Governments urged to spend more on agriculture

A senior Ghanaian official on Friday appealed for more spending on agricultural development, saying the lack of adequate support for African farmers had contributed to ongoing food shortages on the continent.

Addressing journalists in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, the Ghanaian Minister of Agriculture, Courage Quaslingah, said African leaders should make agricultural development a central focus of government planning.

"The vast majority of Africans rely on agriculture. It is therefore important that greater emphasis is placed on this activity since it sustains millions of people," he said. "Governments must be more proactive when discussing how to secure food for those who are without."

Some 450 delegates, mainly policy makers, scientists and researchers, are meeting in Uganda to discuss ways of securing food in Africa. Organised by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute, the three-day conference aims to develop strategies which could see food insecurity eradicated by 2020.

It is estimated that 200 million people on the continent are undernourished, and their numbers have increased by almost 20 percent since the early 1990s. Undernourishment is seen as a major risk factor underlying over 28 percent of all deaths in Africa: some 2.9 million deaths annually.

One of the key constraints facing African governments is the lack of resources. But Quaslingah argued that while funds were limited, "the money available was misspent".

"There is a lot of wastage and leakage in the system. Monies have not been applied correctly, and this has led to shortages in areas where it is most needed. So, while there is a shortage of revenue, we should be careful with the little that is available," he told IRIN.

Quaslingah suggested that African governments should contribute towards a joint agricultural fund which would support farmers on the continent. "It is important that we remain realistic, and instead of asking how can the Western governments assist us, Africans should formulate ways of assisting each other," he said.

Another key issue which remains a serious obstacle to food security in Africa is civil strife. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, conflict cost Africa over US $120 billion worth of agricultural production over the last 30 years.

Even in post-conflict countries such as Mozambique and Angola, the consequences of previous wars exact a toll on food security and economic development long after the fighting ends. According to one delegate, despite more than 10 years of peace, Mozambique is still hampered by landmines that continue to kill and make land hazardous to farm.

In northern Ugandan, where rebels continue to battle government troops, food insecurity has posed a major challenge to authorities and humanitarian agencies.

"The ongoing troubles in the north mean that the population cannot use the land they occupy because of general insecurity. Also, these people have no access to knowledge which would enable them improve their lives. So, unless peace prevails in this region, it is likely that food shortages will continue in this region," Ugandan Agriculture Minister Wilberforce Kisamba-Mugerwa told IRIN.

Uganda has over the last two years provided neighbouring countries with much-needed maize, and the authorities are keen to promote production of the crop for the export market. "All of the other regions in Uganda are assisting us in this endeavour, and we may even be the breadbasket in the region. So we need to work for peace in the north so that the population can once again be agriculturally active," Kisamba-Mugerwa said.