International and national partners convene to discuss AfDB’s initiative to transform African agriculture
More than 200 research and development partners and experts will meet at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, in a three-day workshop to discuss a new initiative known as “Africa Feeding Africa”, or the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program. The TAAT program is a critical strategy for transforming agriculture on the continent that would ensure that Africa is able to feed itself through agriculture.
TAAT is focused on ensuring that Africa ia able to feed itself through agricultural transformation
The program aims to eliminate extreme poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, achieve food sufficiency, and turn Africa into a net food exporter as well as set Africa in step with global commodity and agricultural value chains.
To carry out these objectives, AfDB, working with IITA and other partners, has identified eight priority agricultural value chains relating to rice sufficiency, cassava intensification, Sahelian food security, savannas as breadbaskets, restoring tree plantations, expanding horticulture, increasing wheat production, and expanded fish farming.
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the CGIAR Consortium and 12 of its 15 international agricultural centers active in Africa support this initiative by the Bank and the co-sponsors to revitalize and transform agriculture through the TAAT program within the shortest possible time.
IITA is organizing the 12-14 April workshop in partnership with the Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC) project for the African Development Bank, which is funding this mega initiative.
The identification and preparation workshop will execute a bold plan to achieve rapid agricultural transformation across Africa and raise agricultural productivity.
This initiative will be led by IITA, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), CGIAR, national agricultural research systems, and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). This will involve close partnerships among AfDB, the World Bank, and major development partners to ensure increased funding for agricultural research and development along the value chains in Africa. CGIAR, FARA, The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), Africa Harvest, and other partners will provide the technical and developmental support for the Bank’s quest of widespread agricultural transformation.
