African Countries Recommit to Investing 10% of Budgets in Agriculture
7 July 2014 
A Tanzanian artist named Professor Jay, at left, presents ONE.org’s agriculture petition to Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, at right, at the AU Summit. Photo credit: African Press Organization.
Crop inputs are poised for continued growth and adoption in Africa as a result of investment from national governments. A congress of African Union states committed again to spending 10% of their national budgets on implementing agricultural policy reforms contained in the new Malabo Declaration issued at the 23rd annual AU Summit of Heads of State and Government in Equatorial Guinea June 20-27.
“Smallholder farmers are ready to help ensure food and nutrition security for all African citizens, to grow jobs and boost our economies – and this is possible, if our leaders can now move from the Declaration to its effective implementation,” said Audax Rukonge, executive director of the Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) of Tanzania in a press release.
The Malabo Declaration’s overarching purpose is to reduce hunger and poverty in Africa by 50% by the year 2025 through agricultural initiatives. It sets forth such strategic goals as doubling productivity, reducing post-harvest loss by half, slashing stunting to 10% and enhancing capacity for farming practices that address and adapt to climate challenges.
The Declaration also calls for the African Investment Bank to become operational, greater emphasis on private sector investment, enhanced regional trade, and greater attention to employing and including young people in the agriculture industry.
Though highly lauded as a seminal moment for industry stakeholders, the adoption of the Declaration was not without key points that remained unresolved. These included a need for greater government financial transparency and accountability for agricultural spending, support for research and development, the ability of smallholders to achieve greater market access, gender equality and land rights.
The document is an updated continuation of the policy contained in the Maputo Declaration of 2003.
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