AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY

IN TERMS OF NUTRI TION, the image of Africa as the world’s most impoverished region still holds true. An estimated 250m Africans were already struggling to get enough food, and with the recent disruptions to food supply chains, the situation could get worse if not immediately tended to.

Governments and institutions swiftly moved in to provide food assistance and nancial relief, and initiatives sprouted up across the region to address disrup- tions to the food supply chain. Given the lockdowns and social-distancing rules, organised grocery and food delivery services – which were almost non-existent in many African countries prior to the pandemic – are now becoming the new norm. From companies with a continental reach, such as Jumia, to smaller initi- atives created in the wake of the crisis, Africa’s business community has come together to an unprecedented degree, showcasing the continent’s human capital and ability to innovate and adapt.

Moving beyond the logistics that govern food supply chains, African farmers are also bene tting from these initiatives, which are enabling them to directly market their goods and increase revenue by cutting out the middle man. This is particularly important considering that around two-thirds of Africa’s population is employed in agriculture and responsible for up to 90% of food output. For example, Kenya has made considerable progress in developing digital ecosys- tems to support and streamline agriculture, even prior to the outbreak, with the establishment of marketplaces such as Twiga Foods, Selina Wamucii and Mkulima Young.

Following in Kenya’s footsteps will be particularly crucial to empower African farmers and put food on the table during Covid-19. Of the survey respondents, 44% anticipate signi cant or very signi cant disruptions to agriculture in their country in the wake of Covid-19, while 35% said the impact will be moderate, with concerns most pronounced in subSaharan African countries, especially Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.