In July 2012, the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government, declared the year 2014 to be the Year of Agriculture and Food Security in Africa, marking the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The 10th Anniversary of CAADP is an important milestone and an opportunity to continue to prioritise agriculture and food security in policy and implementation to generate concrete results and impacts.

The Commission of the African Union, recently, made appreciation for the productive partnership between FAO and AUC and especially in the areas of capacity support to AUC-DREA on the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel, Initiative (GGWSSI), the Post-Harvest Loss Reduction, the Partnership to End Hunger in Africa, the close collaboration in technical preparations for the 2014 AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security, and support provided by FAO to AU Member States in designing and quality assuring the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Investment Plans.

The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF-2014), formally declared at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in 2011 (A/RES/66/22), aims to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in alleviating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas. The official launch of IYFF-2014 took place at UN Headquarters in New York on 22 November 2013, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations facilitates implementation, in collaboration with governments, development agencies, UN entities, farmers’ organizations, as well as relevant civil society organizations.

More information about the African Union Summit.

Some Background

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Twenty-Fourth Ordinary Session

21 – 28 January 2014

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA

EX.CL/Dec.783-812(XXIV)

EX.CL/Recom.(XXIV)

DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

 http://www.au.int/en/sites/default/files/EX%20CL%20Dec%20783-812%20%28XXIV%29%20_E.pdf

EX.CL/Dec.797(XXIV)

DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON RENEWED

PARTNERSHIP FOR A UNIFIED APPROACH TO END HUNGER IN AFRICA BY

2025 UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF THE COMPREHENSIVE AFRICA

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Doc. EX.CL/812(XXIV)

The Executive Council,

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the High Level Meeting on Partnerships towards

Ending Hunger in Africa, that was held on the 29th of June 2013, in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia; and ENDORSES the Declaration of the High Level Meeting On Ending

Hunger in Africa by the year 2025;

2. COMMENDS the Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the

United Nations (FAO) and the Lula Institute of Brazil for their collaborative efforts

in successfully organizing the High Level Meeting;

3. URGES Member States to commit and work towards achieving this vision of

hunger free Africa by 2025 in implementing Maputo Declaration of July 2003 on

Agriculture and Food Security;

4. REQUESTS the Commission, the FAO and Lula Institute to continue to work

together to support Member States in their efforts towards achieving the vision of

hunger free Africa by 2025;

5. REQUESTS the Commission and NPCA to mainstream this vision and strategy

within the CAADP planning, monitoring and reporting framework;

6. REQUESTS partners to step up their technical and financial support towards

materializing this vision;

7. ENCOURAGES Member States to invest in the youth in order to allow them

contribute effectively to agricultural transformation.