New York at the United Nations to review performance in meeting the targets in the MDGs, and to recommit ourselves to doing more in the remaining five years to achieve those noble goals.

We noted in September that with only five years to go before the 2015 deadline set for achieving these goals, there is no likelihood that many African countries can achieve the MDG targets. 

What is needed now is not another meeting on the MDGs and the special needs of Africa, but action and more action on commitments already made. 

The eight goals entailed in the MDGs are central to the advancement of development, peace and human rights in the world. 

Of particular importance for the theme of this Session is MDG One of halving hunger and poverty by 2015 and MDG Seven of ensuring environmental sustainability.

The performance of the agricultural sector and the rural economy on which the majority of Africa's population depends for their livelihoods, is directly linked to the state of poverty, and determines the extent to which MDGs targets can be achieved.  

In this regard, the biggest challenge in achieving MDGs lies in transforming Africa's agricultural sector into an engine for economic growth and poverty eradication.

Through CAADP, there is compelling evidence to believe that MDG One targets can be achieved with enhanced investments targeting growth in the agricultural sector. 

Acknowledging the unique needs of Africa, and the unique challenges that Africa faces in achieving the MDGs, this partnership has much to offer especially in terms of knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and financial support.

With only five years left to achieve the MDGs, all nations need a far greater sense of urgency if the targets are to be met. 

If Africa fails to achieve the MDGs, the world at large would have failed to achieve them, thereby undermining the very purpose of adopting them in the first place as international targets for human development. 

Critical to Africa's growth, our vast raw material resources must be harnessed through beneficiation and other means to help grow our economies and create growth. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

"Economic Growth, Investment and Job Creation" and the attainment of the MDGs have a dialectical link, with achievement in one area reliant on, and resultant in, the achievement of the other.  

This one-of-a-kind "continent to continent partnership", provides a unique opportunity to highlight the need for the exchange of experiences and best practices. 

This will enable those Member States that have made progress towards achieving the MDGs to assist those that still lag behind to realize these goals.  

Our future is interlinked and interdependent.Failing to achieve the MDGs and, more specifically, food security and agricultural development in Africa, is a failure by the world to address global challenges.|

Let us be remembered as the generation that delivered on its promises for a better Africa and a better world. 

I thank you. 

Issued by: The Presidency
29 Nov 2010