4 June 2008: At the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) High-Level Conference on World Food Security, held in Rome Italy, from
3-5 June 2008, FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa (AGRA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost food
production in Africa’s breadbasket regions – regions with relatively good
rainfall, soils, infrastructure and markets – and to support smallholder
farmers.

The partnership will work with other stakeholders in these
regions to rapidly improve food production, food security and rural incomes, as
well as to coordinate and share agricultural development innovations across
diverse ecological zones and associated crops. [UN
press release] [FAO press
release]
Photo: Kofi Annan
(AGRA), Josette Sheeran (WFP), Jacques Diouf (FAO), and Kanayo Nwanze (Vice
President, IFAD, representing Lennart Båge) at the signing ceremony.Credit: FAO