A CROSS -section of agro- stakeholders have hailed the resolutions endorsed during the Africa Food Systems Forum 2023, noting that if well implemented, it will create more jobs and strengthen the food systems in the country and the continent at large.
Among the resolutions endorsed during the forum included engaging youths and women at the centre of the food systems transformation agenda and increase crops production by using better and sustainable agricultural methods, strengthening food security systems, reducing negative environmental impacts in order to enable youths and women to be interpreted in plans and investment in all implementation stages in the continent.
Others are to make assessment on development, investment and commitment which is still low in order for the private sector, government and innovators to ensure that public and private investments increase the food value addition and ensure that political will helps in food production, markets and trade through formulation of policies which will facilitate implementation of what have been agreed.
The forum also agreed to mobilise financial institutions in order to stimulate investment for supporting the African continent agenda.
The stakeholders told the `Sunday News’ in separate inter- views yesterday that through agriculture transformation, more jobs will be created, food systems will be strengthened and thus promote Africa’s economic growth.
Commenting, a Political- cum-diplomacy analyst, Mr Goodluck Ng’ingo said effective involvement of youth popula- tion and women in agriculture transformation will address the challenges of food systems and promote the continent’s economic prosperity as it will add work force.
“The biggest challenge of Africa is that only a small part of its workforce participates in pro- ductive agriculture, in the sense that a large part participates in climate-dependent agriculture… Africa’s economic revolution will be brought through involve- ment of many people in agriculture,” he said.
For his part, Tanzania Fishers Union’s (TAFU) Secretary General, Mr Jephta Machandalo said he expects more action af- ter the forum, such as strength- ening production value chain, easing flow of food and market accessibility and eco-friendly farming for sustainability of fisheries resource.
He said youths and women inclusion in fisheries should go with improved infrastructure for storage and packaging to expand the fish market in East Africa and Africa at large, which in turn will increase the fishery sector’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income.
He said the summit echoed key issues for fostering the fishing industry in the country, including preventing illegal fishing which undermines sustainability of fish resources and productivity to serve the available market.