Which Way for the African Food Systems Transformation?

Africa’s trajectory to emergence and self-sufficiency has seen significant progress in achieving global and continental milestones such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, food security and improved nutrition remain a challenge, and current trends suggest that the continent is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger (SDG 2) by 2030.

Evidence suggests that one in five people faced hunger in Africa in 2020 – more than double the proportion of any other region. Several factors account for the prevalence of hunger and undernourishment on the continent, notably demographic changes, and rapid urbanization.

The slowdown in the pace of economic growth which started toward the end of the 2010s is therefore causing real concern and a threat to continued progress toward the Malabo agenda goals.

Furthermore, economic shocks related to recurrent and more frequent weather extremes and the COVID-19 pandemic more recently, have increased the vulnerability of African food systems, triggering supply chain disruption, job losses, rising food prices, and reduced dietary diversity.

Africa has made great strides over the decades, yet there is worrying evidence that the pace of progress had reduced significantly, even prior to the pandemic. This was partly due to the stagnating public investment in agriculture, leading to slower economic and agricultural growth, and rising rates of poverty and hunger after two decades of steady decline.

To reverse course and return to a trajectory of faster growth and improved living conditions requires continuity of effort and consistency of action across several policy areas. To be effective, policies would need to manage tradeoffs and leverage the synergies amongst major strategic outcomes including sustained and broad-based growth, ecosystem health, equity, and inclusivity, in the context of changing climates.

So, what is the solution?

• Nutrition Must Be a Top Policy Priority in Country Development Efforts

Though there has been remarkable progress in reducing extreme hunger in Africa over the last two decades, more needs to be done. This is particularly so if we are to achieve the targets of reducing the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and being underweight while ensuring a minimum dietary diversity for women and meeting minimum standards for infant diets by 2025.

Evidence suggests that good nutrition contributes to cognitive development and the realization of lifelong economic potential, while poor nutrition impairs productivity, which impedes economic growth.

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The cost of undernutrition to African economies averages 11 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually, while the economic returns from investing in nutrition are high: for every USD 1 invested, USD16 is generated.

While interventions must be adapted to local contexts for meaningful impact, good practices across countries include breastfeeding, biofortification, social protection programs, and homestead gardens.

Sustainably reducing malnutrition requires the political will of governments to prioritize nutrition across all areas of public policy and collaboration with other stakeholders, particularly community organizations, the private sector, and development partners.

A sound holistic approach should tackle all forms of malnutrition and capture synergies between agriculture, water, health, sanitation, the threat of conflict, and climate change.

• Agricultural Mechanization Can Increase Income and Improve Livelihoods

When adapted to local contexts, mechanization along the agriculture value chain can increase farm incomes, improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers, and create new employment opportunities, particularly for women, who continue to dominate the informal food processing and trading sectors.

While Africa has the least mechanized agricultural system, the report highlights an increase in new efforts toward sustainable agricultural mechanization across the continent.

An analysis of the average annual machinery and agricultural output growth rates from 2005 to 2014 suggests that Ethiopia, Mali, Rwanda, and Zambia are leaders in increasing the uptake of mechanization along the entire value chain. They have, therefore, boosted their agricultural output growth, and generating new off-farm employment opportunities.

Critical success factors observed in the four countries include increased collaboration with the private sector, youth skill development and training, and support for emerging domestic agricultural machinery industries.

Other contributing factors recommended in the report include a broad vision for mechanization, integrating agricultural mechanization investment strategies into national agriculture investment plans. This is in addition to raising investments in the development of supportive infrastructure and vocational training at scale.

• Digital Technologies will drive Agricultural Sustainability and Boost African Economies

Digital technologies offer a plethora of opportunities for agriculture value chain actors to make more informed decisions, reduce costs, increase productivity and incomes, and achieve improved nutrition and health outcomes.

Furthermore, ICT can be instrumental in equipping governments to better understand the agricultural economy and enhance macro-decision policymaking.

Innovative solutions that include the enabling of a robust digitalization environment with sound regulatory and fiscal regimes can be realized by looking at what developed countries are doing.

Also, implicating the private sector in designing, developing, and disseminating smart technologies, and fostering an innovation ecosystem that encourages young people to develop locally adapted digital solutions and services can similarly be achieved.

Recommendations

Cross-cutting recommendations include:

• The integration of food systems transformation into long-term national vision, growth and development agendas;
• elevating African science and technology priorities and creating research capacity for home-grown solutions;
• Innovative policies and technical solutions that will support the transformation of food systems;
• Coordination across government departments and non-state actors for increased policy cohesion;
• Optimizing conditions for sustainable growth through smart regulations; and
• Stimulating holistic investment in infrastructure while creating conducive environments for private sector investments.