Small-scale farmers can avert the food crisis

In April the World Bank doubled its agricultural investment in Africa from $450 million to $800 million and last week the US administration pledged an extra $448 million to African and Latin American agriculture.

Substantial aid packages have also been put together by the UK and other Western nations in recent months. The challenge is now to spend the money wisely after decades of mismanagement.

Dr Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO of the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), is part of Farming First - a global campaign to put small-scale farmers at the centre of any new policy.

She said: “After a generation of neglecting agriculture, world leaders are recognising we can only avert further food crises if we invest more in agriculture and farming in the developing world.”

Farming First sets out six interlinked principles to help policymakers build a more sustainable model for global agriculture. This week Dr Sibanda is in New York to present the model to the UN Commission for Sustainable Development.

“The Farming First plan is a comprehensive framework for improving livelihoods, managing resources, and reliably feeding a growing population,” she said.

The UN estimates there are 450 million subsistence farmers globally, supporting one third of humanity. Yet over the past 30 years, the proportion of Western aid directed to agriculture has fallen from 17 to three per cent in Africa alone.

It may have taken food shortages, surging prices and riots across the globe but international leaders are finally dipping into their pockets to secure long term food supplies. Some African nations have also stepped up to the mark, notably Uganda has pledged to increase spending on agriculture from 3 to 10 per cent of its total budget.

“The signs are encouraging but we need to make sure the money is invested in long term sustainable projects based on our framework principles,” said Dr Sibanda.