ECOWAS Parliament Urged to Legislate Sustainable Agricultural Policies
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) has been urged to legislate policies to improve political will towards making agriculture more sustainable in Africa.
Specifically, the President of the Farmers Union of Liberia, Josephine George Francis, made this appeal while addressing the parliament at the ongoing delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources/ Infrastructure/ Energy and Mines/ Industry and Private Sector in Bissau, Guinea Bissau.
Speaking on the topic, “Farmers Organizations Collaboration with ECOWAS for Agriculture Production, Food and Nutrition Security in Our Region,” Francis maintained that agriculture is a business and there is need to grow food to feed the population, urging the Members of Parliament (MPs) to address challenges of agriculture in the sub-region.
The farmers’ president observed that most countries in the region have not achieved the commitment of allocating at least 10 per cent of national budgetary resources to agriculture to meet up with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Francis noted that agriculture can create millions of jobs for Africans, pointing out the need for political will that will not only end at drafting policies but will ensure an appropriate implementation framework.
Her words: “Agriculture is a business and we need to grow food to feed our population. So, our government in the region, especially in West Africa, has to increase the budget. We also have the sustainable development goal for 2030 and most countries have not come up to the benchmark of increasing the budget to 10% for agriculture. Agriculture is a major source of employment for millions of Africans, so the political will has to be there, not only that policies are written but implemented. Until we can do that, you know now that with the climate change, the Coronavirus, the war in Russia, over 6 billion of our money went back to Russia and Ukraine for ore and wheat. We can grow it here, let’s start investing in our research institution, let’s get the private sector to grow the entire agricultural value chain.”
Also, Francis lamented the difficulty faced by African women and youths in getting lands for farming in some countries, seeking government’s intervention in changing the narrative especially for those interested in farming.
She tasked MPs to develop ideas that will aid investment in agriculture as well as ensure increased budgetary allocation to the sector.
She said, “Access to land is very difficult, women willing to buy land but they don’t have money. How can they get money to purchase land? That’s another political will. Help the women in different clans to have land, help the youths to have land, make agriculture attractive to them and they will be able to invest. And for the parliament, they have the agriculture committee and they have the oversight of agriculture development and they have the oversight of the ministry of agriculture, so they all need to come to the table to start talking about investment in agriculture. They are the decision makers and the farmers, the rural people, are the constituents who are living and drowning and dying in poverty. Where is the balance? So, they need to be told that the Civil Society is saying they need to make sure that agriculture provides an opportunity for employment and make sure we strengthen the policies, make sure the budgets are increased so that our young people and women can be able to have a sustainable income for the family.”
Agro Nigeria
