A Green Revolution for Africa?

Details

Agriculture continues to be Africa’s most important economic sector and provider of employment. Decades of neglect, lack of investment, and insufficient knowledge transfer led large parts of African agriculture to suffer today from low levels of productivity. Increasing amounts of Foreign Direct Investments in land and agriculture currently threaten to further marginalize African small-holder farmers. The question of how to increase productivity of agriculture in Africa, including all groups of small-holder, emerging and commercial farmers, takes centre stage for the sustainable development of the continent.

German Development Cooperation intends, according to the new Africa Policy, to contribute to the strengthening of agricultural value chains in Africa. Which role can the 10 „Green Centres“ play in this regard, which are to be financed by the BMZ and implemented in cooperation with German Agro Business? How can the planned 10 vocational training centres for rural development contribute towards this end and what will the cooperation with the German private sector look like?

INISA (Initiative Südliches Afrika) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung bring together experts and the interested public in order to enhance the debate on key preconditions and challenges for sustainable development of the agro-sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The event will be held in English language (without translation).

Programme

14:00 h Welcome Remarks

• Andrea E. Ostheimer, Head of Department Sub-Saharan Africa, KAS
• René Gradwohl, INISA

14:15 h An African Green Revolution: Finding Ways to Boost Productivity on Small Farms

• Prof. Keijiro Otsuka, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo

14:30 h The right framework for African Agricultural Productivity

• Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Technical Advisor to the Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

14:45 h Enhancing resilience and strengthening the agricultural value chain – German initiatives in the fight against hunger

• Dr. Stefan Schmitz, Head of Division, Special Initiative “For a world without hunger”, German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

15:00 h Panel Discussion

How to boost the productivity of African agriculture?

Chair: Dr. Michael Brüntrup, DIE, Bonn (tbc)

• Prof. Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, Bonn University
• Michael Brander, Senior Policy Advisor, Biovision Foundation
• Dr. Rafael Schneider, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (tbc)
• Prof. Keijiro Otsuka, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo
• Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
• Dr. Stefan Schmitz, German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

16:00 h Open discussion

17:00 h Closing Remarks

17:30 h Informal exchange with drinks and snacks