Addis Ababa, 5 May 2014 (ECA) – African countries are called to endorse the African Union (AU) Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments (LSLBI) in Africa, which recognizes the centrality of small scale producers in promoting sustainable, economically viable, and inclusive investments on land in support of agricultural transformation. Moreover, Member States need to commit political, institutional, and financial support to the Land Policy Initiative in order to facilitate implementation of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges.
These are two of the land policy recommendations adopted by the AU Joint Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture. The conference, including an experts’ meeting and a Ministerial session, was held between 28 April and 2 May 2014, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme “Transforming Africa’s agriculture for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods through harnessing opportunities for inclusive growth and sustainable development.”
In her key note address the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, highlighted that the Conference came as a first political follow-up milestone to the formal launch by the AU Heads of State and Government of 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security, and also commemorated the 10th Anniversary of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
“More importantly,” she added, “this meeting serves as a key stepping stone in the build up to the next June Summit, where AU Heads of State and Government will debate on the theme of the Year of Agriculture and Food Security with a view to providing strategic direction and adopting a Declaration of renewed and strengthened commitments towards concrete goals and targets in advancing Africa's agriculture and food security agenda for the next decade.”
Speaking on behalf of the development partners, the Director of Sustainable Development at EuropeAid, M. Roberto Ridolfi, reiterated that agriculture has the potential to take millions of smallholders out of poverty. He also encouraged African countries in their efforts to elaborate clear, consistent, and long term policies, strategies, and work plans.
The Land Policy Initiative (LPI) played an active role in the Conference, by contributing to thematic papers and presentations, and ensuring land tenure and land governance concerns were well reflected. In addition, the LPI engaged strategically with Conference participants in order to encourage reflection on and consideration of the AU Guiding Principles on LSLBI, and to ensure that issues of equitable land access, security of tenure, land investments, women and youth rights to land were highlighted.
Faithful to its commitment to promote partnerships in implementing the African agenda on land, the LPI engaged during the Conference with various stakeholders, and organized a booth to distribute publications and studies. The Conference was also an opportunity for LPI to raise awareness and support for the organization of the Biennial Conference on Land Policy in Africa, planned for November 2014.
The inclusion of land policy issues among the Conference recommendations opens a window of opportunity for LPI to further engage with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States on land policy reform and implementation agenda.
The Land Policy Initiative is a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Its mandate is to facilitate the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.
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