The Covid-19 pandemic – that has disrupted supply chains and broken down everything from transport and communication, to finance and education – has made this clear. The breakdown has led to an increase in global levels of food insecurity; in particular, vulnerable households in almost every country in Africa have been affected.
With the effects of Covid-19 expected to continue through 2021 and into 2022, there are fears of a worsening food situation for more than 20% of Africans – 272 million people – who are already living with or are at risk of severe food insecurity. Such dire situations confirm that we have fallen back on our commitment to achieving zero hunger, a key Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
However, just as the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed us to work differently, I believe it presents an opportunity to reimagine a new vision for the future of food systems in the continent. This is our time to unite as one voice to define and coordinate our visions for the future of food systems in Africa.
Most effective strategies
Right now, we are working to repair significant damage caused by a variety of factors, including droughts that have cost Africa $372bn since 2014, and the 2019/20 locust outbreak which destroyed more than 356,000MT of cereals, and nearly 1.5m hectares of crop and pasture in Ethiopia alone.
We must not only recover from these losses but leapfrog them to build a resilient future. On this path, business and public leaders must come together to step forward and commit to the targets set by the United Nations as SDGs. It is important to note that there are just nine harvests left for us to achieve the SDGs, and we are currently not on target.
We also committed 10% of our budgets towards agriculture under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a pledge that only a few countries have fulfilled! It is now our time to drive efforts to recommit to food and nutrition security and sustainable food systems across the continent. Sustainable food systems require us to look at the entire value chain: from input supplies, to mechanisation, irrigation, extension, transport, processing, distribution and healthy consumption.
There are a number of countries that have instituted food systems that work for their realities, leading them to better feed their people while giving them stable livelihoods. The Government of Burkina Faso (GoBF), for example, is succeeding in increasing its domestic rice output through investments and policies that favour local production. The GoBF is working towards a production of at least 1m metric tonnes annually, which will reduce rice imports by over 75%. In Tanzania too, agro-industrialisation flagships have increased the participation of women agripreneurs in manufacturing and processing, creating opportunities that did not exist before. The flagship seeks to increase the country’s total GDP by 5% while creating one million jobs by 2025.
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I recently travelled to both Burkina Faso and Tanzania, as well as four other countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria), where I witnessed the transformational impact of investments, including flagship projects in agricultural development. Lessons can be drawn from the most effective strategies in such countries, with the successful programs adapted to suit different country contexts.
Development partners also have a fundamental role to play in Africa’s agricultural transformation. As one example, 62% of farmers supported by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have adopted technology to increase their yields and incomes. AGRA has also leveraged $141m new investments through partnerships in the AGRF Dealroom. This is in addition to the gender-responsive programming that has directly supported 3.5 million women farmers.
Global discussion
To review the progress and commitments that will move the continent’s food systems forward, stakeholders will coalesce at the AGRF 2021 Summit in Nairobi Kenya from 7-10 September. The summit will feature pathways to the future of Africa’s food systems based on equitable livelihoods, better nutrition, resilience in production and competitiveness in markets.
This year’s AGRF summit takes place at a critical juncture in the global discussion on food systems. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has convened the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The UNFSS has many coalitions, globally, forming to re-energise and refocus efforts to deliver healthier, sustainable and equitable food systems.
The AGRF 2021 Summit will leverage the UNFSS momentum to elevate the coordinated African voice in identifying immediate actions for accelerating progress, partnerships and recovery towards an inclusive agricultural transformation.
This is our time to elevate the future leaders of African agriculture, particularly youth, women and small businesses owners throughout the food system; from farm to fork. We must, from now, resume our commitment to achieving zero hunger in the continent by taking critical steps towards integrated food systems.
We own the decision to participate and shape a vision that commits resources towards Africa’s food systems transformation. Will you join us? I look forward to welcoming you at this year’s AGRF Summit.