Growing Malawi’s agriculture: Lesson from elsewhere

The Fourth African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), a round-table of extensive consultations on all aspects of African agriculture, came to a close last Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I covered the meeting that brought together agriculture experts both in governments and private sectors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) officials and representatives of the world’s acclaimed philanthropy organisations. He analyses whether the forum lived up to its expectations

After four days of extensive consultations on the implementation of African Union’s recent Malabo Declaration to double food production and end hunger, former Ghanaian president John Kufuor, who co-chairs the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, said

he could sense an impatience to get on with the tasks ahead.

“The theme of this year’s AGRF should be less talk, more action,” Kufuor said. “Africa is ready to catch up with the rest of the world.”

Such strong words from an equally respected leader kept reverberating around the walls of the magnificent African Union (AU) building in Ethiopian capital that housed almost half of the globe’s countries who had descended on Addis Ababa last week. About 1 100 confirmed delegates drawn from about 80 countries attended the annual conference whose theme was ‘Beyond the tipping point: A new vision and strategies for inclusive sustainable transformation’.

This was the first big agricultural summit after the Malabo Declaration in June, a renewal by heads of governments of the 2003 Maputo Declaration to commit not less than 10 percent of their respective budgets towards the agriculture sector.

The delegates to this spirited gathering of agriculture officials, farmers, entrepreneurs, scientists, civil society organisations and pioneers in agribusiness, also comprised high profile personalities from the region in former United Nations (UN) Secretary General Koffi Annan, chairperson for the AU commission Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zuma and the president for the Agricultural Green Revolution of Africa (Agra), Jane Karuku, among others.

Ethiopia’s State Minister of Agriculture Ato Mitiku Kassa echoed Kufuor’s sentiments when he said: “AGRF 2014 comes at an important time. The Government of Ethiopia and governments across Africa mark 10 years since the initiation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and embrace the new commitments that emerged in Malabo.

“I invite Ethiopian citizens and friends of Ethiopia to hold us accountable for the realisation of this vision.”

And Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, commissioner for rural economy and agriculture at AU could not have coloured it any better when she said: “This is a turning point for us. We have the political

will and the commitments to achieve sustainable food and nutritional security across the continent.

“We are developing the road-map for countries to absorb, adjust and plan to meet those targets within the CAADP framework. Discussions at AGRF are an important step towards the actions we must take collectively to accelerate agricultural transformation in Africa.”

Yet, conspicuously missing at such an all-important forum was a delegation from Malawi government. Their absence was clearly felt as this was a forum to exchange ideas and best practices for growing Africa’s agriculture in an attempt to make the continent food and nutrition secure for years to come.

“All those countries whose names I have just read out are the ones who confirmed their coming. We sent invitations to almost all governments and unless a miracle happens, but our logistics team informs us this list is final,” Irungu Houghton, senior adviser to the AGRF told journalists at a media training a day before the summit.

As any responsible journalist would do, one had to be patient until at least midway the summit to ascertain if Malawi was indeed going to attend before spreading any speculations. The miracle never came. Another picture taken at the closing ceremony of the forum confirmed that Malawi, a country where agriculture accounts for around 30 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), 85 percent of export revenue and 80 percent of its labour force, just did not turn up for this all important summit.

Now, Malawi is widely regarded as the breadbasket in the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) region and it was understandable why many participants wanted to hear the success story repeated and emphasised in their ears on how such an impoverished country managed to beat hunger in the face of increasing climate change and declining donor support over the years. For once, Malawi has proved that an agricultural revolution can be the driving force towards economic prosperity.

Despite some grey patches currently existing in the country’s food security status, Malawi remains an example many countries would like to emulate as regards what a determined political will can do to avert food shortages in any country on the continent. The name Bingu wa Mutharika and subsidy refused to depart on the lips of many speakers at the summit. It was clear that many still remember how the fallen ‘hero’ revolutionalised the country’s agriculture when he assumed the mantle of leadership in 2004. A year later, the country could even afford a 30 percent post harvest loss in its yields due to lack of expertise in handling the bumper yield that followed the revolution.

However, all was not lost as the country’s civil society was ably represented. The Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) and Catholic Development Commission (Cadecom) all made the cut. The National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (Nasfam) even went one better when its chief executive officer Dyborn Chibonga was part of the high-level panel on up-scaling

domestic private sector investment held in the Nelson Mandela Hall at the AU headquarters.

In the absence of Malawi government officials, Nigerian—whilst making headlines for all the wrong reasons with Boko Haram—emerged an unlikely hero; and rightly so. It was not hailed because it currently sits on the driving seat as Africa’s leading economy ahead of South Africa. No. But the country displayed enough political will in sending out an all powerful delegation led by their charming young Minister of Agriculture in Akinwumi Adesina, who instantly became the talking point of the summit.

The charismatic and passionate minister was instantly given the honour of delivering one of the keynote addresses at the summit. He was also seen moderating a discussion by Koffi Annan over the summit’s dinner and, this, too, won the West African country more plaudits.

“I am inspired by the level of partnerships for change that have been built over the years, an alliance of farmers, researchers, political leaders, private sector and philanthropic organisations, all with one goal and one mission: turn Africa into a breadbasket for the world.

“So, today, as we gather, we must set higher targets for ourselves in this quest for Africa to feed itself. We must not get complacent, for the voices of millions of malnourished children must spur us to action. No African child must ever go hungry.”

Adesina was even revered when he called a spade by its name as to how best to achieve food security for the continent and beyond by suggesting that the continent needs to set a new vision for agricultural transformation, inspired by the political leadership of African leaders and the AU. He expertly appealed to the delegates’ senses by carefully linking history through the present and towards the future.

“As it was during the days of apartheid, Africans united, our leaders inspired us and our friends supported us. Africa must feed itself and all Africans must arise. This new vision must be one that sees agriculture as a business not as a development programme.

The new vision must be focused on governments enabling the private sector. We must focus sharply on raising private sector investments in agriculture.

“This new vision for transforming Africa’s agriculture is what I call government-enabled private-sector led agricultural transformation agenda,” he said.

Under this new vision, governments must become innovators just like the private sector and develop innovative policies and institutions that will expand opportunities for the private sector,especially farmers who themselves form the largest private sector.

His compatriot, a science reporter Babatunde Jimoh from Lagos, could not hide his excitement from me: “For once in many times, it feels good to be a Nigerian!” And that said it all!