Korea-Africa Summit 2024: Advancing Food Security and Agricultural Development in Africa

Official Development Assistance in Africa

The Rural Development Administration (RDA) is promoting bilateral and multilateral international development cooperation (ODA) projects to contribute to food security and agricultural development in developing countries. The Korea-Africa Food & Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI), a multilateral cooperation targeting Africa, is currently collaborating with 23 African countries and 5 international organizations on various agricultural R&D projects. These projects include the development of crop productivity enhancement technologies, the breeding of high-yield rice varieties adapted to the African climate, and the development of pest management technologies. The core of bilateral cooperation is the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture, RDA (KOPIA). There are currently KOPIA centers in seven African countries, including Kenya, Algeria, and Ethiopia, playing a vital role in transferring locally customized agricultural technologies.

The Miracle of Rice Opening Africa’s Future

KAFACI has formed the ‘Africa Rice Development Partnership’ with 21 African countries and AfricaRice, dedicated to rice R&D in Africa, to develop new rice varieties that grow well in African environments, have high yields, and are of good quality. Korea’s green revolution technology and experience have been transferred as well. In 2017, the Africa-Korea Rice breeding Laboratory (AKRiL) was established at AfricaRice’s Sahel center in Senegal, and rice breeding experts were dispatched. AfricaRice crossbred Korea’s ‘Tongil-type rice’ with member countries’ genetic resources and applied anther culture technology to rapidly produce superior lines. Annually, rice breeders from member countries gather at AKRiL to select superior lines. These lines are then taken back to their countries for further breeding, trait evaluation, productivity testing, and regional adaptation trials before final selection and registration as new varieties. In Senegal in 2017, the rice varieties ISRIZ 6 and ISRIZ 7, based on the Korean varieties ‘Milyang 23’ and ‘Taebaegbyeo,’ were developed. As of 2024, a total of 26 rice varieties have been registered across 8 countries. These newly developed varieties are known for their high genetic yield, low milling loss rate, and excellent cooking quality, resulting in increased production and income. They also have a short cooking time and are highly appreciated by local consumers for their taste and quality. These superior new varieties are expected to be widely distributed and cultivated by African farmers through the K-Ricebelt project.

Training Agricultural Researchers

In terms of training agricultural researchers, researchers from African national agricultural research institutes are invited to AKRiL to learn rice breeding techniques and Korea’s green revolution experiences. Through the long-term training program for young scientists, Africa’s emerging agricultural researchers are invited to Korea to participate in research projects at the RDA’s specialized research labs, receiving practical training. This strengthens the expertise of local agricultural personnel and lays the foundation for sustainable development. Many African national agricultural research institutes face the risk of research and development being disrupted due to an aging workforce, so intensive training programs for young scientists over several months are essential for enhancing the autonomy of local agricultural research and promoting long-term development.

Pest Management and Crop Management Techniques

In the field of pest management, considering the limitation on using expensive chemical pesticides in Africa, environmentally friendly control methods are being developed to ensure proper crop management techniques. These efforts play a crucial role in reducing agricultural production losses due to pest problems and stabilizing farmers’ livelihoods.

Better Agritech, Better Future

KOPIA (KOrea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture) establishes KOPIA centers in Africa and dispatches agricultural technology experts to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate customized agricultural technologies for each country. Dispatched experts collaborate with local agricultural research institutions to carry out tailored projects. Currently, there are KOPIA centers in seven African countries: Kenya, Algeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Ghana. The KOPIA Center’s project involves three stages. In the first stage, country-specific customized technology development is carried out. Based on the developed technology, the second stage involves on-farm verification and the creation of pilot villages to conduct field demonstrations. Finally, in collaboration with relevant organizations, the third stage aims to disseminate the results and help establish the technology suited to local conditions.

In Africa, the main crops dealt with by KOPIA centers include ‘rice’, ‘maize’, and ‘potatoes’, aiming to increase food self-sufficiency. The Ghana center is working on developing a large-scale production system using new high-yield varieties like ‘AGYAPA’ and ‘KOREA-MO’. The Senegal center is promoting the dissemination of new rice varieties ISRIZ 6 and ISRIZ 7 developed by KAFACI. The Uganda center focuses on promoting aromatic rice varieties ‘KAFAC-39’ and ‘NARORICE’, which have a market price 1.5 times higher than regular rice. By disseminating Korea’s transplanting technology, they achieved more than double the yield and a 231% increase in farm income. Common to rice projects in Africa is the focus on distributing superior new varieties, as the traditional varieties mainly grown there have low environmental adaptability and yield.

K-Rice Belt Project

For the dissemination of African rice, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is leading the K-Rice Belt project. This project is a representative agricultural Official Development Assistance (ODA) initiative aimed at addressing rice production shortages in African countries that rely on imports. By establishing rice seed production complexes, the project seeks to produce high-yield rice seeds and contribute to ending hunger. The RDA is implementing the RiceSPIA (Rice Seed Production Improvement for Africa) project under this initiative. In 2023, KOPIA centers promoted pilot seed production in six countries, producing 2,321 tons of rice seeds, 14% more than the initial target of 2,040 tons.

