Message from the Executive Director of CAFOR, Dr. Lawalley Cole, on Africa Day commemorated on May 31st, 2023, with the United Community of African Students (UCAS) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands

Promoting sustainable agricultural practices and food security in Africa with effective European and African collaboration

On Wednesday, 31st May 2023, it was a pleasure to be a guest keynote speaker at the United Community of African Students (UCAS) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands for their Africa Day Event. My subject of the discussion focused on promoting sustainable agricultural practices and food security in Africa with effective European and African collaboration. My presentation pointed to the following issues:

1. Agriculture is often considered the backbone of Africa’s economy and the primary income source for most of its population. Nevertheless, farming productivity in Africa lags and should surpass other regions, such as Asia and Latin America. Despite the enormous potential of agriculture on the continent, the sector is plagued by low productivity, insufficient investment, and an aging population of farmers. That is why the participation of African youth in agriculture is crucial for the continent’s development.

2. One key reason for this is the demographic dominance of African youth. According to the United Nations, over 60% of Africa’s population is under 25, making it the youngest continent in the world. If this demographic is mobilized into agriculture, it has the potential to smoothly transform the sector into a modern, efficient, and technologically advanced one. That would ensure that Africa’s agriculture contributes significantly to the continent’s development prospects.

3. Moreover, the participation of African youth in the agriculture sector will lead to increased food production and security. Agriculture in many African countries still depends on old, rigid, unsustainable farming techniques that do not increase productivity or stimulate economic growth.

4. However, young Africans are more likely to be tech-savvy, innovative, and open to exploring new methods of farming that can boost productivity and efficiency. By adopting new technologies, such as drones, genetically modified crops, artificial intelligence, and hybrid seeds, the youth will increase farm yields and improve product quality to meet the increasing demands of a growing population in Africa and beyond.

5. The involvement of African youth in agriculture also offers job creation, entrepreneurship, and wealth generation opportunities. Agriculture in Africa remains largely informal and primarily involves subsistence farming, which makes it a low-skilled and poorly paid sector. Young people can transform agriculture into a profitable and respectable profession and make a decent living.

6. The advancement of African agriculture will play a significant role in developing African economies. According to the African Development Bank, agriculture is the largest employer in Africa, providing livelihoods to over 70% of the population. A vibrant agricultural sector will increase exports, enhance foreign exchange earnings, and elevate African countries’ economic status and profile in the global marketplace.

7. We at CAFOR would like to see a greater focus on Africa’s young people. The agriculture sector provides employment opportunities for youths, which in turn helps to reduce youth unemployment. African youths have the opportunity to take advantage of the vast unexplored agricultural opportunities that exist on the continent. African youths contribute to adopting innovative farming technologies, practices, and products that increase the quality and quantity of food production and food security on the continent.

8. For African youths, agricultural entrepreneurship is an avenue to contribute to the continent’s economic development. Agriculture accounts for a significant percentage of Africa’s GDP, and youths can create profitable agricultural ventures that not only create jobs but also increase agricultural productivity and contribute to the growth of the continent’s economy.

9. At CAFOR, one of our TVET strategies for Africa’s youths is to provide training with special skills development for the agricultural sector, including digitalization. Despite the enormous potential of agriculture on the continent, we note that this sector needs more productivity to address nutritional issues sufficiently, needs more investment, and has an aging population of farmers. That is why the participation of African youth in agriculture is crucial for the continent’s development.

On the question of how to promote sustainable agricultural practices with Africa – Europe collaboration, I emphasized the following areas:

1. We must promote sustainable agricultural practices and food security in Africa with effective European and African collaboration through knowledge-sharing, capacity building, investment in sustainable agriculture, and support for small-scale farmers and rural development.

2. We can also focus on expanding access to education, resources, and technology to help farms produce more food with less environmental impact.

3. Agriculture has always played a significant role in shaping the growth and development of Africa. With most of Africa’s youth population, they must contribute to the agricultural sector to help drive the continent’s development. The contribution of African youths to the agriculture sector is essential for the continent’s social and economic advancement.

4. The agriculture sector provides employment opportunities for youths, which in turn helps to reduce youth unemployment. African youths have the opportunity to take advantage of the vast unexplored agricultural opportunities that exist on the continent. African youths contribute to adopting innovative farming technologies, practices, and products that increase the quality and quantity of food production and food security on the continent.

5. African youths can also leverage technology to innovate in agriculture. With the emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, African youths can develop new ways to improve food production and distribution, thereby enhancing food security and increasing the continent’s agricultural exports.

