On June 21st, 2019, FAO welcomed in its HQ in Rome the 3rd African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) Agriculture Ministerial Conference.

Theo de Jager, in his role of President of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), joined the event to reiterate farmers willingness to be active partners and players for rural transformation towards long term.

The one-day programme featured High Level Thematic Sessions, side events, keynote address and a plenary session with around 450 invited high-level representatives and stakeholders from Africa and Europe debating on how to further unlock the potential for a positive rural transformation and an inclusive and sustainable agriculture and agri-food sector in Africa.

During his keynote at the side event “Modernizing Africa’s agricultural value chains: opportunities and challenges”, jointly organized by  Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft and German Agribusiness Alliance, the WFO President sent a clear message: there’s only one way to eradicate poverty, and that’s through the creation of wealth and the development of models that make agriculture a business.