In the past decade, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced historically rapid economic growth and notable social change, yet poverty, hunger, and malnutrition remain widespread problems. With a large proportion of the population living in rural areas and working in agriculture, the solution to these problems largely lies in increasing agricultural productivity. To achieve this African Heads of State and Government committed to “allocate at least ten percent of the national budgetary resources to agriculture and rural development policy implementation within five years” as part of the 2003 Maputo Declaration to accelerate six percent annual agricultural growth.  However, many countries have not put their commitment into practice.

As a first step, African countries need to gear their efforts to increase investment in agriculture.  But it is not sufficient, and right priorities and sequencing are equally important.Agricultural productivity can be achieved in many ways including spreading knowledge of improved practices to smallholders, increasing the use of high-quality seeds and fertilizer, properly irrigating land, developing strong institutions, linking producers to markets, and appropriately addressing disease and conflict. Urgent actions—especially improving capacity and farmer support systems—are needed among all competing tasks.

Research-based evidence is required to tailor these methods to specific needs. But then this evidence must be communicated to users. FARA’s executive director Monty Jones said, “We must go beyond just research to increase productivity. Strengthening extension services and infrastructure, and implementing policies that support agricultural productivity and increase rural incomes will reduce hunger and poverty.”

According to Josué Dioné, director of UNECA’s Food Security and Sustainable Development Division, “Increasing agricultural productivity in Africa calls for broader policy and strategic frameworks that encompass the whole agriculture value chain, including agribusiness and agro-industrial sectors as well as farming.” Sustainably meeting food demands in the future—despite a growing population and diminishing natural resources—will require a greater emphasis on productivity growth.

“Increasing agricultural productivity is not a panacea to all problems, but it can make a significant positive contribution to resolve issues of food insecurity in Africa,” said Shenggen Fan, IFPRI director general.

In order for agricultural productivity to improve the lives of the poor, it needs a supportive environment, particularly increased access to markets.

Markets in particular pose a major challenge to poor people in rural areas. “Improving rural infrastructure to facilitate trade of goods—both at the country level, and across borders—would serve as an opportunity to improve food security in Africa,” said Abebe Haile-Gebriel, director of the AUC’s Rural Economy and Agriculture Division.

Experts at the conference will also examine issues related to:

• science, technology, and innovation in agriculture;
• rural services and access to inputs;
• markets, trade, and regional integration and value chains;
• investments, institutions, and policies for supporting agriculture;
• agriculture, nutrition, and health linkages;
• agriculture and climate change mitigation and adaptation;
• capacity development for agriculture through education and training; and
• the nexus of agriculture and the rural nonfarm sector in growth and poverty reduction

“Innovations in investment, institutions, technology, strategy, and partnerships will enhance productivity and greatly enhance food and nutrition security in Africa,” said Fan.

For more information on the conference: http://addis2011.ifpri.info.

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The African Union (AU) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, convened a special consultation of the Steering Group of the Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day as part of a plan to firm up the implementation of activities that will lead up to the continent-wide commemoration of the Day on October 30^th. The statistics of Africa’s food insecurity and compromised nutritional status are staggering and well known. Over 200 million Africans are undernourished and an even greater proportion suffers from vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

 However, there is hope that the fight against malnutrition can be won.

 The opportunity for intra-African trade of agriculture food commodities that are of high value and nutritionally sound is immense. What needs to be done at the earliest opportunity is to apply some of the more relevant indigenous knowledge systems around the best nutrition, as has been done for generations. But more importantly, the time is ripe for scaling up proven interventions.Therefore, one of the main goals and objectives of Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day is to ensure that information and knowledge is transmitted and communicated to all the different levels of consumers – policy makers, progamme implementers and all the vulnerable households.

 Given the challenges of poor research and policy translation into action and tangible results coupled by weak capacity in many member states and the evidently low investments in nutrition programmes, this can only lead to malnutrition. So, the Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day provides an opportunity for changing the status quo and ensuring a robust accountability mechanism. The Day will showcase the potential for adequately linking agriculture and nutrition value chains. Therefore, recognising the richness of Africa’s traditional and indigenous nutritious food commodities, educating the public on the best utilisation, sharing success stories on progress in reducing hunger and malnutrition in Africa is imperative.

