African Ministers recommend responsible land investments for agricultural transformation

Abstract

African countries are called to endorse the African Union (AU) Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments (LSLBI) in Africa, which recognizes the centrality of small scale producers in promoting sustainable, economically viable, and inclusive investments on land in support of agricultural transformation. Moreover, Member States need to commit political, institutional, and financial support to the Land Policy Initiative in order to facilitate implementation of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges. These are two of the land policy recommendations adopted by the AU Joint Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture. The conference, including an experts’ meeting and a Ministerial session, was held under the theme “Transforming Africa’s agriculture for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods through harnessing opportunities for inclusive growth and sustainable development.”