IT is easy to see why, in this week above all, agriculture has never been higher on the world’s agenda. The official forecasts that the world’s population has passed seven billion yesterday and is likely to grow by two billion more by 2050 has highlighted concerns over how these extra people can be fed.

This is all too understandable given that one in seven people who share our planet already don’t have enough to eat.

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 as well which is expected to see the largest rise in population. Climate change, with its damaging effect on yields and productive land, will make the task of meeting this shortfall only more difficult. We are already seeing the impact of the famine which is causing untold misery in the Horn of Africa.

No one would underestimate 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 hard_working 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 the continent, meeting food needs and, in turn, improving the lives of hundreds of millions of Africa’s citizens.

Motor for

progress

For just as the green revolution was the motor for progress in South-East 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 short_sighted cuts in aid for agriculture. Academic institutions within and outside the continent are tackling the lack of collaboration which 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. This is nothing new for a company like SABMiller.

We may now be a leading global brewer but our roots remain firmly in Africa where we began making beer over 100 years ago. 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 small_holder farmers – so important to food production and rural life – who have found themselves locked out from the developments in agriculture which 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 direct from smallholder farmers. We have led the way in developing 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 so we can 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 farmers who grow our crops learn skills and share best practice. We encourage them as well to diversify the crops they grow so we become just one of their customers. These are important initiatives for us and, we believe underline our commitment to the communities and countries in which we operate.

There is no conflict between what’s good for development and good for business. They are two sides of the same coin. Nor do we see supporting agriculture, as some have in the past, as a retreat towards some pre_industrial past for Africa. It’s about building a modern and successful agricultural sector which can meet the continent’s own food needs, improves health, drives prosperity, strengthens communities _ and, in turn, can help grow food to feed the hungry around the world.

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

By Mark Bowman is the Managing Director of SABMiller Africa