AFRICA HOLDS KEY TO GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

National Programme for Food
Security (NPFS) under the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture, in
conjunction with the People's
Republic of China and the Food
and Agriculture Organisation of
the United Nations (FAO),
convened a high level forum
aimed at showcasing the
achievements of South-South
Cooperation programme in
Nigeria and other participating
African nations. According to the
organisers, SSC is the mutual
sharing and exchange of key
development solutions -
knowledge, experiences, good
practices, policies, technology,
know-how and resources,
between and among countries in
the global south.
In 2003, Nigeria signed a
Tripartite Project Agreement
(TPA) with China and FAO in
support of the NPFS.
The forum with the theme:
Promoting innovation, linkages
and technology adaptation:
Achievements of the South-South
Cooperation in African
Agriculture, held between
September 26 and 28, 2013 in
Abuja and attracted participants
from Benin Republic, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia,
Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea and
Uganda, as well as development
partners.
In his address, Nigeria's Minister
of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr. Akinwumi
Adesina noted that "China's
agricultural growth is impressive
and offers lessons for African
countries. China pulled over 400
million people out of poverty
within 10 years, largely through
transformation of the agricultural
sector. China treats agriculture as
a matter of national security
because they understand that
any nation that cannot feed itself
is a danger to its own sovereign
existence."
Also speaking, China's Vice-
Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Chen
Xiaohua noted that food security
is fundamental to human survival
and development. "In China, we
have a saying that Agriculture is
the foundation of a nation, and
food is the heaven to its people.
We seek to boost grain and
agricultural productivity with
increased input, improved
infrastructure and accelerated
advancement in science and
technology."
He noted that China has fed 21
per cent of world population
with less than 9 per cent of
world cultivated land. As one of
the earliest and major
participating countries in SSC
under the FAO framework, China
has sent altogether 998
agricultural experts and
technicians to 24 countries in
Africa, Asia, South Pacific and the
Caribbean. The biggest, longest
and most productive SSC project
by China is with Nigeria," he said.