Africa Action Plan for Improving Statistics for Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture, and Rural Development (2011-2015)

Abstract

The central and strategic role that agriculture plays in Africa’s development makes the sector the key to economic growth, enhanced living standards, poverty reduction, and increased food security. Indeed, all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have direct or indirect linkages to agriculture. Moreover their outputs are wanting in terms of quantity, quality, and dissemination. This situation has been exacerbated by new data requirements to inform policy on emerging development issues such as food production vs. biofuels, global warming, environment, and food security. Africa is the first region to implement the Global Strategy. The Action Plan for Africa of the Global Strategy was designed in 2010 by the African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the African Union Commission (AUC).