Tuesday 10 February 2009

High-Level Meeting on African Agriculture in the 21st Century

9-10 February 2009. Windhoek, Namibia. This inter-sessional meeting considered how African governments and other stakeholders can revitalize African agriculture and the broader rural economies in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
2 Main Themes
The meeting focused on two main themes:
Theme 1: how to operationalize a green revolution in Africa;
Theme 2: integrating African agriculture into global markets.
(See agenda overview).
Sub-Themes
Each theme was divided into 2 sub-themes:
Sub-Theme 1.1: Incorporating sustainable land management and agricultural practices into African agriculture
Sub-Theme 1.2: Increasing agricultural productivity in Africa
Sub-Theme 2.1: Moving African agriculture up the value chain
Sub-Theme 2.2: Integration of small farmers into global supply chains.

Discussions on day one centered on how to operationalize a Green Revolution in Africa, focusing on two central themes: how to incorporate sustainable land management and agricultural practices into African agriculture; and how to increase agricultural productivity in Africa. During plenary, participants stressed the need to develop an African approach for a sustainable Green Revolution, community involvement and locally-driven development in agriculture, and creating an enabling policy environment.In the ensuing discussion, topics discussed included developing an agro-ecological approach to farming, integrating crops and livestock production systems, the empowerment of women; water management, and land reform.

Reference:
New Era Namibia 10th February 2009 Food Security Equals National Security’
IISD
Meeting Website