Global leaders launch effort to turn around Africa's failing agriculture

Media advisory: Press briefing with teleconference call-in

EMBARGOED UNTIL 12 p.m. EST (1700 Hours GMT), Thursday, March 30, 2006

New study reports three-quarters of african farmlands plagued by severe degradation

RSVP to call-in or to attend briefing:
Jeff Haskins, Bee Wuethrich or Ellen Wilson at +1 301-652-1558 Or email jhaskins@burnesscommunications.com

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The very basis of food production in Africa--the continent's soil--is rapidly being depleted of nutrients essential for growing crops and protecting the environment, a new study will report at a press briefing on Thursday, March 30. The report tracks the soil health on the continent from 1980 to 2004.

The "soil health crisis" is a major cause of poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, where one in three Africans is undernourished. Soil depletion and population growth in farming areas also leads to environmental challenges, as African farmers often abandon infertile fields to clear forests for cultivation, thus threatening Africa's endangered wildlife and forests.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the Implementing Committee of the African Union's New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), is calling on African heads of state, ministers, donors, industry leaders, farmers' organizations, and others to support the transformation of African agriculture, beginning with a summit to address the soil health crisis and adopt strategies to revitalize African agriculture. An advisory panel of world leaders in African development will discuss the goals of the Summit and present the findings of the report. A full range of questions regarding African agriculture, fertilizer use, hunger and the environment will be addressed at the March 30 briefing.

WHEN: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 Hours GMT), Thursday, March 30, 2006

WHO:
His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria
Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairman, African Union Commission
Firmino Mucavele, Chief Executive, NEPAD Secretariat
Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation
Amit Roy, President, IFDC, an International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (And other speakers available for questions.)

Note: Final speakers to be confirmed.

WHERE: The Rockefeller Foundation
420 Fifth Ave, New York

One of every three people in sub-Saharan Africa is undernourished. More than US$4 billion worth of soil nutrients are lost from Africa's soils every year. Thus, African leaders consider the Summit an essential part of NEPAD's Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme, which aims to raise farm yield by 6 percent annually by 2015 and cut food insecurity by half.

More than 60 percent of Africa's population is directly engaged in agriculture. But crop productivity has remained stagnant, while cereal yields in Asia have risen three-fold over the past four decades. Increasing productivity on African farms is viewed as critical to feeding a population that is expected to grow to 1.8 billion people by 2050.

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Call in Information:

Journalists in the U.S. or Canada: call +1 877-707-9628, ask for “Africa agriculture call."
Journalists elsewhere: call +1 785-832-0301, ask for “Africa agriculture call.”
A playback of the call will be available for 24 hours by calling from the U.S. +1 800-388-9064 and from elsewhere +1 402-220-1116.