This recent trend coincided with the onset of the new millennium and commitments made by the donor community, in particular to Africa. In addition, in 2007-2008, the total annual average aid commitments to agriculture amounted to US$ 7.2 billion (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2010), which represented a positive step towards increasing financing for agriculture in developing countries. Still, in 2008, the High-level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis urged donor countries to double ODA for food assistance, other types of nutritional support and safety net programmes, and to increase the proportion of ODA to be invested in food security and agricultural development from the current 3 to 10 per cent within five years (and beyond if needed) so as to reverse the historic underinvestment in agriculture (United Nations, 2008).