UK commits to new deal for African agriculture
26 Sep 2009
The UK has signed up to a new action plan that will help lift millions out of poverty and hunger by supporting African governments’ agricultural development strategies.
The plan will ensure that the £1.1 billion the UK committed for global food programmes at the last G8 summit will be deployed in a structured, accountable way. The Department for International Development will work with the international community to deliver strategies to improve agriculture, developed by African countries themselves.
The commitment was made at a high-level event – convened to discuss the G8’s $20 billion of financial commitments to global food production - hosted by Hillary Clinton and Ban Ki Moon in New York.
Speaking at the event Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Ivan Lewis said:
“Country-led efforts are being coupled with increased resources from developed country partners in support of country-led plans to improve agricultural growth and food security. For instance, the UK has increased spending on agricultural development to £1.1 billion over the next 3 years.
“This is why in Africa, the UK and most of the donors here support the African Union’s Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme. CAADP provides an African-led framework for ambitious, high quality country-led policies and plans for agriculture and food security. It brings together governments, donors, private sector and other stakeholders. It is about investing wisely to achieve progress on the crucial matter of global food security and ensuring the 1 billion hungry people in 2008 is never repeated, and it sets the agenda for donors to get behind.
“At a meeting in Addis earlier this month CAADP stakeholders reached the Addis Consensus - an agreement on a coordinated approach to supporting the CAADP compacts that are being signed across Africa. At the meeting we agreed practical guidelines for donor support to the CAADP process at a country-level. I am proud the UK played an active role in building such an important consensus.
“Across Africa governments are increasing their political focus on agriculture and food security, this represents an historic opportunity to lift people out of poverty – in Africa 75% of poor people derive their livelihood from agriculture.
“We leave New York with a clear commitment to rapid implementation of the Addis Consensus on the ground, turning our important discussions on the future of food security and agricultural productivity into concrete actions.”
The UK’s Department for International Development has increased its spending on agricultural development to £1.1 billion over the next 3 years, much of which will be targeted on Africa which shows great potential for growth.
Read More..
Source: DFID
