Smallholder communities in the Bolivian highlands have managed to conquer hunger: cheese production o? ers great hope to the people of the Peñas Valley. Cheese provides healthy nourishment for their children, generates additional income for families, and stimulates the local economy. Education is a decisive factor.

In order to boost agricultural growth in SSA, further investment in the agricultural sector is urgently needed. The mark-up of ODA funds is a stepping-stone in this regard. However, ODA should function as a catalyst for further private investments and should be used to assist recipient governments in building the institutional framework for attracting private investment and promoting balanced growth. Important success factors include further advances in improving domestic banking and agricultural risk management systems.

African Governments are planning to leapfrog development and move to a middle income economy in a short time. This requires a sustainable strong economic growth, based primarily on African agricultural resources and initially with huge resources from outside, partly provided by donors but mainly from the private sector through sustainable and responsible investments. All actors should engage in a serious dialogue on how to facilitate and create good investments in order to attract the necessary resources for development.