The New Alliance on food security and nutrition: What are the implications for Africa’s youth?

Abstract

The ‘New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition’ (hereafter the ‘New Alliance’) is a partnership which was established between selected African countries, G8 members, and the private sector to ‘work together to accelerate investments in agriculture to improve productivity, livelihoods and food security for smallholder farmers.’ Announced by President Obama at the 2012 G8 Summit, the initiative aims at the fundamental transformation of Africa’s agriculture through market mechanisms based on large-scale land-based investments. Its pioneers anticipated that the initiative would simultaneously increase food production/ availability and food accessibility/affordability through market conduits, thereby lifting millions of rural Africans out of poverty.