 While there may be challenges, there clearly are models to be learnt from and emulated. This will take a concerted effort across all Government sectors, Private sector, Civil Society Organisations, Development partners, Institutions of Higher Learning and the average African to commit and contribute towards delivering and attaining the best nutrition for all.

 The commemoration will be at two levels, continentally and at the level of member states.   The activities will focus on 4 main flagship areas; dietary diversity, homegrown school feeding, maternal and child nutrition and food fortification.

 “If Africa does not invest in food and nutrition security, the consequences will be big…” says Boitshepo Bibi Giyose, Senior Advisor for Food and Nutrition Security at the NEPAD Agency.

 “This is the time for Africa, the energy is palpable, the momentum and support is promising, hence, let’s seize the DAY! “, she adds enthusiastically

Ms. Boitshepo Bibi Giyose is the Senior Advisor for Food and Nutrition Security at the NEPAD Agency

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The trend of international land grabbing – when governments and private firms invest in or purchase large tracts of land in other countries for the purpose of agricultural production and export – can have serious environmental and social consequences, according to researchers at the Worldwatch Institute. Deals that focus solely on financial profit can leave rural populations more vulnerable and without land, employment opportunities, or food security.

“Investors claim that land grabs can help alleviate the world food crisis by tapping into a country’s ‘unused’ agricultural potential,” said Danielle Nierenberg, Director of Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet project. “But such investments often do more harm than good, disrupting traditional land-use patterns and leaving small-scale farmers vulnerable to exploitation.”

The trend has accelerated as countries that lack sufficient fertile land to meet their own food needs – such as wealthier countries in the Middle East and Asia, particularly China – have turned to new fields in which to plant crops. “Growing demand and rising prices for food are leading some wealthier developing countries to seek secure access to food-producing land in the territory of lower-income ones,” said Robert Engelman, Executive Director of Worldwatch. “If all governments capably represented the interests of their citizens, these cash-for-cropland deals might improve prosperity and food security for both sides. But that’s not often the case. It’s critical that international institutions monitor these arrangements and find ways to block those that are one-sided or benefit only the wealthy.”

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) reports that some 15-20 million hectares of farmland were the subject of deals or proposed deals involving foreigners between 2006 and mid-2009. Additional land acquisitions occurred in 2010, including deals in Ethiopia and Sudan, according to Andrew Rice, author of The Teeth May Smile but the Heart Does Not Forget and contributing author to the recent Worldwatch report State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet.

Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet (www.NourishingthePlanet.org) project is a multi-year evaluation of environmentally sustainable agricultural innovations to alleviate hunger and poverty. Researchers traveled to 25 countries across sub-Saharan Africa to meet with more than 350 farmers groups, NGOs, government agencies, and scientists, highlighting small-scale agricultural efforts that are helping to improve peoples’ livelihoods by providing them with food and income. The findings are documented in the State of the World 2011 report.

Critics of large-scale land acquisitions believe that the land grabs are marginalizing the land rights of local residents, particularly indigenous populations, and compromising food security in the host countries. “[Critics] predict that the outcome will not be development but a litany of dire possible consequences: xenophobia, riots, coups, and more hunger,” writes Rice. Several organizations, including GRAIN, Oxfam, and the Oakland Institute, have reported on the negative consequences that such land deals have on developing countries.

Conversely, some experts argue that the agricultural development that occurs through land deals can provide poor countries with money, infrastructure, resources, and increases in food security. The International Institute for Economic Development, World Bank, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Fund for Agricultural Development all have published documents highlighting the economic possibilities associated with international land deals.

Nourishing the Planet recommends three critical considerations to help guide global land transactions to promote mutual benefit:

·      Well-defined land ownership. Research shows that when land is legally titled, economic productivity improves. Figuring out who owns the land before acquisitions take place can help ensure the interests of smallholder farmers, promote local economic growth, and support community coordination with international investors. A country’s history and lack of property rights can make land titling complicated. In Ethiopia’s Gambella region, for example, much “unused” agricultural land is traveled by livestock herders, left to fallow, or used for hunting and gathering by indigenous people. These traditional land uses are easily dismissed without property rights.