In addition to rice, the project focuses on special crops like ‘orange’, ‘tomato’, and ‘sesame’ to increase farm income. A notable success is the establishment of an orange pilot village in the Teso region by the Uganda center. In 2014, the orange production in this region dropped below 50% due to an unknown disease and drought, leading many farmers to abandon their orchards. The Ugandan Embassy of Korea sought help from the KOPIA center to solve this issue. The KOPIA center invited a citrus disease expert from Korea to diagnose the disease (spot disease), selected effective pesticides, and confirmed more than 90% control. They also established a 1-tree-1-reservoir system by installing rainwater diversion, solving the drought problem. Currently, over 90% of the 12,000 orange farmers in the Teso region are applying this KOPIA technology, with a 309% increase in farm income in the third year of the pilot village. Additionally, KOICA, at the official request of the Ugandan government, established an orange processing plant in the Teso region, the largest orange-producing area, to build an agricultural value chain.

The project also promotes poultry farming to increase farm income. By focusing on self-sufficient feed supply, establishing a self-sustaining poultry system, providing solar incubators to increase hatch rates, and reducing mortality through vaccinations, it ensures the continuation of a stable poultry industry.

Future Strategy

KAFACI plans to promote various strategies for sustainable agricultural development in Africa. To ensure sustainable agricultural development, they aim to respond to climate change through climate-smart agriculture, protect ecosystems through eco-friendly agriculture and soil improvement, and enhance agricultural productivity and farming environments in Africa. By developing customized varieties considering the climate, soil, and agricultural environment of each country and introducing technologies to improve farming conditions, KAFACI will enhance agricultural productivity. They will also continue to dispatch experts and implement long-term training programs for young scientists to strengthen agricultural personnel’s expertise.

KAFACI’s cooperation with African member countries serves as a crucial model for promoting economic development and social stability in Africa. Continuous support and cooperation will be extended to ensure sustainable development in Africa. Currently, about 10 African countries wish to cooperate with KAFACI, and efforts are ongoing to expand membership and strengthen agricultural R&D cooperation in Africa. These efforts are expected to significantly contribute to increasing agricultural productivity, promoting agricultural self-sufficiency, and strengthening food security in African countries.

The role of KOPIA’s agricultural experts will continue. To ensure sustainable and independent agricultural development, they will disseminate superior varieties, provide on-site technical guidance, and introduce farming techniques to improve productivity. African countries are showing keen interest in the K-Rice Belt project to ensure food security. Many African agricultural government departments are eager to establish KOPIA centers, with Cameroon and Tanzania actively pursuing new center establishments. These new KOPIA centers are expected to travel across the host countries, transferring Korean agricultural technology and supporting local agriculture.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 15: Life on Land
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses various initiatives and projects related to agriculture, food security, and sustainable development in Africa. These issues are directly connected to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The article also mentions the importance of training agricultural researchers and enhancing the autonomy of local agricultural research, which aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education). Additionally, the article highlights the role of agricultural technology, innovation, and partnerships, which are relevant to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The focus on environmentally friendly control methods for pest management relates to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Lastly, the article mentions the establishment of rice seed production complexes to address rice production shortages, which is connected to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

2. Specific Targets Under the SDGs Based on the Article’s Content

• SDG 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• SDG 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
• SDG 2.5: By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.
• SDG 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
• SDG 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
• SDG 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
• SDG 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
• SDG 15.6: Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources.
• SDG 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

The specific targets identified above are based on the content of the article. These targets reflect the goals and objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are relevant to the issues discussed in the article, such as increasing agricultural productivity, promoting sustainable food production systems, enhancing skills and entrepreneurship, reducing food waste, addressing climate change, promoting genetic diversity, and fostering international cooperation.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

• Number of agricultural researchers trained in rice breeding techniques and green revolution experiences
• Number of KOPIA centers established in African countries
• Number of African countries collaborating with KAFACI
• Number of new rice varieties developed and registered
• Increase in rice production and income due to the adoption of new rice varieties
• Percentage increase in farm income in the orange pilot village
• Number of poultry farmers adopting self-sufficient feed supply and solar incubators
• Number of superior varieties disseminated and farming techniques introduced
• Number of African countries cooperating with KAFACI and expanding membership
• Amount of rice seeds produced through the RiceSPIA project

The indicators mentioned or implied in the article can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators provide measurable data and information on the implementation and impact of the initiatives and projects discussed in the article. They can help assess the effectiveness and success of the efforts in achieving the desired outcomes, such as increased agricultural productivity, improved food security, enhanced skills and knowledge, and sustainable development in Africa.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

The table above presents the findings from analyzing the article, including the relevant SDGs, their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article. This table provides a clear overview of the connections between the issues discussed in the article and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the specific targets and indicators that can be used to measure progress towards achieving those goals.

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Fuente: koreapost.com

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