"Ours is a continent that contains 16 of the 18 least nourished countries in the world," Annan told reporters after accepting nomination as chairman of the board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

"We cannot pull our people out of poverty without a strong agricultural base," he added.

Yet African governments had been "ignoring" agriculture for the past 15 years and interest in farming had dropped dramatically, said the Ghanaian diplomat.

Those farmers willing and able to pay for good seeds, water or soil nutrients "cannot get it because it is not there," and research and agricultural expertise was sorely lacking.

"We must put practical solutions in place to lift our people out of poverty," said the former United Nations secretary-general.

South African businessman Strive Masiyiwa, chief executive of the Econet Wireless Group, introduced Annan as a man with the moral authority and passion needed to push the project.

He told reporters about 250 million people in Africa were living on less than a dollar a day as the value of food imports was expected to rise from 6.5 billion dollars currently to 11 billion dollars by 2020.

"Food insecurity and malnutrition is pervasive," Masiyiwa said.

"But it does not have to be that way. The resources are there."

The alliance includes African leaders, farmers, governments, donors, civic groups and private sector entrepreneurs.

It was set up last year with a 150-million-dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, and seeks to help millions of African subsistence farmers become competitive producers.

Annan said the alliance's work would focus on developing resistant crop seeds, setting up irrigation systems, harnessing rain water and providing fertilisers, processing facilities and farming advice.

About three-quarters of African agricultural land was being farmed without fertilisers.

The effort would involve co-operation with African research institutes and farmers themselves.

"We will not limit our contact to ministries of agriculture," said Annan.

Global warming was further putting pressure on Africa's ability to feed itself through desertification and more frequent droughts and floods, and the alliance planned to play an advocacy role in this regard.

"Africa is paying for the sins of others," said Annan.

The continent's own land redistribution policies did not help the picture, like in Zimbabwe where food production has nosedived following the seizure of white-owned farms and redistributed to landless blacks and government cronies.

The alliance would, therefore, encourage governments to embrace farmer-friendly land tenure systems.

Annan warned that turning around the continent's crippled farming sector was a long-term process.

"We don't think we have a magic wand," he said. "But in 10 to 20 years we hope to be able to demonstrate that it is possible to double if not triple agricultural production."

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Rockefeller Foundation
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