Busani Bafana interviews JANE KARUKU, the first woman president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
BULAWAYO, May 11 (IPS) - While women constitute the majority of food producers, processors and
marketers in Africa, their role in the agricultural sector still remains a minor one
because of cultural and social barriers.
According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), women are the majority of the world's agricultural
producers, supplying more than 50 percent of the food that is grown globally. And in sub-Saharan
Africa the number is higher, as women grow 80 to 90 percent of the food in the region.
FAO says that although across the globe women are responsible for providing the food for their
families, they do this in the face of constraints and attitudes that conspire to undervalue their work and
responsibilities and hinder their participation in decision and policy making.
But it is a situation that the new Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) boss, Jane Karuku, says must
change in order for Africa to feed itself.
Karuku, a Kenyan business leader with a career spanning over 20 years, became the first female
president of the organisation in April.
AGRA is a partnership that works on the African continent to improve food security and enhance the
economic empowerment of millions of smallholder farmers and their families. It does this through
nearly 100 programmes in 14 countries.
Karuku joins AGRA from Telkom Kenya, a subsidiary of France Telecom-Orange, where she was the
deputy chief executive.
She told IPS about her dream of seeing smallholder farmers become the drivers in Africa's quest for
food security. Excerpts of the interview follow.
Q: Do you see your appointment as a milestone for women farmers in Africa?
A: As AGRA’s first female president, it is a great honour to advocate on behalf of the tireless women
who are sowing seeds and working in fields across Africa. They are the real heroines in this story, and I
hope to highlight their important contributions for a food-secure future.
Q: Do food security policies recognise the role of women farmers in the production, processing and
marketing of food in agriculture?
A: Across Africa there are great signs of progress when it comes to smallholder farmers, the majority of
whom are women who are building prosperous lives for themselves and their families.
Success for smallholders, however, has been lopsided. Women smallholders and rural entrepreneurs on
the continent are neither participating fully nor deriving benefits in equal measure in the agri-economy
owning to gender obstacles driven by cultural and societal norms. This must change if Africa is to
transform the capacity to feed itself and realise the quality of life envisioned for rural households and
communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
Q: In your appointment speech you said: "Smallholder farming is a way of life in Africa, full of
challenges and equally full of huge opportunities." What will you do to strike a balance for food
security?
A: My focus is to work to remove the obstacles that prevent smallholder farmers across Africa from
significantly boosting productivity and income, while safeguarding the environment and promoting
equity. I am committed to ensuring farmers have a full range of choices when it comes to approaching
their work.
Q: Smallholder farmers hold the key to food security in Africa. What is your vision for improving
their situation?
A: My vision is a food-secure and prosperous Africa achieved through rapid and sustainable agricultural
growth that is based on smallholder farmers who produce staple food crops. AGRA’s mission is to
trigger a uniquely "African Green Revolution" that transforms agriculture into a highly productive,
efficient, competitive and sustainable system to ensure food security and lift millions out of poverty.
Q: Where do you see the role of AGRA in advocating assistance for smallholder farmers to cope
with the impact that climate change has on food security?
A: AGRA and its partners work together to determine the kinds of environmental safeguards farmers
need to increase their yields and improve their livelihoods. By focusing on sustainable development
practices, AGRA reduces environmental degradation and conserves biodiversity.
Rebuilding soil health and enabling Africa’s smallholder farmers to grow more on less land should
reduce the pressure to clear and cultivate forests and savannahs, thus helping conserve the
environment and biodiversity.
AGRA’s sustainable agricultural practices include improving soil health through integrated soil fertility
management. We do this through using a combination of fertilisers and organic inputs, and techniques
that are appropriate for local conditions and resources. Through advocating the use of agro-
ecologically sound approaches to soil and crop management, such as fertiliser micro-dosing in arid
areas, AGRA will guard against potential overuse of fertilisers that could harm the environment.
Q: Research is key to food security; what is your take on the current investment in agricultural
research in Africa?
A: Research is critical to making the most of the full agricultural value chain – from seed to harvest.
While food productivity has increased globally by 140 percent in recent decades, the figures for sub-
Saharan Africa over the same period of time show a reduction. This is because farming across much of
the continent has changed little in generations. The role of research is critically important.
Q: What major impact has AGRA had in Africa, and how do you plan to build on it?
A: AGRA takes a uniquely integrated approach to helping smallholder farmers overcome hunger and
poverty. By focusing on seeds, soil, market access, policy and partnership and innovative financing, the
programme is transforming subsistence farming into sustainable, viable commercial activities that will
increase yields across the continent. I hope to continue to look for intersections and innovative
opportunities to improve farmers’ lives.
(END/2012)