The Swiss town of Davos is a long way from the smallholder farms of Africa – and yet the meetings and conversations that took place during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum sparked ideas for award winner, Abraham Baffoe, Proforest Executive Director, Global and Africa.
Back in January, Baffoe collected the Schwab Foundation Award for Collective Social Innovators on behalf of the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI) – a partnership among 10 African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone) which together account for 25% of the world’s tropical forest, and 75% of Africa’s forests. Through ASCI, governments from those countries committed to shared principles of responsible production of agricultural commodities that provide positive outcomes for people, nature and climate.
Agriculture is a key economic driver in Africa, providing jobs and livelihoods for millions, but it is also a cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss and human rights abuses. “This is a region where climate stability is absolutely critical for the people who live there, some of the most vulnerable in the world,” explains Baffoe, “but also for every country represented at the World Economic Forum, every business that attends, every investor who is involved in global markets.”
Baffoe has been instrumental in leading the ASCI for 10 years since its inception as the Africa Palm Oil Initiative in 2014. “ASCI is about fostering a multi-stakeholder process to enable countries to grow economically, to increase agricultural production and boost smallholders’ livelihoods, while protecting their forest resources,” he says. ASCI demonstrates the political will and potential across the region, with agreed principles that include governance for international investment; inclusion of under-represented groups and protection of Indigenous rights; and investment in smallholders to boost productivity. “Often the latter groups are not at the table at world meetings, so it is great that ASCI gave some representation at Davos,” adds Baffoe.
ASCI was one of 18 awardees this year, recognised by the Schwab for driving systemic change around the world. Baffoe adds: “ASCI is an example – with scale and longevity – of the power of the multi-stakeholder platform. It has been inclusive of all stakeholders from the start, involving civil society groups, specialists, companies and government to collectively agree on a common vision, process steps and interventions to achieve the collective vision. It provides a working model for engagement with stakeholders, and could act as a model for consumer countries to engage with producer countries to effectively implement regulation such as the EU Deforestation Regulation.”
Baffoe was particularly struck by the conversations focused on technology during the annual meeting. “It made me to think about how we need to invest in technology and AI technologies in Africa to support better farming practices,” said Baffoe. “In some ASCI member countries, each government extension officer may be supporting 3,000 – 8,000 farmers; sometimes private sector provides more extension services than the government, but they tend to operate independently, without coordination. Platforms to support coordination, predict changing weather patterns, and detect stress levels of cocoa trees well in advance can help farmers to prepare and adapt."
"We need to understand how to mobilise new technology to support smallholder farmers at scale in Central and West Africa.”
While discussions about climate, nature and people were taking place during the annual meeting, Baffoe notes that sustainable agricultural production was not the dominant topic. “Within Africa, we need to keep this topic prominent, and support coherent and unified action, within wider discussions on how it links to trade, technology, food systems, economic development and sustainability,” he says. “One thing that became very apparent at Davos is that the lessons from producers and companies on-the-ground are absolutely critical to driving progress and engaging all stakeholders in this work. ASCI can bring that reality from the on-the-ground to policy makers and financiers or other levers or change. If something doesn't work for the farmer, it won't work at all.”