Sustainable technologies in agriculture will be key to EU Africa partnership

Jerome Barbaron | Issue 4 | Comment, Magazine

From the Archive

ant-rozetsky--c0PJUAtpSo-unsplash

Agricultural inputs and technology can and should be a core part of delivering sustainable development in African agriculture

As Europe and Africa agree their new partnership areas, agriculture will be key for Africa. For the sector to be an engine for sustainable development, generating inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth, the partnership needs to adapt the EUs Green Deal to the realities of Africa. Sustainable agronomic inputs, including synthetic and organic pesticides, are needed in Africa. The partnership must, however, focus on improved outputs. That is to say – an improved state of the environment, improved food systems and improved food security.  Fueling sustainable development through agriculture Agriculture is the largest sector in Africa accounting for over 50% of the jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Yet, the average farm in Africa only performs at 40% of its potential. Eighty-four percent do not use agro-chemicals. Studies have found that by increasing productivity on farms, one immediately increases the incomes and livelihoods of about 60-70% of people. Studies also suggest that in...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



The nuclear option

Mark Lynas | October 25, 2021

The energy and climate crises are hitting Europe hard. Here's how to fix them both

Digital Confidential: Why toxic big tech must be held to account

Damian Collins MP | October 18, 2021

Now we know that the likes of Facebook and Instagram know their harmful content damages its young users, these tech giants should have nowhere to hide

The Spike: Jess Brammar’s deleted tweets

Alfie Habershon | October 13, 2021

The BBC’s new head of news has found herself at the centre of a rupture over the impartiality of Britain’s public broadcasting

Diary: Government as Performance Art

Anand Menon | October 11, 2021

Anand Menon is back in Portcullis House - but ‘politics as normal' is distinctly absent

Mind the gap

Annabel Denham | October 8, 2021

Rather than fixate on meaningless data, governments should explore why some women opt for less demanding roles

Keeping the lights turned off

Andrew Griffith MP | October 1, 2021

Light pollution means most of us rarely see the full beauty of the sky at night. Stargazing MP Andrew Griffith plans to change that

I Drank Because I was Ashamed to be Gay

Dan Carden MP | July 6, 2021

In his moving speech from Parliament’s Pride Debate, Dan Carden MP reveals how the trauma of hiding his sexuality led him to alcohol abuse.

The Paradoxes of Papal Politics

William Cash | April 27, 2021

Veteran Vatican watcher John Cornwell is won over by Pope Francis, says William Cash

Housing First can end rough sleeping once and for all

Brooks Newmark | February 28, 2021

Homelessness remains a stain on society. One policy can end it, argues Brooks Newmark.

Why ‘cancelling’ MP-poets is Woke tyranny

William Cash | February 23, 2021

We still have plenty to learn from the father of English literature and former MP, argues William Cash