Grow Africa’s 1st Annual Report launched
Grow Africa’s first Annual Report is launched. With our first operational year now at a close, the report examines the achievements, lessons and outlook for Grow Africa’s partners across government, companies, farmers and others.
2012 witnessed a historic shift in the quality and quantity of private-sector engagement, with companies announcing over $3.5 billion of planned investment across the eight countries supported by Grow Africa. All this was explicitly aligned to national development goals established under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, and embraces inclusive business models, especially for smallholder farmers.
Companies reported their intentions are moving to action, and this early progress already shows promise for smallholders, including:
- more than $60 million invested in activities that incorporate smallholder farmers into commercial, market-based activities;
- approximately 270,000 MT of commodities sourced within partner countries – the vast majority from smallholders, and the equivalent of around $300 million in sales from these farmers fed into the market system;
- and almost 800,000 smallholders reached with a mix of training, sourcing, and service provision.
This investment came in response to countries establishing key elements essential to catalyzing transformative cross-sector partnership, including senior leadership, clear strategy, policy improvements, infrastructure investment, risk finance, investment facilitation, and coordination.
Africa’s agricultural transformation is underway. To achieve its full potential impact on poverty and food security, partners need to renew and redouble their commitment to act in concert, and to integrate lessons on how to ensure investment is truly inclusive, sustainable and transformative. Grow Africa invites partners to join us on this journey in 2013 and beyond.