The “Third African Agricultural Day 2023” conference, organized by the Egyptian African Businessmen Association, was launched Tuesday, by Dr. Yousry El Sharkawi. The conference was titled “The Importance of Modern Agriculture in Africa”, in the presence of senior speakers from experts, interested parties and businessmen from various countries of the continent.
Eight senior experts spoke at the conference this year, and they are Dr. Adel Al-Ghandour, Chairman of the Agriculture and Food Security Committee in the association, and Dr. Zakaria Isaacou, Technical Market Systems Specialist at MEDA, Ms. Zandil Kumalo, Founder of HyHarvest (Pty) Ltd and Co-Founder of Neighbor Roots (Pty) Ltd, Dr. Oliver Candela Polaya, Renegia Management Consulting, and Mr. Kakel Mbomb, Strategist at National Federation of Young Entrepreneurs In the Congo in the agribusiness sector.
Also speaking were Ms. Shuri-Helen Achu, Lecturer, University Institute of Science and Technology (USTY) Cameroon, Ms. Josephine Favre, President of the African Vertical Farming Association (AAVF), Mr. Vinay Kanhye, Director of V Kanhye Health Foods Co Lid.
The conference aims to seek to build agricultural and economic relations across the continent. To achieve integration among African countries, achieve optimal utilization of land and marine natural resources, raise awareness about modern agriculture, encourage cooperation through experiences and expertise, implement joint programs and projects to serve African food security, as well as encourage private sector investors to invest in agricultural projects on the continent.
In his speech during the opening of the conference, Dr. Yousry El-Sharkawi, chairman of the Egyptian African Businessmen Association, pointed to the many challenges facing agriculture around the world, especially with the effects of clear climate changes and the lack of application of sound agricultural practices, and pointed to the importance of technology and its entry into all fields. , stressing that it is one of the important vital sectors that we must expand in its use, stressing that African agriculture is one of the sectors most in need of expanding the use of technology.
El-Sharkawi, pointed out that Africa has a very large area and has 7 rivers, which enables it to achieve self-sufficiency in food, stressing the importance of African agricultural cooperation to achieve this and invade the world with African agricultural exports later, adding that the new markets that have been opened around the world make the continent ready to confront Any conflict or global crisis, whether for export or import.
In the conclusion of his speech, Dr. Yousry El-Sharkawi stressed that modern African agriculture is the ideal solution to overcome the problem of food security in the continent, calling for the need for rapid cooperation to benefit from the resources of the African continent in the field of agriculture.
Dr. Adel Al-Ghandour, head of the Association’s Agriculture and Food Security Committee, stressed the importance of benefiting from rain in spreading rain-fed agriculture in places of water scarcity, as well as benefiting from modern technological irrigation development systems, pointing to the importance of developing non-traditional methods to develop agricultural projects and reduce water losses.
Al-Ghandour added that the current global context requires us to seek modern technological solutions in order to address the challenges faced by farmers, as well as to review solutions and innovations that would help combat climate change and achieve maximum benefit for all countries of the continent.
During his speech, Dr. Zakaria Isaacou stressed the importance of adopting technological solutions to ensure food sovereignty for the continent, pointing out that it is unjustified that a continent with 65% of the arable land in the world and all those water resources suffer from a lack of food security.
Isaacou added that the continent has sufficient technologies and resources to change the current situation, stressing that activating the private sector is an ideal solution. To achieve this and increase agricultural production on the continent.
The conference aimed to shed light on the importance of investing in “smart agriculture”, because it focuses on optimal utilization of agriculture for the least amount of land and the least amount of water to obtain the best crop production, which makes it a promising future option for the Arab world to achieve sustainable agricultural production and face problems of limited resources and change. Climate facing the agricultural sectors in the Arab countries.
Mrs. Josephine Favre stressed the importance of investing in agricultural technology, stressing that it focuses on exploiting the least amount of land and the least amount of water. To obtain the best production of agricultural crops, which makes it a promising option for the countries of the continent. To achieve sustainable agricultural production, and to confront the problems of scarcity of resources and climate change facing the continent.
Mr. Kakel Mbomb pointed out the need to review the national plans of African countries in the field of agriculture, and to mobilize the energies of the private sector. To achieve a quantum leap in agricultural investments that respond to the needs of the continent, stressing the need to rely on technology and innovation in that.
The conference came out with a number of recommendations, whose implementation is scheduled to start. The recommendations included working to improve agricultural productivity by identifying suitable lands, suitable crops and strains that are more efficient in the use of irrigation water; To reach profitable results and achieve returns and benefits that are economically feasible.
It also included confirming and activating African cooperation mechanisms in the agricultural field, encouraging integration and communication between them, as well as providing training opportunities for African farmers. To maximize mutual benefit and learn to use modern technologies in agriculture together.
The recommendations also emphasized the importance of organizing visits by African ambassadors and officials concerned with agriculture to modern agricultural projects in the various countries of the continent.
It also included the necessity of cooperating together to make optimal use of desert lands. Relying on modern technologies, as well as starting cooperation in the fields of scientific research and research on the application of modern agricultural systems and working on cooperation in taking the necessary measures to provide and benefit from biotechnology.
Also, coordination and cooperation between agricultural organizations in African countries to exchange knowledge and experiences, visits, exchange modern technologies, and technology transfer.
The conference affirmed that cooperation and coordination among African countries is an absolute necessity to increase national income and achieve food and health security through agriculture. On modern technology to improve the use of agricultural lands and irrigation methods, or to increase the area of land, or to focus on African cooperation, which is a major key in reaching the goals of the countries of the continent in this field.