Article By: Thoko Kachipande
Washington, D.C., 19 November 2015 – The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) officially launched Compact2025, an effort to end hunger and undernutrition within 10 years, on Wednesday. The initiative advocates the adoption of multi-sector policies that have rapidly moved some countries towards success and targets four nations—Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.
Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima sits on the Leadership Council and attended the launch day events. Accompanying him were Malawi’s Minister of Agriculture, Allen Chiyembekeza, and Ambassador to the U.S., Necton Mhura.
“It is the responsibility of every government to make its citizens happy,” said Chilima at a briefing. “The first step to elevating poverty is ensuring that citizens have enough to eat, and can then sell their surplus, support their families, and have disposable income.”
The vice president shared that Malawi has identified farmers as key stakeholders and that working with them to improve yields by mechanization was an important goal. Paying more attention to agriculture and having an inclusive approach that also considers vulnerable groups, he reasons, will help ensure success. When it comes to food security and fighting poverty, Chilima believes “failure is not an option”.
Leaders from Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh expressed their interest in collaborating with Malawi and other Compact2025 participants. All pointed to the need for effective coordination at the national and sub-national level, planned to incorporate learnings into existing country-led plans, and stated their counties political will to participate and make needed changes.
“These countries have a strong political will to end hunger, sometimes even sooner than we think or propose,” stated Shenggen Fan, Director General at IFPRI. Fan elaborated that Compact2025 plans to work side-by-side with the leaders to translate their political will into action at the country level.
Sharply and quickly reducing poverty, hunger, and undernutrition is a welcomed outcome for Malawi. The country ranks amongst the poorest in the world, with more than half of residents living below the poverty line and earning less than one dollar per day. An estimated 21 percent of the food insecure nation suffer from hunger while 42 percent of children are stunted from chronic undernutrition.
Maize is a staple crop in a country that experiences periodic droughts. Making matters worse, Malawi was hit with mass flooding that destroyed crops and displaced citizens at the start of 2015. This resulted in delayed planting and further reduced crop yields, a setback that will continue to be felt in the coming months.
Through Compact2025, leaders and technical experts from the World Food Programme, World Health Organization, European Commission, African Union Commission, private sector, civil society organizations, and government institutions hope to collaborate and share knowledge on the best practices for accelerating goals in the target countries. The group will develop a Knowledge and Innovation Hub that will provide evidence-based guidance, track progress, exchange information, and support those who play a role in the successful implementation of practices and policies.
On the heels of IFPRI’s 40th anniversary, Compact2025 is seen as a step towards eradicating extreme poverty—a UN Sustainable Development Goal for 2030—and is expected to support other sustainable development goals.
