Africa agriculture ministers agree to work together against food insecurity

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - A group of 14 African countries on Friday committed to new collective targets to promote agricultural productivity and prioritize coordinated action to ensure food security in Eastern and Central Africa.

Concluding a three-day meeting in Uganda’s capital Kampala, African agriculture ministers under the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), a forum to coordinating stakeholders in the agricultural sector, reaffirmed their commitment to building resilient food systems to avert food crisis in the region.

The ministers said there is a growing demand for food in different parts of the continent due to multiple and overlapping shocks including climate change, protracted conflicts in different countries, and excessive dependence on imports of basic commodities such as fertilizers.

"We need to act with urgency in responding to the unfolding food crisis in Africa, to avert humanitarian suffering. Our gathering focuses on finding initiatives that build resilient food systems to feed Africa for generations,” Enock Warinda, the executive director at ASARECA, told Anadolu.

He added that mobilizing private sector investments for commercialization of research technologies and empowerment of farmers, are among the priority actions.

Warinda said Somalia applied to join the bloc and having met all the requirements, it was admitted.​​​​​​​

Soaring food prices, conflict and climate change have plunged parts of Africa into a severe and enduring food crisis, with millions of people in the continent facing extreme hunger.