Ethiopia's Strides in Climate Action and Agricultural Transformation Lauded

Addis Ababa November 8/2024 (ENA)- Participants at the World Without Hunger Conference in Addis Ababa have commended Ethiopia for its significant strides in climate action and agricultural transformation. 

Junior Lodge, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), praised Ethiopia's progress in food security and agro-food systems development. 

He stated the country's transformation from a net food importer to a significant exporter of commodities like coffee, wheat, and teff.

“We applaud the noble efforts made by Ethiopia in not only food security, but advancing the development of agro-food systems,” the Assistant Secretary General said. “You're a major agricultural exporter and you have transformed your economy from being a food importer to being a food exporter.” 

So that is one of the initiatives that we want to support Ethiopia, an important member of our organization, and also as an example of how transformative food systems can be,” he added.  

He also stressed the need for full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost regional integration and economic growth.

“We recognize the efforts of AFCFTA to make sure that Africa is economically resilient,” he said, adding that studies show the full implementation of this free trade area could result in Africa becoming the sixth largest economy. 

“So regional integration is important, and one of the critical inputs for that is not only in the reduction of tariffs, but also greater connectivity, and in particular infrastructure. All studies show that is the key,” Lodge stated.

Another crucial element is climate change in which Ethiopia is taking action through its Green Legacy Initiative and should be expanded in Africa, he indicated.   

“We all recognize that climate change is here. We are indeed the major victims of climate change, although we are the least contributors, but we also see it as an opportunity to create a resilient economy, to harness traditional practices that could be used in terms of developing climate resilient production." 

 

Susan Payne, Co-founder of Sustainable Planet, an international agro-tech company, acknowledged the challenges and opportunities in Africa's agriculture sector. 

She highlighted the need for increased investment, infrastructure development, and support for smallholder farmers. 

She stated the importance of Ethiopia’s progress in wheat production for export. “If there is surplus to requirements, then exporting wheat is a fantastic idea. ”  

Payne emphasized the importance of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices to address climate change and ensure food security.

“Climate change is absolutely in lock step with agriculture. Water and energy and soil are all very closely aligned with the climate initiatives that we are all aiming to produce and to solve this climate change problem and to have climate adaptation and climate mitigation methodologies. These are really important, but this push towards climate green legacy, is a really fine example of what countries have to do to make sure that they are very Climate Smart in the way that they approach the agriculture sector.” 

 

Maryam Abdulmalik, Assistant General Manager of Nigeria's Agro Eknor, underscored the critical role of women in agriculture and the need to empower them through financial literacy, access to finance, and market linkages. 

She also stressed the importance of climate-smart agricultural practices like the Green Legacy in Ethiopia to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“The Green Legacy will enhance and mitigate climate change either way, because we want to reduce carbon emissions. That's the whole essence of Eco-climate resilient practices can help mitigate the impact of climate change, she said, pointing out that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has noted the need to address input challenges and distribution.  

And also, we'll look at how we can help these smallholder farmers around the country gain some capacity in terms of what they can do, how they can do it, adding value to what they are already doing, looking at the solutions that can help improve the way they do things. And then, if you put all of this in perspective and put them in context, it will go a long way to create the kind of space that we want reduce carbon emissions, and then what that means we have a more green climate and a more safe environment For all.”

Participants at the conference agreed that collaboration is essential to achieve a world without hunger. By investing in sustainable agriculture, empowering farmers, and addressing climate change, Ethiopia and other African countries can build resilient food systems and drive economic growth.