Read-out of the bilateral meeting between the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Equipment of Senegal, Moussa Baldé

29 July 2021, Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, today met with H.E. Moussa Baldé, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Equipment of the Republic of Senegal.The Minister thanked the Director-General for the strong partnership and collaboration with the Organization. In particular, he mentioned the support provided by FAO through the Hand-in-Hand initiative (HiH), Youth Employment and Socio-Economic Integration, as well as for the implementation of Senegal’s national strategy for digital development and Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs). The Minister also shared with the Director-General the country’s efforts in addressing food security through improved data collection for informed decision-making.

The Director-General assured the Minister of FAO’s support and highlighted the need for a holistic approach for agri-food systems transformation, to make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. He noted that, as set out in the new FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031, this can be achieved through better production, better nutrition, better environment and ultimately a better life, leaving no one behind.   

The Director-General also shared with the Minister his views ideas on the need for optimized production as a key starting point. The two agreed that achieving efficiency in production and innovation are key drivers for the transformation of the agriculture sector.

The Minister and the Director-General confirmed their commitment to their continued partnership in the joint effort to transform the agri-food systems.