An Africa-Europe agenda for rural transformation

According to the commissioners Josefa Leonel Correira Sacko (Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission), Neven Mimica (International Cooperation & Development), and Phil Hogan (Agriculture & Rural Development), the report… • recognizes the new reality of Africa and Europe as global partners on an equal footing, and that each region must steer its own development. • argues that the solution to agriculture will be found beyond agriculture, through a territorial approach to rural development in the widest sense. • stresses the importance of good policy as the key to developing the agri-food sector and rural areas. • demonstrates that farmers and the food industry are in it together and should work hand in hand to take the new opportunities that the African Continental Free Trade Area will offer and also, build the regional markets needed for Africa’s long term food security. • gives a democratic and legitimacy that is at the heart of responsible investment and sustainable development, by recommending to directly involve farmers, cooperatives, civil society, and the private sector in policymaking and in their own futures. The Task Force recommends the African Union and the European Union to develop a partnership operating on three levels: government to government, business to business, and people to people. In the next months, the European Commission and the African Union will decide how to translate the Report into action on the ground.