AGRA's President,  Dr. Agnes Kalibata (left) and AWF's  President, Mr. Kaddu Kiwe Sebunya handshaking during the signing of their partnership at AGRA headquarters.

To help spur development and implementation of programs that achieve the twin goal of increasing agricultural productivity and the general socio-economic well-being in Africa and its people, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) have resolve to work together in this course.

The two Pan-African institutions have a common vision of a prosperous Africa. While AGRA works across the continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger through agricultural transformation, AWF fosters new and innovative solutions to ensure the protection and preservation of Africa’s wildlife and wildlands.

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As agriculture is affected by and affects the environment, the partnership will see the two organizations tap into their mutual strengths to benefit and safeguard the natural resource base that underpins a sustainable agricultural system.

“At AGRA, we believe that investing in agriculture through stronger partnerships is the surest path to reducing poverty, creating jobs and transforming economies in Africa,” said Dr. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA President as she hosted the AWF delegation led by the Foundation’s President, Mr. Kaddu Kiwe Sebunya.

“As the first part of our name – the Alliance – implies, we work with a broad spectrum of partners across the continent and beyond to transforms smallholder farming from a struggle to survive to a thriving business. This partnership recognizes that the environment is critical to agriculture. It will enable us to leverage each other’s strengths to ensure that agriculture transformation happens within the planet’s carrying capacity and does not negatively harm the environment. More specifically, we look forward to working with AWF to better understand different agro-ecological zones as we develop and roll-out seed, fertilizer and agronomic technologies that are adapted to these conditions,” added Dr. Kalibata.

“At AWF, we work to ensure that wild life and wild lands are part of our modern Africa and that they continue supporting agriculture which has become a critical engine for Africa’s economic transformation,” said Mr. Sebunya.

“Some of the ecosystem services that are crucial to agriculture include, for example, water provisioning, soil and its nutrients and pollination services offered by bees and other pollinators. Acknowledging this inexplicable link between agriculture and the environment, we welcome the partnership with AGRA,” he added.

This partnership is particularly important in the face of intensifying climate change related droughts, floods and diseases across Africa all of which impact agriculture.