Nairobi, Kenya
July 16, 2007
Kofi Annan, the new Chairman of
the Board of the Alliance
for a Green Revolution in Africa, said today that the
Alliance has officially established its headquarters in Nairobi,
Kenya.
The former United Nations Secretary-General’s comments were made
after a meeting with President Kibaki and a fact-finding mission
visiting with farmers, agrodealers, plant-breeders, and others
in Western Kenya whose efforts are helping to launch a uniquely
African Green Revolution.
“The Alliance and the Government of Kenya can work together to
build on these successes, if we are to lift millions of
smallholder farmers and their families out of poverty,” said Mr.
Annan. He reported that President Kibaki likewise welcomed a
partnership with the Alliance, and pledged the government’s full
support.
Annan noted that the Alliance is spurring the work of many
organisations to rapidly roll out a wide range of programmes
across the agricultural “value chain.” These programmes range
from strengthening agricultural markets to using conventional
breeding to develop seed varieties that better cope with
stressful African climates; from helping improve water use and
soil health to improving training for farmers. The Government of
Kenya has itself launched a Strategy for Revitalisation of
Agriculture (SRA), which aims to raise agricultural productivity
by 5 percent per year from 2007 onwards.
But Mr. Annan also emphasised the seriousness of the challenges
ahead. He pointed out that the 6 percent growth in Gross
Domestic Product expected for sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 can
obscure the reality of still wide-spread hunger and poverty.
“The situation is urgent,” he said. “There are now 220 million
Africans, one-third of our population, who suffer from hunger,
and the ranks of the hungry continue to swell.”
Farmers in the Lead
Mr. Annan made a special point of thanking the farmers,
agricultural scientists, and entrepreneurs in Western Kenya with
whom he and Mrs. Annan had met the previous day.
During his visit to the farm of Mr. Pharis Wekesa outside
Webuye, Mr. Annan told a crowd of onlookers: “Not everyone has
to work in the city. Agriculture is a noble profession, and I’m
very proud of all of you for staying here and trying to
improve.”
On his farm, Wekesa is testing new varieties of maize developed
with the support of Alliance plant breeder Jane Ininda and the
local organization SACRED Africa.
Mr. Annan noted his meetings with Saleem Esmail, CEO of Western
Seed—a local seed company that sells new varieties, and with
Godfrey Wambua, a local agrodealer trained to deliver products
of agricultural research to the poor.
In Western Kenya, networks of such agrodealers include hundreds
of small rural businesses that sell improved seeds, fertilisers,
and other farm inputs. In some rural areas, they have reduced
the distance farmers must travel to get farm inputs from about
15 kilometers to 3. The Alliance-supported programme is set to
expand to 30 districts in Kenya, Annan said.
Annan added that he and President Kibaki agreed that free and
vibrant agricultural markets are a key element of success of the
Alliance’s bold vision.
Mr. Annan visited the Chwele Market Resource Centre, supported
by the Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange (KACE). KACE has
developed a rapid system for disseminating real-time market
information to farmers across the country. “In what looks like
small Nairobi Stock Exchanges—kiosks in rural markets—farmers
find up-to-date prices and link with buyers,” Annan said.
In addition, “The cell phone revolution has come to rural
Africa, and farmers are can now use their cell phones to get
real-time market information,” Annan said, commenting on another
KACE program.
“These are just a few of the many innovations bringing the
benefits of technology and science to small-scale farmers so
that they can improve their farm productivity and incomes and
end the poverty that has become so entrenched in rural Africa,”
said Mr. Annan.
Continent-wide Call for a Revolution in Agriculture
As Chairman of the Board of the Alliance, Annan plans to travel
regularly throughout Africa to meet with African farmers,
entrepreneurs, scientists, and political leaders to discuss and
promote the work of the Alliance.
Alliance initiatives are a response to calls by African leaders
to chart a new path for prosperity by spurring the continent’s
agricultural development. The Alliance strongly endorses the
vision laid out in the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa
Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which seeks a 6
percent annual growth in food production by 2015.
Mr. Annan assumed the chairmanship of the Alliance last month, a
position that comes six months after his departure from the UN,
where he served two five-year terms as Secretary-General. During
his tenure at the UN, Annan often drew attention to the link
between Africa’s failing agriculture systems and its persistent
hunger and poverty.
“This visit was the first of many I will take,” Annan said.
“AGRA and I will meet with small-scale farmers across Africa to
learn from them and to hear their ideas for change. At the same
time, I will be working closely with our partners, including
African heads of state, multilateral and bilateral organisations
such as the UN, donor agencies, and civil society
organisations.”
The African-led Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA) is a dynamic partnership working across the continent to
help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift
themselves out of poverty and hunger. Alliance programmes
develop practical solutions to dramatically boost farm
productivity and incomes while safeguarding the environment and
biodiversity. To achieve this goal, Alliance partnerships
address all key aspects of African agriculture: from seeds, soil
health and water to markets, agricultural education and policy.
For further information, go to
www.agra-alliance.org
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