Department of agriculture deputy minister Mcebisi Skwatsha has called for a more proactive approach in collaborations between South African food producers and the rest of the Africa to ensure a sustainable and food-secure continent.
He led the South African delegation at the sixth International Exhibition of Agriculture and Animal Resources which took place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
Policies critical
Skwatsha highlighted that South Africa’s policies and programmes dealing with global shocks affecting food production and food security are inspired by climate-smart agriculture technologies and approaches.
“We get further inspiration from like-minded countries in pursuit of the resilience of the agricultural sector to disasters and especially unknown natural phenomena.
“Africans learned valuable lessons from the latest pandemic. This is with regard to sector funding and preparedness in general. Like I said we drew and continue to draw inspiration from Africa’s Common Position on United Nations food systems pathways,” he said.
Skwatsha added that South African policies are based on local peculiarities and three principles that underpin the African Common Position, namely the centrality of country and national ownership-responsibility, inter-sector linkages and interdependence, and integration of existing systems and capabilities.
A reflection of Africa’s solutions
He said these policies and programmes thus reflect Africa’s game-changing solutions identified during dialogues which led to the African Common Position.
“The policies are ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all, shifting to sustainable consumption patterns, boosting nature-positive production at a sufficient scale, advancing equitable livelihoods and value distribution, and building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress.
“The department has developed disaster policies and plans for the sector to respond to different hazards that can negatively affect the sector,” he said.
How to reduce challenges
Meanwhile, Skwatsha said while the policies are in place, there are mitigation and adaptation plans developed, including programmes established to address the negative impacts of climate change within the sector.
Skwatsha said the legislation and policies put more emphasis on the disaster risk reduction phase where programmes aimed at prevention, mitigation, and preparedness are implemented.
“In general terms, South Africa would like to implore all of us to adopt equivalent or similar climate-smart agriculture approaches and technologies to transform the agricultural sector.
Going forward
“Climate-smart agriculture has the potential to help reduce food loss and wastage, enhance the resilience of people, food and agricultural production systems, and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
Skwatsha said the South African government’s implementation of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan was key to reviving the sector and driving investment.
“It also allows us to draw and implement programs which assist in implementing South Africa’s United Nations Food Systems Pathways,” he said.
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