Trade Negotiations Insights • Volume 7 • Number 8 • October 2008

A ʻGreen Revolutionʼ for Africa

by Mariann Fischer Boel and Louis Michel (1)

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A pile of tyres burn in the middle of the dirt road. Thick, oily smoke climbs into the air of a run-down African city. An angry mob punch their clenched-ﬁsts towards the sky. Africa has seen its fair share of revolutions come and go; but this is different.

This is a scene that has been repeated across numerous African and other developing countries in recent months, where ordinary people have suddenly found themselves unable to afford the most ordinary of foods – a loaf of bread or a bowl of rice.

The recent food price increases have hit the populations ofdeveloping countries the hardest. Poverty has deepened forhundreds of millions of people despite global promises to tackle it head on as part of the Millennium Development Goals.

Africa needs a revolution. But this time not in the streets - rather in the ﬁelds. A ‘Green Revolution’ for Africa can be a key part of the solution to the current food price crisis.

That’s why the European Commission is proposing to establish a special facility worth €1 billion to help farmers in developing countries to increase their output. For example, this one-off cash injection will go to providing farmers with more and better seeds and fertilizers.

Our aims for the fund are clear: it should increase agricultural production and food security in assisted countries, reduce malnutrition rates, and contribute to reducing food price inﬂ ation. We’ll be working primarily with international organisations to ensure our action takes root quickly and effectively.

This facility is all about ensuring farmers in the developing world have the tools they need to improve their harvests, whether for consumption at home or for export. And it’s important to recognise that there is more than just monetary value in this action.

This new fund represents a fundamental value at the core of the European Union. It is a concrete example of solidarity between Europe and the developing world. Thanks to the higher food prices, the EU has spent less on agricultural market support measures than planned, which gives us the possibility to offer this one-time facility.

This is how we believe the current food price crisis can be turned into an opportunity for developing nations. If farmers in these countries can also respond to the growing demand, then they could reap the beneﬁ ts of rising prices. Rural communities could begin to be lifted out of poverty, improving the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

We believe this is an excellent initiative that can have a fast and positive effect on the quality of life in developing countries. In our interdependent world, tackling this food crisis must be one of our top priorities and we must face it together.

We hope the EU’s member states and the European Parliament will give this initiative their backing so that the funds can be committed by the end of the year and allow the work to begin on the ground in early 2009.

Revolution, by its very nature, can be hard to predict. On this occasion, we’re glad to say that there’s one on Africa’s horizon.

Glenys Kinnock, Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly told TNI:

“The global food crisis is devastating economies and shattering lives. With wheat prices up 120 per cent and rice prices up 75 per cent, the world’s chronically poor – more than 850 million people – face a humanitarian emergency on an unprecedented scale. The European Commission’s plan to use €1 billion of unspent agriculture funds to help farmers in developing countries is a welcome step in the right direction. But the Commission is trying to spread the butter too thinly. The money must go where it is needed most and where it will be properly absorbed. Even then, that alone it is not enough. Aid should not distract from the urgent need for fundamental root and branch reform of unfair agricultural subsidies. This is an exceptional situation which deserves an exceptional response. People are starving and the world is watching us. There is no time to lose.”

1. Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development and Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid.