Business can help farmers to feed Africa

It is easy to see why, in this week above all, agriculture has never been higher on the world’s agenda. Official forecasts that the world’s population passed 7-billion on Monday and is likely to grow by 2-billion more by 2050 have raised concern about how these extra people can be fed.

Africa and its farmers are, of course, at the centre of this challenge. One in three of the world’s hungry live here. It’s the continent expected to see the largest rise in population. Climate change, with its damaging effect on yields and productive land, will make meeting this shortfall more difficult.

No one underestimates the difficulties ahead. But there is another, more optimistic, side of the story. Africa has abundant land and natural resources. We have seen, too, in many countries how its hardworking farmers, with the right support, can dramatically increase production to turn food shortages into surpluses. By learning from these successes, we can transform agriculture across Africa, meeting food needs and improving the lives of hundreds of millions of Africa’s citizens.

For just as the green revolution was the motor for progress in southeast Asia, Africa’s agriculture can provide the springboard for wider prosperity and development across our continent. The World Bank has estimated that growth in the agricultural sector is twice as effective at reducing poverty as in other sectors.

The good news is that, after decades of neglect and chronic underinvestment, the fundamental importance of farming and agriculture for Africa has now been recognised. Governments across the continent have put in place the framework, policies and resources to increase agricultural production. International donors are remedying the shortsighted cuts in aid for agriculture. Academic institutions are tackling the lack of collaboration that had blighted hopes of solving Africa’s specific farming challenges.

But if we are to help Africa’s farmers achieve their potential, it is vital that business also plays its full role in supporting agriculture. SABMiller may now be a leading global brewer but its roots remain firmly in Africa. Our beer has long been brewed from raw materials bought, wherever possible, locally. The farmers who produce the crops we use are the bedrock of our business.

But like other companies, we have realised in recent years that we have to step up our efforts to equip farmers with the knowledge, skills and support they need to play their full role in building this continent’s prosperity. This is particularly the case with Africa’s army of smallholder farmers - so important to food production and rural life - who have found themselves locked out from the developments in agriculture that have helped farmers around the world raise production.

By guaranteeing markets and fair prices for crops, and helping to improve quality and yields, we are able to buy increasing volumes of our staple crops directly from smallholder farmers. We have developed beers brewed from new crops. We were the first international brewer to use sorghum and have now developed a new beer from cassava, another widely grown crop. We are even using mobile plants to process the cassava where it is harvested. This is important for the quality of the beer but also ensures more remote rural areas can benefit from this new market for their crop.

Through our programmes and partnerships, we are also helping the farmers who grow our crops learn skills and share best practice. We encourage them to diversify their crops so we become just one of their customers.

We also see them as central to the success of our business. Buying and processing crops locally can reduce transport costs, shorten supply lines and ensure high-quality raw materials for our breweries. By guaranteeing markets for crops and paying a prenegotiated and jointly agreed price, we help create jobs, incomes and local prosperity.

So there is no conflict between what is good for development and good for business. They are two sides of the same coin. Supporting agriculture is about building a modern and successful agricultural sector that can meet the continent’s own food needs, improve health, drive prosperity, strengthen communities - and, in turn, can help grow food to feed the hungry around the world.

It is why it is so vital that we all come together to support and improve farming across Africa. As we mark the population reaching 7-billion this week, it is clearer than ever that agriculture is the key to our continent’s success.

 

Bowman is MD of SABMiller Africa.

 

This article was originally posted on Africa Agribusiness Platform

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