Africa-Americas initiative for the transformation of agri-food systems must be based on political agreements, say three specialized organizations from both continents

San José, 27 July 2022 (IICA). The implementation of the Africa-Americas Initiative for the transformation of Agri-food systems must be based on firm political commitments that bring together, in practice, the common agricultural characteristics of both continents, stated the representatives of international organizations who participated in the first summit of the top agricultural authorities of these two regions.

The Africa-Americas Ministerial Summit on Agricultural and Food Systems took place in San José, Costa Rica, from July 27-29.

Manuel Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Martin Bwalya, Head of the Centers of Excellence of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and Jean Jacques Muhinda, Eastern Regional Head of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), agreed that these continents can learn from each other but that immediate agreements are needed because the time has come for concrete action.

“There is a culture that unites us and only a little more than 3,000 kilometers of Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and Senegal. There are many opportunities for knowledge exchange but little room for maneuver, because the challenges are becoming more and more relevant”, said Otero.

“From a technical perspective, it is already feasible for Africa and the Americas to work together to achieve the transformation of agri-food systems; however, in practice, there are many political and institutional challenges. This initiative is not only about the Summit; what matters is what happens after it. The idea is to recognize who should be responsible for the different actions”, said Martin Bwalya of AUDA-NEPAD.

Addressing the ministers, deputy ministers and agricultural authorities of some 40 countries participating in the meeting, Bwalja said: "We need to recognize and involve the ministers in this transformation and define what our value proposition is in order to advance in the transformation of agri-food systems in Africa and the Americas, with an emphasis on countries and teamwork”.

Jean Jacques Muhinda, from AGRA, said that the Africa-Americas Ministerial Summit on Agricultural and Food Systems is only the starting point of a long-term alliance that will strengthen South-South cooperation between the two regions. "It is the beginning of a journey with concrete steps; an example is the next African Green Revolution Forum, in which six or seven Latin American Ministers of Agriculture will participate with the support of IICA", Muhinda said.

The Director General of IICA explained that the organization's Executive Committee, during its most recent session this month, urged the agricultural community to use a science-based approach to promote this transformation while paying special attention to farmers. “Food security is at the top of the global agenda. At this time, agriculture is seen differently in society, and the bioeconomy has helped us as a bridge between production and the environment. Climate action is fundamental; from now on, agriculture can only be seen as sustainable”, added Otero.

The Africa-Americas Ministerial Summit on Agricultural and Food Systems has the support of Bayer, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America, the World Bank Group, Microsoft, Rabobank, Syngenta and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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Institutional Communication Division

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