AGRA, NEPAD Partner to Boost Food Security in Africa

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) announced that they will join forces to increase food production and achieve food security in Africa. The partnership will link African government commitments to agricultural development with concrete programs in seeds, soil health, policy, and markets, the African development organizations said in a press release.

Based on the Memorandum of Understanding, the organizations will work directly with national governments and partners across the agricultural value chain in a comprehensive effort to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers growing Africa's staple food crops. "This partnership will enable African countries to close the gap between intention and action on behalf of smallholder farmers," said Kofi Annan, Chairman of AGRA.

The new partners will work together through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), which aims to boost African food security through greater investments in agriculture. Since the Program's establishment in 2003, more than 10 countries have signed the CAADP commitment of allotting at least 10 percent of their allocations towards agriculture. These countries include Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mali, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria.

For more information, read http://www.agra-alliance.org/content/news/detail/1062