Biotech Updates

Sub-Saharan Africa Agriculture Registers Positive Growth

October 2, 2009

A more favorable policy environment, higher world prices for food commodities and technological advances have contributed to a more than 3.5 percent growth in sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural sector in 2008. Concerted and purposeful policy action is needed to enable the region to continue improving its agricultural performance momentum.

"The strong potential of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is a welcome news: agriculture is the backbone of overall growth for the majority of countries in the region and essential for poverty reduction and food security," FAO Assistant Director-General Hafez Ghanem said.

The agricultural performance of sub-Saharan Africa was tackled in a discussion paper prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization for a High-Level Expert Forum to be held in Rome on 12-13 October 2009. Strategies on "How to Feed the World in 2050" will be discussed to determine "action in areas such as technological innovation, the development of markets and services and better management of natural resources to feed a growing population and eradicate hunger in the region."

Read FAO press release at http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/35770/icode/