WILLAGRI
Meeting in an Extraordinary General Assembly from 9 to 11 January in Kampala, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) adopted an agenda entitled “Agenda for the Construction of Resilient and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems“. It is part of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which in turn is part of Agenda 2063, which is “a blueprint and blueprint to transform Africa into a global power of the future. It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to achieve its objective of inclusive and sustainable development,” in the words of the AU. The Kampala Agenda is an ambitious roadmap for the development of African agriculture during the decade 2026-2035.
The Kampala Agenda is a real qualitative leap in that it takes a holistic approach that includes issues of yield and development in a more sophisticated vision of production methods and food systems.
In contrast to the Malabo Declaration, this agenda emphasizes environmental protection and governance to guide more effective agricultural development. Thus, it includes new areas concerning food health and the inclusion of women and youth.
The success of this agenda, which will begin in 2026, depends on its implementation in the 55 AU member states. Success will be achieved if they develop national agricultural investment plans that are consistent with the continental objectives of CAADP and the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). The latter is an initiative launched by the United Nations to transform global food systems to make them more sustainable, inclusive and resilient. The success of the Kampala decade also depends on the political will of national governments and their ability to adopt a collaborative approach.
The Kampala summit was prepared in advance by technical meetings of experts and senior officials from the ministries of agriculture of the AU member countries.
Here are six of the key commitments made at the Kampala Summit:
- Intensify sustainable food production, agro-industrialization and trade with a target of increasing agri-food production by 45% by the end of 2035.
Among the means cited to achieve this growth target are the desire to reduce post-harvest losses by 50%, the tripling of intra-African trade and the increase in the share of locally processed products to 35% of agri-food GDP.
Upstream, member countries commit to strengthening the functionality of agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, water) through sustainable agricultural practices. The Kampala Declaration does not forget the importance of an adequate policy and regulatory environment.
Africa intends to play its part in the development and use of new technologies, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, digitalization and precision agriculture.
Agricultural development will be inclusive or it will not be. It will have to include smallholders, young people and women. Emphasis is also placed on the regionalization of trade and the value chain.
- Commitment to stimulate investment and financing for agricultural transformation. The AU is committed to mobilizing $100 billion from public and private sources.
The infrastructure will be financed by public funds. Banks will be encouraged to organise the distribution of loans to operators.
- Commitment to ensuring the continent’s food and nutrition security. The AU wants to end hunger by 2035 and reduce stunting by 25%.
The focus will be on developing healthy diets. The production and consumption of nutritious and indigenous traditional foods, animals and fish will need to be stimulated. Sanitary and phytosanitary standards will be improved and strengthened for both food and feed.
- Commitment to promoting inclusion and equitable livelihoods.
This includes reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty by 50% and reducing the yield gap between male and female farmers by 50%. In addition, it will be necessary to empower 30% of women, young people and vulnerable individuals.
To achieve these objectives, it will be necessary to improve infrastructure and access to social services and productive resources (credit, land, technologies, etc.)
- Commitment to building agri-food systems that are resilient to climate, socio-economic and environmental shocks.
Quantitatively, 30% of agricultural land will have to be put under sustainable management and 40% of households protected from shocks by 2035. The means to achieve these objectives will be investments in human and physical capacities.
The declaration also mentions the strengthening of early warning and response systems to various shocks. The result is expected to be an improvement in the resilience of the agricultural system.
- Commitment to strengthening agri-food systems. By 2028, all African states should have adopted the CAADP and the Kampala agenda in conjunction with improved governance.
Source: African Union