Africa is the breadbasket for the world

There is a saying that human beings like taking advantage when misfortunes strike. A crystal example is when there is shortage of a particular commodity in the market, the prices shoot up. This is no exception with the Africans as I came to understand recently. As stakeholders in the agricultural sector met in Tanzania a month a go for a workshop, one of the issues on the agenda was food security. With the world`s population set to rise by two billion people in the next two years, the world has been thrown in confusion as the blanket of fear spreads across the continents as they ponder over the next move pertaining to food security. All eyes have turned to Africa; the cradle of resources — the rich continent is to shoulder this heavy responsibly. Feeding the massive bulge of the rising population causing ripples. Yes, the super power countries may be having the financial power; but the buck stops with us. We have to laugh best in this situation. The a million dollar question we have to ask ourselves is, are we able to rise to this challenge of the day that is bound to transform our lives and what is to be done to sustain this hard task ahead? The answer is yes we can. Right from the Northern to the Southern, cutting across the Western and Eastern Africa, there lays a great potential. Consider the case of Egypt, a desert country that has over the years used the water from the Nile River to sustain its population through irrigation. How great the idea was! It shows how much this continent has untouched productive resources. No wonder the colonial rulers got the fair share of the continent. Agriculture can, therefore, be the backbone of this beloved continent if we mean good for it, Rwanda inclusive bearing in mind they won an award on food security recently. You stand tall and have proved that you are the food basket of East Africa. We need to commend the Minister for Agriculture Dr, Agnes Kalibata who has managed this all — important ministry with a keen eye of perfection!If we have to achieve the various goals we have set for ourselves, then we got to consider this opportunity that time has presented to us. The fact is we are a cog in the wheel of development. Lets then brace ourselves for this task ahead. So how do we do it? Many would pose this question. Cool. By ensuring there is food security in the continents. By so doing, we Africans will improve our living standard for the better. We got what it takes. Our continent has been blessed with enough rains that we even complain of floods. Let’s take a positive approach to this. Can’t we use this water for irrigation? Really! If we build enough reservoir that can handle what nature provides then we are good to go. This water can be supplied all round the year even in times of drought. This will translate into an all year round planting season. Irrigation schemes can be established to handle this challenge which will pay off if well handled and managed.Embracing modernised equipment and tools will catapult this endeavour to the next desired level. It will not only better production but also attract foreign investors who will jet in to selltheir products. Modernity will ensure fast and reliable work and save a handsome portion of the resources since it will reduce the manpower involved. This will in the long run give way to industrialisation. Practising large scale farming will provide avenue for large production of agricultural products which, in turn, will force us to come up with storage facilities such as silos for future use. With this ambitious eventuality looming, an industry for processed product should be well thought out. This will guarantee an export bargain in the near future which will strengthen the economy at a very fast pace. So then, time seems ripe for us to go for this green gold as it were. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get down to action. The government has provided the conducive environment and opportunity on the entire horizons. We must create on how to get to the top and maintain our stay up there by providing quality services to those who need them—the rest of the world.