Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said a new and robust agricultural global financing model is essential for food security, job creation and economic growth.
The premier made the remark during the UN Food Systems Summit +2 being held in Rome, Italy.
The prime minister while delivering a speech at the summit said that hundreds of millions of people worldwide are undernourished and malnourished in some parts of the world , on the other hand, he added “we witness oversupply and wastages of food in some parts of the world.”
The premier noted that the African continent has immense potential for agriculture and endowed with arable land available for cultivation, and growing agricultural food systems.
He described the efforts being carried out in Ethiopia in order to enhance agricultural productivity and ensure food self-sufficiency.
Ethiopia has demonstrated unwavering political commitment to transform the food system in line with our national and international commitments, the premier stated.
Accordingly, Ethiopia produced a food system transformation road map, he added.
“In Ethiopia, beyond policies and strategies, we have been actively implementing numerous initiatives with the overarching goals of enhancing agricultural resilience, ensuring food self-sufficiency, and combating climate change, “ Abiy said.
He further pointed out that various national initiatives which have been launched over the last four years are currently bearing fruits.
“In Ethiopia agricultural productivity and modernization is our development priority. Various initiatives have been launched and significant gains have been made thus far. Yet many challenges remain. Productivity and production are affected by limited access to appropriate inputs including fertilizers, seeds and agricultural technologies.”
He also talked about the implementation of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative that was launched four years ago to planting 50 billion seedlings across the country by 2026 with the objective of tackling the adverse effects of climate change.
According to him, the Green Legacy Initiative plays a vital role in restoring Ethiopia’s forest and supporting food self-sufficiency. “One in every 50 seedlings is fruit bearing ones such as avocados, mangos, apples and Papaya.”
Prime Minister Abiy called for a new and robust agricultural global financing model which is essential for food security, job creation and economic growth.
“Digital financing services focusing on youth and women and agricultural insurances should be the main features of a new financing model to boost agricultural production.”
He also stressed the need to enhance access to markets and effective linkages between agriculture producers, community markets and commercial value chains.
“We must mobilize and establish resources to finance government-led initiatives that effectively address challenges of food security, malnutrition and the ever increasing impacts of climate change.”
The prime minister has also called up on all partners and stakeholders to support Ethiopia and the African continent at large in their collective endeavors to achieve food security and transform food system.
Around 2000 participants from over 160 countries, including over 20 Heads of State and Government, are attending the UN Food System Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment.
The event officially inaugurated today, was convened by the United Nations Secretariat, and hosted by Italy, in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP).
Over three days, the high-level meeting aims to create a conducive space for countries to review the progress on their commitments made at the first Food Systems Summit in 2021, and identify successes, enduring bottlenecks and establishing priorities.
The event will also be an opportunity for countries to outline the work required to address some of the challenges they face to transform their agrifood systems.
These include the impacts of conflicts and climate change as well as access to finance and other resources, according to FAO.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency