Regions:
- Dimbokro, N’zi region, Central Côte d’Ivoire
- Duékoué, Guémon region, Western Côte d’Ivoire
The African Center for Economic Transformation argues that for many African countries
“Agriculture presents the easiest path to industrialization and economic transformation. Increasing productivity and output in a modern agricultural sector world, beyond improving food security and the balance of payments (through reduced food imports and increased exports) sustain agro-processing, the manufacturing of agricultural inputs, and a host of services upstream and downstream from farms.”
Excerpt from a speech by Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics, and Professor at Columbia University and a former World Bank Chief Economist “From Manufacturing Led Export Growth to a 21st Century Inclusive Growth Strategy for Africa”, Cape Town, South Africa, November 15, 2017.
A variety of analytical reports indicate that the most effective way to improve the lives of millions of people in poverty is to improve the agricultural sector.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy in Côte d’Ivoire. Through the production of coffee and cocoa, the country has been an economic powerhouse in West Africa during the 1960s and 1970s. However, the world’s largest cocoa producing country went through an economic crisis in the 1980s, contributing to a period of political and social turmoil. Nowadays, the Ivorian economy is largely market-based and still relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash-crop production being dominant.
In the decades after independence from France in 1960, farmers used to grow sufficient food to meet local demand. However, this situation changed drastically in the years after the political upheaval of 2011. As illicit exports of cash crops to neighboring countries increased and instability and lack of security prevailed in the hinterlands, agricultural productivity began to shrink at alarming levels.
The IDHI, Inc. intends to engage in initiatives to support local communities exploring and implementing solutions in agricultural development, food production and green growth policies, in the region. For example, through its “AgriDev” initiative, IDHI, Inc. intends to improve modern farming practices such as rotating crops and embracing diversity; reducing and eliminating tillage; accessing fertilizers; applying comprehensive pest management schemes.
In terms of agricultural development initiatives, IDHI, Inc. will increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of food in the region, thereby raising the living standards, and providing relief, to people in the region that are suffering from malnutrition and food insecurity. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes a right to an adequate standard of living, including food. Therefore, by helping to increase accessibility to, and availability of food, IDHI, Inc. also helps to promote human rights.
The IDHI, Inc. agricultural development initiatives serve to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. In particular, SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The IDHI, Inc. agricultural development activities will be conducted by IDHI, Inc. staff, under the leadership of its principal officers, and under the oversight of the Board of Directors.