African Conference Aims to Involve Youth in Agriculture Amid Regional Food Insecurity
The African Conference on Agricultural Technology (ACAT) commenced today, gathering experts, policy makers, and practitioners in agriculture from across the continent to address the sector’s pressing challenges. According to the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the conference runs under the theme ‘Agricultural Resilience Through Innovation.’ The five-day conference aims to focus on the transfer of agricultural technology and showcase scalable agricultural innovations that have the potential to transform livelihoods in Africa.
According to Kenya News Agency, AATF Executive Director Dr. Canisius Kanagire highlighted that Africa’s growing youth population has not been fully utilized in agriculture. Despite having the largest arable land globally, Africa remains a leading importer of food. He cited the World Food Programme and FAO’s hunger status projection, which indicates acute food insecurity worsening in 18 global hotspots, including 22 African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
Dr. Kanagire noted that reliance on rain-fed agriculture remains prevalent but is increasingly unsustainable due to the effects of climate change, unreliable rainfall, and declining soil quality. He urged attendees to consider existing technologies that could revolutionize agriculture on the continent, stating the conference presents an opportunity to focus on making Africa a net food producer.
Experts during the conference revealed a significant generation gap in the agriculture sector, with the average age of farmers being 60 years. This gap contributes to low food production and high labor costs. Sylvester Oikeh, project manager of the TELA maize project at AATF, said the private sector is hesitant to invest in agriculture due to high risks. However, he cited Equity Bank in Kenya as an example of successful involvement in agriculture through personalized products for smallholder farmers.
Former Nigerian President and AATF Ambassador for Agriculture Technology in Africa, Goodluck Jonathan, expressed confidence that the conference will move beyond discussions to the adoption of new technologies. President William Ruto is expected to officially open the forum tomorrow, focusing on the development and commercialization of agricultural technologies as strategies to enhance regional food security.