Agriculture will continue to generate employment in Africa over the coming decades, but opportunities should be explored beyond agriculture throughout the food chain in order to create enough jobs for young people, especially those in rural areas, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today.
“Countries need to promote a rural and structural transformation that fosters synergies between farm and non-farm activities and that reinforces” the linkages between rural areas and cities, he added. This includes processing, packaging, transportation, distribution, marketing and service provision, especially financial and business services.
Graziano da Silva made the remarks at FAO’s Regional Conference for Africa which is primarily dedicated to the theme of creating decent and attractive employment in the continent, the world’s “youngest” in terms of the average age of its population. Estimates suggest that up to 12 million new jobs will have to be created every year to absorb new labour market entrants over the next 20 years. Today some 54 percent of Africa’s working force relies on the agricultural sector for livelihoods, income and employment, especially in family farming.
With more people moving to cities, demand on urban food markets will grow, which in turn can generate job opportunities in all agriculture-related activities. But FAO believes that more must be done to create non-agricultural employment in rural areas, including agro-tourism and other services.
The Eswatini Kitchen factory in Swaziland employs young people and produces natural gourmet food based on fresh vegetables and fruits purchased from local farmers
Graziano da Silva pointed to FAO’s regional programme, “Youth Employment: enabling decent agriculture and agri-business jobs“, which goes beyond farm jobs and seeks to develop capacity and scale up successful approaches through programme formulation and partnerships.
“More than ever, strategic partnerships are needed to bring together the African Union, the African Development Bank and the UN system and other development partners,” the FAO Director-General said.
He warned however that more profitable urban markets can lead to a concentration of food production in large commercial farms, and also the creation of value chains dominated by large processors and retailers.
“In this contest, smallholders and family farmers need specific policies and regulations. This includes providing access to inputs, credit and technology and improving land tenure,” Graziano da Silva added, stressing how social protection programmes, including cash transfers can link public food purchase to family farmer’s production.
Hunger, overweight and obesity
Achieving Zero Hunger remains FAO’s highest priority, one that it shares with African leaders who through the Malabo Declaration have committed to eradicating chronic undernourishment in their continent by 2025 – in sub-Saharan Africa almost one person in four currently suffers from undernourishment.
In his address, Graziano da Silva underscored that in line with Sustainable Development Goal 2, achieving Zero Hunger needs to go together with ending all forms of malnutrition, a consequence of which is the current global overweight and obesity epidemic.
“The situation is also worrisome here in Africa,” Graziano da Silva said, citing a World Health Organization estimate that obesity-related diseases may become the biggest killer in Africa by 2030.
Rapid urbanization and consumption of highly processed foods are the major drivers behind the increase in overweight and obesity. Yet many people in Africa are unaware that certain foods are unhealthy, or that being overweight presents a health risk, the FAO Director-General said.
He urged for the need to “act on two fronts” focusing on both the production and consumption of healthy food, and called for ensuring more responsible advertising and information campaigns on food products.
“People must be aware about the pros and cons of what they are eating, and also be encouraged to eat healthy food.”
Original source: FAO
Published on 22 February 2018
