By EBELE ORAKPO

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.

In a communiqué released at the end of the meeting, participants renewed their commitment to the SSC initiative as a useful and effective means to improve food security and end hunger in Africa by 2025, as suggested by African Heads of States and Governments in Addis Ababa in July 2013.

They pledged to “work together on developing cooperative projects, methods and plans, and gradually perfect approaches of implementing effective SSC; continue to share experiences, knowledge, technologies, best practices and capacities in the spirit of solidarity, equal partnership and for mutual benefits in pursuance of our common goals of eradicating hunger and malnutrition, reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development.”

They also pledged to actively explore new areas and modalities of multilateral agricultural SSC, in order to meet the increasing demand from African countries for agricultural development and food security, and constantly improve implementation efficiency and results of the programmes, adding that  they will support the Governments of China and other potential and existing provider countries, “to continue and even expand their much valued multi-level support to the SSC framework.“

Adesina commended FAO for its vision in developing, promoting and nurturing SSC to boost agricultural production in developing countries, noting that out of a total of 998 Chinese experts that have been in the SSC programme across Asia, Africa, South Pacific and Caribbean, 686 have been in Nigeria. He also praised Chinese Government’s vision to set up a $30m Trust Fund to support the SSC, noting that the SSC has helped Nigeria in many areas especially in rice production, apiculture, aquaculture, poultry, bamboo production, development of small scale equipment, vegetable production and drip irrigation.

“The impact of the SSC is evident in the lives of farmers, communities and private sector firms that have taken advantage of the programme,” he enthused. He appealed for a closer cooperation among participating countries and development partners saying: “Because we now treat agriculture as a business, the SSC should be modified to South-South Agricultural Investment Cooperation.”

He believes that Africa holds the key to solving the problem of global food challenge as close to 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land is in Africa.Also present at the forum were Mr. Festus Akinnifesi, Chief, SSC and Ms. Louise Setshwaelo, FAO representative in Nigeria.