The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA 2012) - Investing in Agriculture for a better future
The 2012 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA 2012) - Investing in Agriculture for a better future was just released.
Investing in agriculture is essential for reducing hunger and promoting sustainable agricultural production. Those parts of the world where investments in agriculture have stagnated are the epicentres of poverty and hunger today. Demand growth over the coming decades will place increasing pressure on the natural resource base. Eradicating hunger sustainably will require a significant increase in agricultural investments, and an improvement in their effectiveness.
Farmers are the largest investors in developing country agriculture and must be central to any strategy for increasing investment in the sector. If they are to invest more in agriculture they need economic incentives and an enabling environment. Governments have a special responsibility to help smallholders overcome the constraints they face. Government investment in agriculture is crucial for providing an enabling environment for private investments in the sector.