IFAD President Calls for Increased Agricultural Investment in Africa

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supports the initiatives of the African Green Revolution Conference in upholding new agricultural technologies in Africa. At the conference, IFAD’s President Lennart Båge stated that “Smallholder farmers in Africa need to be empowered to become rural entrepreneurs who can build productive and profitable partnerships with the private sector.”

To make this possible, African farmers should be supported with agricultural research, policy, and investment measures to lift themselves out of poverty and contribute to their country’s economic growth. Agricultural productivity has been a powerful instrument in fighting poverty and hunger in the past. The Asian green revolution was successfully implemented and this can be similarly implemented in Africa to support the development of varieties that have resistance to pests, drought and salinity.

For details of the press release, see: http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2008/38.htm