AGRA rues lack of competitive markets for smallholder farmers

Malawi: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) says one of the major factors affecting smallholder farmers in most African countries is the lack of competitive agricultural markets, writes Watipaso Mzungu.

AGRA is a farmer-centered, African-led, and partnership-driven organization working to transform Africa's smallholder farming from a lonely struggle to survive to a thriving business.

Hailemariam Dessalegn, the institution's Board Chairperson, is currently in Malawi, where he has met with President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, senior Cabinet ministers, and leaders of similar civil society organizations, among others.

Dessalegn, a former Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, told journalists on Tuesday evening that one of the challenges confronting smallholder farmers in Africa is a lack of competitive markets.

"The issue of markets emerged as a priority in our recent research. The next agriculture strategy will concentrate on agricultural marketing and trade. As a result, we will investigate how to create a functioning market for smallholder farmers to obtain better prices for their produce," he said.

"That's the core of our work, apart from the usual seed systems development where seed is always the basis for everything," Dessalegn Boshe added.

“This will continue, but the markets will take precedence. Again, we have system development programs such as the extension system, the input system, the market system, and the financial system. The financial system is critical because farmers require funds to grow their crops by gaining access to credit and insurance."

The AGRA Board Chairperson also emphasized the importance of Africa moving toward mechanization and irrigation, stating that rain-fed agriculture is no longer viable due to climate change.

Malawi, according to Agriculture Minister Lobin Lowe, has spent decades investing heavily in subsistence farming, which has failed to transform the sector.

According to Lowe, the arrival and input from AGRA will encourage the Malawi government to invest in agriculture commercialization.

Dessalegn Boshe is a board member and chairperson of several local, regional, and international organizations, including Tourism Ethiopia, African Parks Network (APN), The Brenthurst Foundation, and African Wildlife Foundation.

Others include the Africa Protected Areas Congress, the AeTrade Group, the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, the Campaign for Nature's Global Steering Committee, and others.

He also gives public lectures on current domestic and global issues.