·       International cooperation and consent. Development experts agree that local residents should provide free, “prior and informed consent” to investors and government officials before land deals occur. But defining this consent and ensuring that deals operate within this rubric can be difficult. In the case of Mozambique, the government declared in 2007 that 30 million hectares of land was open for private investment. Although the government instituted consultations with local residents affected by potential deals, many local participants reported coercion, asymmetric information, and multiple sales of single titles. As a result, the government was forced to halt the deals altogether.

·        Complementing land deals with domestic infrastructure development. Many land deals require additional investment in infrastructure to make the land suitable for efficient agricultural production. When coordinated with local residents, this outside investment can lead to local employment and economic growth. At India’s West Garo Hills Tea Factory, for example, a government agency paid for some processing machinery, a private company offered additional machinery, factory design, and training, and local communities provided land, bricks, and labor. Not only does the partnership provide local jobs, but the processed tea from the factory is divided between the community and a private tea company.

State of the World 2011 is accompanied by informational materials including briefing documents, summaries, an innovations database, videos, and podcasts, all available at www.NourishingthePlanet.org. The project’s findings are being disseminated to a wide range of agricultural stakeholders, including government ministries, agricultural policymakers, and farmer and community networks, as well as to the increasingly influential nongovernmental environmental and development communities.  

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This international conference is being sponsored by the Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC) and the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) and will take place 19-21 March 2012 in Accra, Ghana.  The conference will critically examine, from both research and policy perspectives:

• Dominant and alternative framings and narratives, and recent empirical data, relating to how young people engage with the agrifood sector in Africa (as producers, entrepreneurs, employees, consumers and citizens)

• The dynamics of change in different components of the agrifood sector and the implications of these dynamics for young people

• The implications for young people of alternative policy approaches to the development of the agrifood sector.

The Deadline for the submission of abstracts is 31 August 2011.

Please circulate this announcement to you your colleagues and networks.

For additional information you may contact one of the conference organisers:

 Jim Sumberg, IDS, j.sumberg@ids.ac.uk

 Nana Akua Anyidoho, ISSER, a_anyi@yahoo.com

Sam Asuming-Brempong, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, University of Ghana, samasum@ug.edu.gh

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Drought and displacement combined with rising global food prices have left Kenya and Ethiopia in particular facing severe food shortages, with UNOCHA reporting that the regional situation is the worst food security crisis in the world today.

Some parts of the region are experiencing the driest conditions in 60 years, and Christian Aid emergency teams are continuously assessing how best to help local populations.

‘The crisis has been building for some time, especially in Kenya and Ethiopia, and is fast escalating across the region,’ warns Nick Guttmann, Christian Aid’s humanitarian director.

‘People are desperate and if we don’t act now we could be looking at one of the worst humanitarian situations the world has seen in a long time.’

Funds are urgently needed for life saving measures such as:

• Provision of water for villages experiencing the worst of the drought conditions
• Food for families, malnourished children, and pregnant women
• Animal feed to protect livestock that are so crucial to survival.

To make a donation to Christian Aid’s East Africa Food Crisis Appeal call 08080 004 004 or visit www.christianaid.org.uk/east-africa-appeal.

ends

If you would like further information please contact Nick Guttmann on 07775563211or email nguttman@christian-aid.org, or Emma Pomfret on 07554 024539 or email epomfret@christian-aid.org. 24 hour press duty phone – 07850 242950

Notes to Editors

1. Christian Aid works in some of the world’s poorest communities in nearly 50 countries. We act where the need is greatest, regardless of religion, helping people build the lives they deserve.

2. Christian Aid has a vision, an end to global poverty, and we believe that vision can become a reality. Our report, Poverty Over, explains what we believe needs to be done – and can be done – to end poverty.  Details at http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/poverty-over-report.pdf

3.  Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of 100 churches and church-related organisations that work together inhumanitarian assistance and development. Further details at http://www.actalliance.org

4. Follow Christian Aid’s newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid

5. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit www.christianaid.org.uk

News Release

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In his presentation to the 42^nd SC session, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), said that capacity building, infrastructure and agriculture as in the shape of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) accounted for some of the critical areas in which the Agency was making progress in the roll-out of continental projects and programmes.

The NEPAD Agency CEO also briefed the SC on the progress that has been made with regard to the integration of the NEPAD Agency into the African Union (AU) structures and processes, with specific reference being given to the Agency’s strategic direction and its’ adoption of AU rules, regulations and practices for human resources and finance.