6. In promoting sustainable agricultural practices and food security in Africa, African and European collaboration will need to focus on the following areas:

a. Support small-scale farmers who mostly fall in the category of youths: Small-scale farmers produce a significant amount of food in Africa. Providing them with access to credit, insurance, and technology can help increase their productivity and yields.

b. Encourage crop diversification: Encouraging farmers to grow different crops can help maintain soil health and reduce the risk of crop failure due to climate change.

c. Support research and development: Governments and other stakeholders can support the research and development of new crop varieties, pest control practices, and other technological innovations that can help increase crop yields while reducing the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.

d. Promote conservation agriculture: Conservation agriculture promotes using soil-friendly practices like minimal tillage, crop rotation, and cover cropping. This use helps increase soil fertility and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers.

e. Build infrastructure: Infrastructure like irrigation systems, roads, and storage facilities can help farmers transport their produce to markets and reduce post-harvest losses.

f. Address food waste: Addressing food waste is crucial for food security in Africa. We can invest in technology and infrastructure to reduce food losses during transportation and storage.

g. Educate farmers: Educating farmers on sustainable agricultural practices can help them adopt eco-friendly farming methods and produce healthy food for the population. We at CAFOR have been bearing this in mind from the onset of the existence of our organization. We will need considerable assistance from external partners, including Europe, to successfully embark on this.

A. European countries can support agriculture in Africa in the following ways:

a. Financial assistance: European countries can provide financial assistance to African countries to improve their agricultural sector through development aid, grants, and loans.

b. Promote fair trade: European countries can support appropriate trade agreements that ensure that African farmers receive a reasonable product price, reducing poverty and increasing food security.

c. Support research and development: European countries can fund research and development projects to develop new crop varieties and agroecological practices suited for African soils and climate.

d. Offer technical expertise: European countries can send agricultural experts and technicians to African countries and share their knowledge and expertise on innovative farming practices that can improve productivity and sustainability.

e. Build infrastructure: European countries can help build infrastructure such as irrigation systems, storage facilities, and markets to improve the agricultural sector.

f. Strengthen food safety and quality control: European countries can help improve their food safety and quality control systems to ensure that African farmers can meet European food safety and quality standards and export their products to Europe.

g. Invest in value-added processing: European countries can invest in value-added processing of African agricultural products and support agro-industry development to create jobs and increase incomes in rural areas.

I again emphasized how European countries can contribute significantly to food security in Africa, citing the following ways:

a. Increased Agricultural Productivity: The financial and technical assistance European countries provide can help African farmers improve agricultural productivity and increase yields. This support can help boost food production and ensure a steady food supply in Africa.

b. Improved access to agricultural inputs: Through development aid programs, European countries can provide African farmers easy access to quality seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural inputs. This assistance can help farmers to implement better farming practices and improve their crop yields.

c. Enhanced capacity building: Technical assistance and training provided by European countries can help African farmers to develop better skills and knowledge in sustainable agricultural practices, good farming practices, and other vital skills for food production.

d. Access to international markets: Support from European countries can enable African farmers to comply with international regulations and standards on food quality, safety, and traceability. This aid can help them to export their products to global markets and benefit from higher prices.

e. Improved infrastructure and connectivity: European countries’ support can help build roads, storage and processing facilities, and communication networks. This assistance can help improve market access, reduce post-harvest losses, and enhance supply chain efficiency.

f. Address climate change challenges: European countries can support African countries to adapt to climate change and strengthen resilience to recurring droughts, floods, and other extreme weather conditions that can compromise agricultural productivity and food security.

7. All these efforts can contribute to achieving sustainable food systems, improved nutrition, and food security.

I concluded by underlying how European-African collaboration for sustainable agriculture presents a significant opportunity to transform the sector and contribute to the development of the African continent. It is a way to augment food production, create jobs, and increase foreign exchange earnings. African and European governments, organizations, and private sector actors can help empower African farmers, primarily young people and create an enabling environment to contribute to agriculture transformation in Africa. Agriculture represents an enormous opportunity for African youths to contribute to the development of their communities, create employment, and promote food security. As such, African countries must prioritize the cultivation of agricultural practices, policies, and investments that support and encourage the participation of young people in the agriculture sector. European countries have an enormous capacity to assist African countries in achieving this. By doing so, Africa can build a healthy agriculture sector that provides food and employment and enable economic growth and development.

I am most grateful to the students and faculty of Wageningen University and Research and Study Circle for this invitation to speak on such an important subject for the African continent, who told me that my attendance truly made the occasion even more special and impactful as it served as a source of inspiration for all attendees. I am also told that participants were able to better understand Africa’s culture, history and ongoing development.