Make the first 90 days of the Year of Agriculture and Food Security count!... Trust me, It will change the game...

90 days

89 days

88 days

... and counting

Well, we all got really excited when the leaders of Africa in 2012, declared 2014 the year of Agriculture and Food Security.

Well I could be seen by others to be asking or expecting too much if I say, what I am about to say, but I will say it anyway...

"We have not managed to make the first 17 days of 2014 as Africa's Year of Agriculture and Food Security (YoAFS) effectively count, and hence we need to roll up our sleeves and increase momentum..." 

This statement does not mean that our leaders are doing nothing. Certainly not. I know there are a number of high level meetings taking place on the continent and beyond deliberating how the YoAFS can be the dawn of Africa's century.

But, while the high level technical meetings are happening; for instance, while our leaders are preparing for the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union which will run from the 24th to the 31st of January 2014, under the theme, "Year of Agriculture and Food Security," what is happening "on the ground"??? A couple of decades ago, "on the ground" could have meant something a little different from what I want to investigate today. This is what I mean; in the first 17 days of 2014, YoAFS, to see what is happening "on the ground", I dived into the "Social Media" sea to see what's treading and what's happening... That could be today's meaning of "on the ground"...

Well, I started with Facebook... looked for a "2014 Africa Year of agriculture and food security" Page...Found nothing...

Then went on to Twitter; typed #yearofagriculture... Yeah... something came up, but the most recent #yearofagriculture tweet was on November 6, 2013 by @ONEinAfrica... No tweet #yearofagriculture tweet in 2014;

Then Google; the latest post on Google + related to "Africa 2014 Year of Agriculture and Food Security" was by Harrison Manyumwa on December 30, 2013... Haven't seen anything as yet in 2014.

Guess we all got some homework to do.

But I would really like to commend people like Emmiekio who have started with the Blogging. I have just checked out your blog, and I really like it!!

I believe as African individuals, we should commit from all spheres social media, high level technical, youth, civil society, basically everyone, everywhere has to be engaged in a plans for the first 90 days of the YoAFS to create the momentum and the drive: otherwise; the YoAFS might never count and might simply pass away like all other years have passed away.

If we all care so much and believe so much in focusing on achieving our biggest goals in the first 90 days of the year, or the first 100 days of our Presidential careers... doesn't the same also apply for our national, continental and global goals?

Spread, Share, encourage an African to make the first 90 days of the YoAFS count... Trust me, this will change the game!!