In this week’s second Brussels Briefing on ‘Advancing African agriculture‘, IFPRI‘s John Okidi offered a critical analysis of the EC communication on Advancing African Agriculture.
While recognising that the initiative goes in the right direction, by financing agricultural development policy, capacity building, and research, he asked whether there really is an army of farmers ready to respond to the enhanced policy environment, and how the initiative will put money directly in the pockets of African farmers. Farmers are already face with all kinds of challenges, not least lack of resources. “What real improvement there will be at the farm-level?”
He urges that a much more bottom up approach is followed, that takes account of the realities at the farm ‘gate’ and the increasingly sophisticated market environments in which farmers have to operate.
Links:
Summary of Presentation (doc format)
See more from the 17 October briefing
