Achieving the SDGs through profitable, sustainable and inclusive agriculture

In order to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, agri-food systems have to be significantly transformed. The role of agriculture for inclusive growth and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was examined at a recent high-level panel co-organised by the ACP Secretariat and CTA in Papua New Guinea.

Ensuring the future sustainability and affordability of food should be a matter of priority for the public and private sector in ACP countries, according to experts speaking in the sidelines of a recently held summit in Papua New Guinea. It is anticipated that 9 billion people will have to be fed by 2050, many of whom will come from developing countries already facing labour shortages, climate change risks, demographic shifts and migration away from rural areas. Michael Hailu, CTA Director, argued that for ACP countries in particular, this would mean that "agriculture must be transformed into a profitable business if it is to become a real engine for growth.

Sustainable agriculture: a key issue for the ACP Summit

The high-level panel on sustainable agriculture and food security was organised jointly by the ACP Secretariat and CTA at the 8th ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. A key outcome of this event was to highlight the role of agriculture in the achievement of the SDGs), particularly the second SDG which calls for ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

A packed conference room of participants representing ACP Ministers and senior government officials, policymakers and representatives of international organisations engaged with the distinguished panel made up of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia; Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD; Janet Sape, Executive Director of Papua New Guinea (PNG) Women in Business; Peter Seligmann, CEO of Conservation International; and Pa'olelei Luteru, Ambassador of Samoa to Belgium and the European Union.

Source: http://www.cta.int/en/article/2016-07-08/meeting-the-sdgs-through-profitable-sustainable-and-inclusive-agriculture.html