Africa enjoyed a period of economic growth beginning in the late 1990s on the basis of economic stability, increased agricultural production and better market access. This improved further from 2004 on the back of strong commodity prices in a booming world economy. But the continent's vulnerability to global conditions was exposed in 2008, when rising food prices exposed Africa's fragile food security and sparked unrest in several countries. Now an unprecedented world financial crisis threatens to undo Africa's economic progress... How should Africa respond? Africa's almost 80 million smallholder farmers supply about 80 percent of its food. Establishing a prosperous, sustainable economic future for the continent means placing a spotlight on agriculture - and giving a voice to Africa's farmers.