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NWANZE: Africa grows crops, exports, then spends on food imports

Saturday September 17 2016
kanayo

The president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Kanayo Nwanze, recently won the Africa Food Prize at the Agra 2016 summit. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU

The president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Kanayo Nwanze, recently won the Africa Food Prize at the Agra 2016 summit. He spoke to ALLAN OLINGO about his vision for smallholder farmers in Africa.

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How does winning the price make you feel? Is it the ultimate goal?

The prize is an honour and I am humbled by it because international development partners have come to accept that small producers in agriculture are central to Africa’s agricultural problems. My work has focused entirely on small producers and to win this gives a sense of satisfaction. I am also humbled because it wasn’t something I was expecting. However, there is still more to be done.

You have talked about investing in the people rather than agriculture. Are African governments investing enough in the farmers themselves?

The answer is no but governments are changing. They are beginning to see that crops don’t grow by themselves. They are realising the importance of investing in people, providing them with technical skills; capacity to be business-oriented; ability to apply the right farming practices and provide inputs, finances and insurance. This would be an important step in the continent’s agricultural transformation.

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The governments are beginning to change and the International Fund for Agricultural Development work is people centred. We need to change mindsets and invest in smallholder farmers because their primary source of income is agriculture.

What can be done to support IFAD better?

On the side of countries, given that the organisation is funded through grant financing by member states, we would like more members to take up a stake in IFAD so that it can do more for African agriculture. Yes, we are a specialised agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries, but when we have more collaborations with governments, it will amplify the impact of what we do. We aren’t asking for more grants but better collaborations for the benefit of the continent.

During the Agra summit, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame both pushed for the implementation of the Malabo Declaration — in which African heads of state committed themselves to allocating 10 per cent of their budgets to agriculture for increased production. What could be hindering its enforcement?

Only 13 countries are currently devoting 10 per cent or more of their budgets in agriculture, but in reality it’s only seven of them that have been consistent in doing this. However, many started from a low base of two per cent but are moving closer to the 10 per cent, such as Kenya and Uganda.

On the other hand there are those investments in building roads, irrigations systems, canals and water systems, all agricultural, infrastructure initiatives. These lost opportunities have resulted in Africa not being able to reach the 10 per cent funding goal. When countries discovered minerals and the rest, they abandoned agriculture funding. In the 1970s, we were not importing as much food as we do now.

We have seen Asian countries use agriculture as part of their industrialisation drive. Don’t you think it is time we rethink our industrialisation policies?

About 70 per cent of the food produced in the world comes from Africa, yet we get less than 10 per cent earnings from finished products. We are a continent that exports produce and buys it back. For instance, why is it that Cote d'Ivoire, which has been producing cocoa for all those many decades, doesn’t have a chocolate factory? Why can’t we emulate countries like Rwanda and Ethiopia, which have consistently allocated more than 15 per cent of their budgets to agriculture? More African leaders need to think like them.

Are declarations like Malabo going to feed Africa?

No they will not. But they are a starting point for African governments. At least these declarations show concern and effort and I believe leaders can double their efforts and improve how we practise our agriculture. Look at countries in East Africa that aren’t commodity dependent. Aren’t their economies faring much better because they didn’t abandon agriculture for minerals or oil? That’s the way we should be looking at things.

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