In his remarks, Dr Mayaki revealed that in commemorating the 10th Anniversary of NEPAD, the Agency would give a strong signal on how Africa can harness its development challenges under the umbrella of the AU.

Crucially, the 41st SC was also briefed on the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) in Durban, South Africa, where the NEPAD Agency in partnership with the African Union will participate in firming up the African common position on climate change.

In response to the presentation the NEPAD SC went on to endorse the recommendations in the NEPAD Activity Report and outlook for 2011, noting in particular the:

• programmatic activities based on NEPAD’s thematic and priority areas such as Agriculture and Food Security, Regional Integration and Infrastructure, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management , Human Development as well as Economic Governance and Corporate Governance and Cross Cutting Issues;
• institutional efforts at results-based management and performance and;
• the roll-out of key regional and continental programmes, in collaboration with the AU Commission.

Heads of key development agencies, leading experts as well as heads of regional bodies such as Dr. Emmanuel Nnadozie, Director of the Economic Development and NEPAD Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Zemenay Lakew, Senior Programme Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme and Bakary Kone, Chief of External Affairs and Partnerships at the African Capacity Building Foundation elaborated on their continued support for the implementation of the NEPAD programme.

The NEPAD SC is primarily responsible for developing the terms of reference for identified programmes and projects, and for overseeing the work and programmatic activities of the NEPAD Agency. This committee consists of the personal representatives of the heads of state that seat on the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC).

For more information and to arrange for interviews, contact:

Andrew Kanyegirire, OIC – Communications, Cell: +27-83-704-4506, Email: andrewk@nepad.org

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The call was made by the International Food Policy Research Institute while releasing a new report on Agriculture Research and Development.

The report shows that investment in agricultural research and development (R&D) in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by more than 20 percent from 2001-2008, but most of this growth occurred in only a handful of countries. The report shows that Nigeria alone accounts for one-third of the increase.

spending on agriculture research

The report is a result of a collaboration between IFPRI’s Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative with more than 370 agricultural research agencies in Sub-Sahara Africa. ASTI is spearheaded by IFPRI on behalf of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

“Studies show that investments in agricultural R&D have greatly contributed to economic growth, agricultural development, food security, and poverty reduction in developing regions over the past five decades,” said Nienke Beintema, head of ASTI.

“New agricultural technologies and crop varieties have helped to increase yields, improve nutrition, conserve natural resources, and expand rural markets,” Beintema said during a teleconference to release the report.

The report a result of a survey in 32 countries expresses concern that spending in most of the region has stagnated or fallen, and urgent investment is needed to rescue the situation.

Gert-Jan Stads, ASTI program coordinator says the state of agricultural R&D is particularly grave in francophone West Africa, where insufficient national investment has left programs debilitated and dangerously dependent on volatile external funding. Gabon, Gambia and Sierra Leone were at the lowest end of funding agriculture research and development. Many of these countries are also struggling with a rapidly aging pool of scientists, many of whom will approach retirement within the next decade, the IFPRI researchers said.

The IFPRI Report on Agriculture Research in Africa

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The report found that investment in agricultural R&D had rebounded in many of the larger countries, primarily Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. However, in 13 countries, spending actually declined. Even where funding did increase, much of the money went to boost low salaries and rehabilitate infrastructure and equipment after years of neglect.

Most countries in the study are facing human capacity challenges, such as recruitment freezes, retention problems, and researchers who either lack high-level training or are old and nearing retirement, according to the report.

Yet the researchers say well-developed, funded, and staffed agricultural research programs are crucial if farmers are to be more productive and prosperous in the future. The report shows,  that only a few countries are making the necessary investments. In 2008, only eight countries in the study—Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, and Uganda—spent more than one percent of their agricultural GDP on research and development, the target set by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Moreover, many countries still depend on donors for funding, which is often short-term and unpredictable, leaving programs vulnerable and hampering long-term planning.

To address the challenges hindering agricultural R&D in Africa, the report calls for increased, consistent, and coordinated funding among governments and donors to counteract decades of underinvestment in agricultural R&D; improved recruitment and training, and expanded investments in agricultural higher education to resolve human resource capacity issues; and increased regional and sub-regional cooperation in agricultural R&D to pool resources, share information and innovations, and maximize the benefits of research.

