Madagascar participated in the 20th edition of the Africa Food Systems Forum, organized last week by AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) in partnership with the Rwandan government in Kigali. The event brought together African political leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, producer groups, research institutions, development partners, and private sector representatives working in agriculture, as well as investors.

Under the central theme "Investing in African agrifood systems: feeding nations, creating jobs and building resilience," the objective was to increase local production to ensure food security and sovereignty while strengthening climate resilience across agricultural value chains. This 20th edition of the African Food Systems Forum also aimed to attract investments and develop agribusiness and agritechs to create economic opportunities for youth and women.

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, led by Secretary General Andritiana Arsène Rabarison, represented Madagascar. During his intervention, he presented the island nation's vision for sustainable agricultural transformation. "Our country is committed to implementing adapted strategies to protect agricultural achievements and sustainably strengthen national production to build a more resilient food system for future generations," he declared.

The Malagasy delegation actively participated in exchanges with African and international partners. "These meetings provide an opportunity to share experiences, strengthen collaborations and build solutions together to face food and climate challenges," he added.

Discussions centered on five strategic axes. The first focused on mobilizing financing and investments to strengthen food system resilience while improving production. Direct meetings between African entrepreneurs in agrifood transformation and investment funds or development banks were facilitated to finance high-impact projects.

The second strategic axis concerned sustainable water and irrigation management through promoting modern technologies such as solar pumping and drip irrigation systems, while deploying digital tools for hydrology and predictive weather alerts.

Facilitating access to affordable agricultural and livestock products for African populations was debated to achieve food and nutritional security. Research institutions continued efforts to strengthen producer resilience by promoting stress-resistant and drought-tolerant seeds like "Besalohy" rice and sorghum.

Rural entrepreneurship development and digital solutions deployment such as agritech and e-commerce constituted the fourth strategic axis. Finally, the development of intra-African trade through implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area was emphasized. The common objective is to build healthier, inclusive, sustainable, resilient and equitable food systems capable of accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa by 2030.