The key to Africa’s prosperity? Cultivating ‘agropreneurs’

Dimiss the thought that the key to Africa’s financial well-being lies in oil or other standard bearers of economic prosperity. Agnes Kalibata looks to the future and sees smallholder farmers as the answer.

“Today, the countries that have depended so much on oil are suffering the most,” said Kalibata, the head of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the continent’s largest agricultural non-governmental organization.
miss the thought that the key to Africa’s financial well-being lies in oil or other standard bearers of economic prosperity. Agnes Kalibata looks to the future and sees smallholder farmers as the answer.

“Today, the countries that have depended so much on oil are suffering the most,” said Kalibata, the head of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the continent’s largest agricultural non-governmental organization.
“We mine it and send it out. If we had used it to invest in agriculture, we would have seen much greater economic benefits. We can sell oil and make money, but we miss opportunities to invest in agriculture, which reaches the most numbers of people.”

Kalibata says greater investment in Africa’s farming sector is imperative and should take priority over economic drivers, such as oil.

A former minister for agriculture for Rwanda, Kalibata says that the $35 billion Africa spends on importing food from other countries would be better spent on farmers. She contends that if they were helped to become “agropreneurs,” they could efficiently replace many of the imported produce with domestically grown food.

In a conversation with The Times, Kalibata shared some of her views on the benefits of putting farmers first. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How can agriculture boost economic development in Africa?

Today we are talking about 70% of the people in sub-Saharan Africa who earn their income from agriculture. Because of that, agriculture ends up being between 25% and 40% of the gross domestic product of these countries. That’s an extremely significant figure.

And it’s not just that agriculture is contributing to GDP; it’s also the inclusivity of agriculture. The benefits are spread more evenly across society, particularly to the benefit of the poor. You are able to reach people in deeper ways in terms of reaching them with investments that can transform their lives, than you could do with any other sector.

Investment in agriculture is 11 times as effective in reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa compared with investment in other sectors. In other developing countries, it’s said to be about four times as effective.Source :LA TIMES