Minister Mpofu
Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
AFRICAN governments should invest more in developing sound agricultural systems to ensure food security and poverty alleviation that is being worsened by lack of funding and climate change, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Delivering a keynote speech at the ongoing Global Expert Meeting on Agriculture and Agro-Industries Development here, Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Dr Obert Mpofu said lack of political commitment by governments has deprived many communities of opportunities.
Due to the funding gap, the minister said use of fertilisers, pesticides and better seed varieties remain limited in Africa thereby negatively affecting yields.
“This low level of intensification for African agriculture is a challenge that should be taken seriously by all stakeholders in the agricultural sector. This can be best done by heavily investing in agricultural mechanisation and irrigation development coupled with the introduction of modern farming methods so as to significantly improve the quality of life of our citizens,” he said.
“These daunting challenges facing agriculture and agro-industries development in developing countries require strong political commitment and prudent leadership in the public sector to create an enabling environment.”
Dr Mpofu said Zimbabwe had tried to deal with the challenges by embarking on the land reform programme in 2000 and subsequent policies and engagements to capacitate farmers.
He said the country had domesticated the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals global development agenda in its national development plan, ZimAsset, to ensure synchronisation of the global agenda with all national development initiatives.
Fostering agriculture growth, he said, means working towards boosting incomes and the general living conditions of one in every two Africans, the majority of whom are poor.
“A central challenge in agriculture is securing funding. Public funding is limited while banks and private investors often either do not see the market potential in these sectors or find them too risky,” said Dr Mpofu.
“Irrigation development remains the single most important strategy to adapt to climate change and guarantee a stable production and supply of food and nutrition security.”
The minister said government has embarked on a national irrigation rehabilitation and development programme under Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) and secured equipment from Brazil.
The calls comes on the backdrop of about half of African population relying on agriculture for their livelihood, with about 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s population in rural areas.
Dr Mpofu, however, said agriculture is key to development where locally the sector has strong linkages with manufacturing industry, and playing a significant role in the well being of citizens, contributing 25 percent of formal employment.
The sector is also key to the Special Economic Zones.
Dr Mpofu said the conference, which ends today, seeks to help mitigate challenges relating to climate change and inclusiveness that will enable the continent to go beyond traditional agriculture and agro industry.
The meeting was organised in preparation for the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Special Meeting on Innovations in Infrastructure Development and Promoting Sustainable Industrialisation (SDG 9), next month.
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