Communique from AU-NEPAD on a concrete proposal to the G20 for enhancing agriculture supply by small-scale farmers in Africa

The African Union (AU) and its NEPAD Programme have made a concrete proposal for Implementing the G20 Commitment towards Smallholder Producers: Boosting access to fertilisers by small-scale farmers in Africa through an innovative financing mechanism on fertiliser consumption in the G20 countries.

The AU and its NEPAD Programme have been requested to contribute to the implementation of the Action Plan of the G20 Ministers of Agriculture and it is in this regard that they now present a constructive proposal for a fertiliser initiative to help realise one of Seoul's plans regarding the support to increasing smallholder fertiliser procurement and production supply.

So far, there is no indication of any action to be taken by the G20 regarding this particular point. Therefore, concrete initiatives by the G20 to translate this particular commitment into tangible actions are required.

Smallholder farmers require purchasing power support to access affordable fertilisers and use these productivity-enhancing inputs to enhance food production. The AU and NEPAD envision such assistance to be short-to-medium term in the form of time-bound, smart subsidies that will place African smallholder farmers on a higher and sustainable path of agricultural intensification.

The subsidy programmes will be co-financed by beneficiary countries and designed to be phased out over a 10-year period.

Key African institutions have indicated their willingness in supporting and being part of the proposed mechanism.

The AU-NEPAD proposal will be submitted for further study and consideration by the G20 Development Ministerial Meeting in September 2011.

The AU-NEPAD expects that this initiative will be included in the Ministerial Declaration to be adopted at the G20 Cannes Summit.

The AU Commission and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) wish to utilize the opportunity presented by the upcoming meeting of the G20 Development Ministers in September 2011, to jointly table the proposal for an innovative fertiliser financing mechanism, funded by G20 Member States, to finance fertiliser subsidy programmes for African smallholder farmers.

Click here for more information, and to download the proposal.