“In the face of escalating challenges to food security, such as rapid population growth, climate change, water scarcity, and volatile food prices, investing in agricultural research is more important than ever,” said Gert-Jan Stads.

He said although there has been renewed interest in the role of agriculture in tackling hunger and poverty in recent years, governments, donors and development banks should translate this political support “ into action if the immense potential of agricultural research is to be realized.”

The IFPRI researchers say investing in agriculture research is vital for the development of agriculture and ensuring food security.

Also see

Country Specific agriculture research trends

Absolute Levels of R&D Spending and Staffing by Country

Spending: Overall and Countries with Greatest Increases & Decreases

Spending: Annual Growth Rates by Country

“Best Bets” for Agricultural Research at Global and Regional Levels

By Gerald Businge

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*All data related to investment and spending patterns are adjusted for inflation.

BENIN

• Agricultural R&D expenditures have gradually increased since 2000, reflecting enhanced government funding and greater involvement by the higher education sector, but agricultural research remains largely donor dependent.

• Benin faces a serious research capacity crisis. Staff levels at the country’s National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAB), the main R&D agency, have dwindled and the high average age of scientists means that the most experienced researchers are nearing retirement.

• INRAB has difficulty retaining qualified researchers due to low salaries relative to universities and a public-sector recruitment ban that limits opportunities. About two-thirds of its researchers are contract workers.

• Urgent steps must be taken to boost scientific cooperation among research actors, cancel the hiring freeze, and provide young researchers with training opportunities.

BOTSWANA

• Investments in agricultural research rose rapidly until 2007, after which spiraling inflation prompted the government to cut funding to public R&D agencies in 2008.

• Research capacity also declined in 2008 due to a considerable exodus of R&D staff from the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), the country’ main public agency for agricultural research.

• R&D is mainly funded by the government. Donor support for, and private-sector involvement in agricultural research is minimal.

• Despite government-funded training initiatives, which increased the number of PhD-level scientists, DAR has serious difficulties attracting and retaining well-qualified staff because of its relatively low salaries.

MoneyMaker Pumps made by KickStart International

BURKINA FASO

• Agricultural R&D spending has followed a pattern of booms and busts, coinciding with the start and end of projects funded by World Bank loans, which have heavily funded R&D since the late 1980s.

• In 2004, R&D expenditures plummeted following the conclusion of a World Bank-funded project, resulting in dire financial straits, disruptions in research, and a halt to recruitment.

• Overall, the country’s agricultural researchers are among the more highly qualified in West Africa, but recruiting and training young scientists are vital as the average age of researchers has rapidly risen.

• The government needs to increase funding, with a long-term focus, to halt the instability and fragility that have characterized the country’s agricultural research to date.

BURUNDI

• Following a decade of sociopolitical turmoil, a peace treaty was signed in 2003 that prompted the return of donors and has led to an increase in agricultural R&D spending and research capacity.

• Donors, particularly Belgium and the World Bank, play a key role in funding Burundi’s agricultural R&D.

• The Burundi Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ISABU), the country’s main R&D agency, lacks a critical mass of PhD-level scientists due to serious difficulties in attracting and retaining well-qualified staff. However, the status of ISABU researchers has been upgraded recently, which will allow the institute to offer much higher salaries and, hopefully, recruit and retain highly qualified staff.

• The government needs to provide long-term support to R&D to strengthen the agricultural sector, which has been weakened by sociopolitical crisis and climatic disturbances, so it can play a crucial role in poverty reduction and food security.

CONGO (REPUBLIC OF)

• Despite recent and slight improvements, agricultural R&D spending remains far below the levels recorded before the civil wars of the 1990s, which had caused investments to plummet.

• The country’s agricultural research is primarily funded by the government. Donors play only a very modest role in funding compared to many African countries.

• Research capacity levels declined from 2001–08 at the agricultural centers of the General Delegation of Scientific and Technical Research (DGRST)—which coordinates and oversees research at 14 centers in the country—due to numerous retirements and a public-sector hiring freeze.

• Congo’s researchers are among the oldest in Africa and 60 percent of DGRST staff are expected to retire between now and 2016, making the recruitment and training of young researchers an urgent need.

• Reviving the agricultural sector and developing a research policy is crucial to reducing rural poverty and supporting economic diversification as oil production, the country’s main source of income, declines.

