Rabat – OCP Africa’s CEO Dr. Mohamed Anouar Jamali advocated for stronger ties between the public and private sector to enable small farmers to build sustainable food systems.
Dr. Jamali spoke at a session themed “creating 100% living incomes and wages in food systems,” as part of a series of sessions focusing on private sector solutions and actions. The series of talks, organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, is organized in the run-up of the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS 2021).
Food security, sustainable farming, and ensuring a living wage for smallholder farms was a main point of discussion. A living wage refers to an individual earning enough to live off and provide for her or his family, while sustainable food systems refer to building environmentally friendly, and economically beneficial farming that benefits local communities and small-scale farmers.
The OCP Africa CEO made clear the efforts OCP makes to realize these important ambitions. Dr. Jamali stated that “we, as private sector companies, have both leverage and a responsibility to contribute in the improvement of smallholders’ living incomes and wages.”
According to Jamali, sustainable food systems can be built “by putting the smallholder farmer in a virtual loop through the sustainable increase of his/her productivity, facilitating access to quality products and services, and developing his market linkage.”
In effect, OCP Africa is hoping to integrate small farmers into the larger domestic and international food markets, by providing knowledge, training, and technology to create a virtuous cycle with which farmers can develop their own resilience and economic independence. By empowering local farmers and increasing crop yields, local children can further their education and follow their dreams, while reducing the threat of food insecurity.
OCP Africa’s focus on building sustainable food systems is likely to take center stage as international dignitaries and business leaders meet at the UNFSS 2021.
With climate change, poverty, and water scarcity as obvious threats, the summit will be an important event to discuss possible solutions and collaborations to ensure a better and more sustainable future for humanity.
