Do Agric, It Pays Campaign

In 2003, African governments committed to spending 10% of their national budgets on agriculture as part of the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security. However, as of the start of the campaign, only 8 countries had kept that promise, and "as a result, agriculture productivity in Africa is stuck at 1961 levels." The Do Agric, It Pays campaign is designed to raise awareness of this promise and the importance of agriculture, and pressure African governments to fulfil their promises through transparent and accountable budgets. The launch coincided with the 2014 January African Union (AU) summit, where heads of state gathered to discuss key development challenges. The AU has declared 2014 the Year of Agriculture in Africa.

The launch was attended by campaign ambassador, singer-songwriter D’banj from Nigeria, and campaign partners. Along with D’banj, other campaign champions include Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, Beninois President Dr. Thomas Yayi Boni, and Côte d’Ivoire footballer Yaya Touré. Touré features in a one-minute Public Service Announcement voiced in French with English subtitles, which calls on government to improve farmers lives and agricultural output through investments.

In support of the campaign, nineteen well-known recording artists from across Africa collaborated to produce the song and music video Cocoa na Chocolate. Musicians include D’Banj and Femi Kuti from Nigeria, Congo's Fally Ipupa, Cote d’Ivoire's Tiken Jah Fakoly, Kenya's Juliani, and South Africa’s Judith Sephuma. The goal of the song is to "help rebrand agriculture, encourage youth to go online and join ONE.org and get more involved in agriculture, and ask governments to step up and improve agricultural investments, so that the youths can have a better chance of succeeding in it." The song features 19 artists from 11 different countries. Each participating artist wrote his or her own verse and there are 10 different languages in the song. Click here to view the Cocoa na Chocolate music video. The song is also available for free download on the ONE.org website, after signing the 'Do Agric' petition.

Campaign materials also include a series of comic strips developed in partnership with the Shujaaz comic series in Kenya, which appear in the Daily Nation newspaper to educate and entertain Kenyan youths. The Do Agric comic series is designed to challenge myths and stereotypes around farming, and encourage young people to consider farming as a career. The campaign organisers encourage people to download and share the Do Agric comics.

The campaign is accompanied by a report produced by ONE called "Ripe for Change: The Promise of Africa’s Agricultural Transformation". It calls on African governments to "implement policies to accelerate economic development in Africa through an African-led agricultural transformation agenda." This includes a set of policy recommendations, developed in consultation with African farmers and farmers associations. Click here to access the report and recommendations.

People can learn more about agriculture in Africa by accessing the interactive maps and can add their voice to the campaign via the online petition.

Agriculture, Food security

In July 2014, ONE announced that since January, over 2 million people had joined the campaign by signing the online petition. ONE delivered the Do Agric petition signatures and policy recommendations to four Heads of State, a Vice President, and six Ministers of Agriculture in a total of 10 countries. According to ONE.org, "Presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Yayi Boni of Benin, John Mahama of Ghana, and Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger all received the petition, and undertook to take action at home and to take the call by the two million petition signers to their peers at the [June 2014] African Union Summit...As a result, African leaders re-affirmed their intention to devote 10% of their national budgets to drive agricultural transformation...better still, they committed to achieving targets such as doubling agricultural productivity, halving post-harvest loss, increasing youth participation in the agri-business by 30%, and reducing stunting to 10% across Africa."

ONE is an international campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono, the organisation works to "raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency so governments are accountable to their citizens. ONE does not raise money itself to build schools, hospitals and the like, but does its work by advocacy and campaigning so that government funds continue to flow to programs that make a difference in people’s lives. ONE works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, and help build civil society and economic development."