Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Let the 'Four Betters' improve our well-being

In one of our last week's editions, we published an article written by QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, titled “Unlocking Africa’s potential through agrifood systems transformation and capacity building.”

The article was a prelude to the 33rd Session of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Africa that took place in Morocco between April 18 and 20, attended by all the ministers of Food and Agriculture from the African continent.

Mr. Dongyu postulated in his article that the FAO has outlined its strategic vision for the years ahead through the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031, which centres on the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, agri­food systems comprise the entire range of actors and interlinked activities that add value to agri­cultural production, as well as related off-farm activities such as food storage, aggregation, and post-harvest handling, transportation, processing, distribution, marketing, disposal, and consumption.

Indeed, the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Africa provides one of the main continental platforms for African governments to share their perspectives and experiences on implementing agrifood system transformation and building capacity.

The conference comes on the back of more than one billion Africans who cannot afford a healthy diet, and this is simply unacceptable. By encouraging better nutrition, FAO is working with countries and other partners to make healthy diets affordable and accessible for all.

According to him, The Four Betters are not just a vision; they are a call to action. They are the pathways through which countries can transform agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable to deliver on the commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals and the post-Malabo agenda.

As against the background, the hike in food prices is throwing so many households into hunger and poverty. We can’t agree more with the FAO's statement about the need to implement the necessary policies to ensure adequate food security on the continent to remove our people from the quagmire of hunger and poverty to more prosperous and dignified lives so that no one will be left behind.

In the words of Mr. Dongyu, by encouraging better production through such means as mechanisation, digitalization, agrifood industrialization, and green-powered irrigation, African nations can boost productivity and efficiency and enhance resilience to the climate crisis.

The FAO boss noted that often, Africa presents two faces to the world: one characterized by stereotypes of poverty and hunger, and the other an authentic reflection of this richly diverse and vibrant continent. By harnessing the power of science and technology, enabling policies, and responsible investment, African nations can unlock the true face of the continent: a land of abundance, resilience, dynamism, and opportunity.

He urged African governments to embrace this phase and work together on agrifood system transformation for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Of course, Africa abounds with enormous opportunities to transform societies from the negative narratives of a continent plagued by hunger and poverty to a very prosperous and wealthy continent that their people are proud of.

We at the Ghanaian Times believe our Minister of Food and Agriculture or his representative is back home with fresh ideas to speed up the concept of the Better Fours for the well-being of Ghanaians.