Agriculture
Growth in agriculture is twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other sectors.
The Challenge
Development assistance for agriculture has declined over the last two decades, leaving many poor countries more vulnerable to hunger and poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa especially, agriculture has been plagued by low productivity and under-investment, making it difficult for Africans to feed themselves and earn an income from farming. The spike in food prices in 2008 jeopardized even more people in poor countries as the price of imported foods such as rice, wheat, and corn peaked. This, coupled with the global financial crisis, resulted in a devastating economic impact on poor families, who often spend at least half of their income on food. It is estimated that in 2009 the number of hungry people around the world exceeded 1 billion. Although the number declined slightly to 925 million in 2010, it is now poised to go up again as world food prices are 50% higher than they were six months ago, an increase that analysts forecast could last years and could drive millions into poverty and hunger.
The Opportunity
Investing in agriculture can be transformative, especially for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, where the sector employs nearly two-thirds of the population and accounts for an average one-third of GDP. Women produce 60-80% of food in sub-Saharan Africa, and the World Bank estimates that growth in the agriculture sector is twice as effective at reducing poverty as growth in other sectors. This investment will help the world's poorest people earn their way out of poverty. In addition to fueling economic growth, investment in agriculture will also enable the world's poorest countries to better feed their people and withstand future shocks from changing global food prices, weather patterns, and financial crises.
Access to tools, fertilizers, seeds, and information is urgently needed to help communities prevent another food crisis. Safety-nets like cash-for-work programs are also needed to ensure that the poorest families do not descend further into poverty. In the long-term, food security and economic growth will require significant investments in agriculture and rural development. With better infrastructure, improved technology and training, and access to financial services, farmers could benefit from increased crop yields and stronger connections to domestic, regional, and international markets.
Learn more, read the full Agriculture Issue Brief...
Progress Report
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Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa
Many governments and donor countries are beginning to tap into the vast potential of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa by making new investments in the sector to enhance economic opportunities and increase food security. MORE
Related Hot Topics in Policy
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Fight the Famine, Feed the Future
Programs like Feed the Future can help end famine for good. MORE
Related Campaigns
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It's Time to Invest in Agriculture
ONE members ask their senators to make sure the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations fully-funds the president's request for smart, targeted global agricultural investments that will stop hunger in its tracks.
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UN Summit: Fill the Funding Gap
September - October, 2008
In September 2008, before a High Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals, more than 50,000 European ONE members mobilized to urge world leaders to fill the worldwide US$1 billion funding gap to combat the food crisis. MORE -
The “EU Billion” for Food and Agriculture
July - November, 2008
With €1 billion of funding to struggling farmers in developing countries on the line, European ONE members helped apply public pressure at the critical moment to help secure this new money.
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Hunger Crisis
April - July, 2008
As prices for staple foods essential to the world's poorest people soared to record highs in 2008, more than 140,000 ONE members signed our petition to President George W. Bush asking him to work to get the hunger crisis on the agenda at the 2008 G8 Summit, and to secure additional commitments for all types of food assistance and increased agricultural productivity in developing countries. MORE
Related Press Releases
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ONE Launches Provocative PSA to Fight Famine in Horn of Africa
The anti-poverty advocacy group ONE today unveiled a new PSA titled "The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity" to spark a more urgent response to the growing famine in Somalia that has already killed more than 30,000 children in just 3 months. Featuring some of the biggest names from the worlds of entertainment, media and politics, the PSA is an effort to turn the media spotlight on the obscenity of tens of thousands of children dying of starvation in 2011. It is also part of a broader campaign by ONE to build support for longer-term strategies that will help end the cycle of famine once and for all.
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ONE Announces Commitment to Address Crisis in the Horn of Africa At the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
Today, the anti-poverty advocacy group ONE announced a new multi-year campaign to address the famine in Somalia and the wider crisis in the Horn of Africa. The commitment announcement was made at a press conference at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York, which brings together global leaders to develop and implement workable solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.
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USAID, World Food Programme Join ONE Call on Growing Crisis in the Horn of Africa
Last night, anti-poverty advocacy group ONE hosted a conference call with USAID Administrator Raj Shah, World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran, and Somali-Minnesotan Ali Ali to educate ONE members about the growing famine threatening the lives of 11.6 million men, women and children in the Horn of Africa, and how they can use their voices to raise awareness and take action. MORE
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ONE Statement on the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for FY2012
We believe the current bill could have harmful consequences on America's effective work in saving lives and lifting people out of extreme poverty. We look forward to working with both the House and Senate to restore funding in key global health and development accounts as the budget process moves forward. MORE
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ONE Statement on the Growing Crisis and Famine in the Horn of Africa
As ONE's on-the-ground partners work to address the immediate crisis, ONE is calling on Congress to support cost-effective, results-driven programs in the FY2012 budget that fight the root causes of world hunger, in particular those focused on long-term agricultural productivity that enable families to grow food to feed themselves - all for less than 1% of the U.S. budget. As Congress debates significant spending cuts to drive down the deficit, we must not forget America's life-saving legacy of helping the most vulnerable and we must protect long-term efforts to avoid crises like the current famine in the Horn of Africa.
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Bono and K’naan Meet with Somali Minnesotans in Minneapolis, Urge Action on Growing Famine in the Horn of Africa
Bono, U2 lead singer and cofounder of ONE, the global anti-poverty advocacy group, and K'naan, the Somali-born singer and poet, met last evening with members of the Somali community in Minneapolis to discuss the growing famine in the Horn of Africa, where a food crisis is threatening the lives of 11.6 million men, women and children according to the UN. After the meeting, during U2's performance in Minneapolis, Bono and K'naan performed a duet of "Stand by Me" in solidarity with the people of Somalia. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota are home to the largest concentration of Somalis in the United States.
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Quick Facts
Approximately 925 million people are hungry
around the world today, a decrease of an estimated 80 million people since 2009.
Growth in agriculture is twice as effective
at reducing poverty compared to growth in other sectors.
2/3 of people in sub-Saharan Africa
are employed in agriculture.
Related Policy Analysis
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Policy Brief
Fact sheet: What is Feed the Future? -
Policy Brief
Breaking the cycle of crisis and boosting growth through African agriculture: A call to the U.S. Government for urgent action -
Policy Brief
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Solving Somalia's Food Security Emergency -
Issue Brief
The Millennium Challenge Account