Akinwumi
Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, is this year’s winner of
the $250,000 World Food Prize.
He is the son
of a farm worker who rose to head the bank where he made sure loans were
available to improve agriculture.
He said the
future of global food security relies on making farming in Africa a profitable
business and developing local food processing. Adding value to agricultural
products helps lift farmers out of poverty.
"I believe
that what Africa does with agriculture and how it does it is not only important
for Africa but it's important for how we're going to feed the world by 2050
because 65 per cent of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world is in
Africa," he said.
"To help
Africa get it right in agriculture is also going to be a key part of securing
food for the world."
African nations, such as South Sudan, are now in the midst of the worst famines in 75 years, but it's wars, not farming technology or profitability, that are the reason.