 
Next Page

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The Director of the International Institute of Environment and Development Dr. Camilla Toulmin wrote an open letter to Bill Gates expressing concern over his criticism of their earlier report on massive land acquisitions in Africa by western companies and countries for agriculture.

IIED had in an earlier report Alternatives to land Acquisitions indicated that the land acquisitions were a big threat to food security in Africa where threats to hunger are huge.

Bill Gates Microsoft Founder

But Gates, the Chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the leading funders of agriculture aid in Africa in a recent interview referring to the report said some western lobby orgnaisations might stop helpful flow of investment into Africa and thus keep the continent unable to meet its food needs.

Below is the letter in full

IIED’s director Dr Camillla Toulmin, responds to comments Bill Gates made about large-scale land acquisitions in Africa in a recent interview.

Dear Mr Gates,

I was very interested to read your Annual Letter and congratulate you and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the far-sighted investments you have made in health and agricultural development.

In your interview this week on AllAfrica.Com, you replied to a question about IIED’s recent report Land deals in Africa: What is in the contracts?, by saying it would be too bad if some of this investment was held back because of Western groups’ ways of looking at things, and that the inflow of capital should not be viewed purely through Western eyes.

IIED colleagues would agree with you that inward investment has the potential to bring significant benefits to growth in agricultural productivity and rural incomes in Africa. Equally, you are absolutely right that it is not for Western groups to tell African people whether they should accept inward investment, for agriculture or anything else.

But as our research shows, the problem so far is that very few people in these countries have been able to see the contracts that have been negotiated. The lack of clarity, large areas of land involved, long term leases and questions around compensation for the displaced all raise questions about who wins and who loses from these deals, as currently designed. But, as the report argues, it does not have to be like this.

Contract farming or joint ventures with local farmers offer a different investment model (others are described in our earlier report Alternatives to land acquisitions). Far from trying to push a “Western agenda”, IIED works closely with partners in a range of African countries, who generate the perspectives and evidence on which our reports are based. They are calling for greater scrutiny of these deals.

In Mali, farmer organisations have been calling for a moratorium on large scale land allocations, and have reminded the government that all land, water, forests and natural resources constitute national assets for all citizens (see below for details of the farmers’ Kolongo declaration).

Mr Tiébilé Dramé, leader of the PARENA party in Mali, has invited His Excellency President Touré to publish the list of those who have acquired land in the irrigable area, and the amounts allotted to each, along with the contracts, letters of agreement and conditions surrounding these leases (see below).

The haste with which these deals are being made has meant important environmental issues have not been taken into account, such as the combined downstream impacts of water taken off the River Niger on the enormously valuable inland Niger Delta in central Mali on which millions of people depend.

Transparency is called for to ensure that investors undertake their contractual obligations, rather than engage in speculation over land which does not belong to them.

Given the enormous respect in which you and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are held, you can indeed “help make the case for the world’s poorest people” because of the access you have to world leaders.

Your voice and engagement could help transform the benefits promised by this much-needed investment, by encouraging governments to open up debate around how best to use each nation’s soils and water, for the long term benefit of its citizens.

Would you be ready to offer your help in opening up national debate on agricultural investment deals so they can meet the needs of smallholder farmers, who have been at the heart of your agricultural development strategy?

Best wishes

Camilla Toulmin, Director IIED

http://www.iied.org/natural-resources/media/open-letter-bill-gates-african-land-acquisitions

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There are concerns recently raised in the media about genetically modified crops/Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Indeed, a few years ago, Zimbabwe refused 10,000 tonnes of GM maize despite the fact that it had been hit by drought induced famine, arguing that the GM strains could contaminate the local crops. Some countries like Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia have also expressed concerns in the recent past.

However, based on scientific wisdom, Europe’s stringent measures against GMOs cannot be copied and pasted onto Africa’s situation. Yes, there are serious concerns about GMOs, but let’s face it, we are already on our way to a GM regime. Some GMO products are already in our local supermarkets; the planting of GM seeds/crops is already taking place in the countryside and it is growing day by day.

In addition, public-private funded research at national research institutions about GMOs is ongoing. Instead of moving against the tide, it’s better to find African solutions to the problem, driven by well trained and sincere Africans and taking into consideration issues like bio-safety, ethics, impact of GMOs on the environment, intellectual property rights and access to seeds by small-scale farmers.

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