Feed Africa: A continental project for agricultural revolution

In the western world orthodox perspective, Africa may be a recurring metaphor for disasters, poverty, hopelessness. But the reality is that it is the everlasting bedrock of untapped potentialities in the global content and context.

In Africa, multiple events are unfolding, fresh ideas incessantly springing up for transformation, cultivating new values for both human and physical development. One of such wonderful ideas is ‘Feed Africa’, increasingly deepening momentum. It is not just a broad and vibrating idea, but also a rescue operation for a continental rebirth, global assertion and focused participation. The overall goal of ‘Feed Africa’ is transforming the continent to a net food exporter by 2025. This could be achieved by fundamentally transcending from agriculture as a way of life to agriculture as a means of business, integrating sophisticated farming methods for bumper harvest.

However, this is 2025 already. Is it going to be realistic? It is seemingly a turbulent journey, a necessary venture to weather the storm. Nevertheless, projection can be adjusted, amended and extended to, for example, 2030 for hope renewal. The additional five years will be an extra grace of invaluable time, dedicating and restrategising plans, actions, mobilisation of relevant resources and their practical implementation to attain this noble and gigantic mandate. By 2030, we expect a miraculous, reformed Africa.

The strong passion for ‘Feed Africa’ fosters a metaphorical meaning of value creation,cemented by monumental influence. It builds our insatiable desire for growth and sustainable development, creating wealth, transformation of rural areas where the bulk of the population lives, offering a holistic prospect for large-scale job creation, raising incomes, increasing food security and macro-economic stability as well as contributing to mitigating conflicts, preventing internal and external migration. Feed Africa shall continue to be a resonating metaphor until Africa is free from hunger, building chains of massive food production to surpass the other continents.

Already, Africa’s current population is hugely over 1.3 billion. By 2050, the African population is forecast to rise to, at least 2-4 billion and will continue to grow to 4.2 billion, four times its current size in the next 100 years. It is the second place of human habitation after Asia. The ‘Feed Africa’ revolution seeks to convert the continent into the food basket of the world. According to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Africa soil has the potential to feed all of Europe, America and Asia. Supporting this revolutionary drive is the Agricultural Transformation Agenda( ATA). Its primary goal is realisation of key Sustainable Development Goals which include eradication of poverty and hunger, uplifting Africa to the level of export-oriented region.

Although agriculture employs over 60% of the African workforce and accounts for roughly a third of the continent’s GDP, yet, Africa is the most food- insecure region in the world, with more than 232 million under-nourished people, approximately one in every four persons. This is a wake up call for the governments of African countries to conquer the enormous challenges of this 21st Century revolution for its successful execution. It is time to dream and actualise a new Africa that is born to salvage itself and serve the world.

‘Faces of Africa’ is all about an inspiring documentary that captures 7 types of African people. Of course, the farmer is included and serves as the central force of this revolutionary drive. The ongoing digital transformation in Africa presents a valuable platform to revolutionise the continent’s food system. This is in addition to mass investments and training of farmers. If governments can provide subsidies on agricultural implements, fight flooding, improve researches, provide storage facilities, the African farmer will be a large scale producer of wealth, becoming the king farmer in the world.

From the 18th Century to date, the world has witnessed many revolutions such as the Industrial Revolution, American Revolution and French Revolution among others. The Feed Africa could be Africa’s revolution through transformation of agriculture. Supporting this native and cultural revolution is the African Development Bank ( AfDB). Its top priorities in this giant project include improving post harvest activities, supporting farmers and agri-business in taking advantage of the opportunities created through the African Continental Free Trade Area. It also provides reliable inputs as seeds, fertilisers at lower cost, promoting successful marketing models for farmers, traders, while supporting regional and national research and development institution to help strengthen agricultural policies and provide innovative technologies.

While the world’s revolutions were real and still echoing, reshaping events and rebuilding situations, our agricultural revolution must be pursued to install a new African order that can influence the world. The prevalent and enigmatic hurdles serve not as our weakness, but as motivating factors to win the battle. We must be possessed by the unbrindled spirit and quality of Africanism to push underdevelopment back. A popular African proverb emphasises that ‘ to get lost is to learn the way’. To paraphrase this, the loss of our hitherto past teaches us great lessons of learning new practical implementations of strategies for development.

In the end, it is optimistic that Africa’s agricultural revolution will transform the continent to become the focal point of migration from the other continents. Then, it will fit the meaning of its ancient name- Alkebulan- meaning, the ‘mother of mankind’.

Abdu Abdullahi
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07036207998