Securing food for Africa
COVID-19 is expected to almost double the number of starving people in the world, predicts the UN World Food Programme, which projects the 135 million people who face crisis levels of hunger will rise to 265 million.
This is on top of the 821 million people who suffer from hunger, 20% of them in Africa.
With such an alarming projection, Africa needs to be conscious of the impact the pandemic could have on food security. Millions of lives are lost each year because of hunger. The Covid-19 pandemic has accentuated the sluggishness of African governments in addressing food insecurity and has fuelled the demand to prioritise the challenges.
Over the past 15 years, Senegal, Ghana, Rwanda, Angola, Cameroon, Togo and Ethiopia have reduced malnutrition, says the International Food Policy Research Institute. Covid-19 threatens to reverse the progress.
The lockdowns have had an impact on food security. Movement of labour has been restricted. The restrictions have implications for many Africans who depend on informal work to survive. Food supply chains have been disrupted. Restrictions on the movement of labour mean that food production has been stalled. Limited movement of smallholder farmers, who rely on markets to sell their products, has left many without an income.
The pandemic has left many Africans reliant on government food parcels and grants. The lack of well-managed systems to deliver food or cash to people in need has frustrated efforts to target food aid.
Children are the most impacted. School-feeding programmes offered some food security but because of school closures, many children have lost the one opportunity they had, to eat. Malnutrition could result in learning challenges that are irreversible.
African leaders have been praised for strong leadership in responding to the crisis. The continent’s health system has illustrated resilience, with Africa reporting only 1.5% of the world’s Covid-19 cases and 0.1% of deaths. The AU has shown commitment to food security by signing the Declaration on Food Security and Nutrition. It has a established a Covid19 response fund, part of which is dedicated to mitigating the socio-economic and humanitarian impact.
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is another initiative that could cushion food security. Africa relies on food imports from other continents. Bans on exportation of food in these countries increase the threat of a food crisis. Through the recent food security declaration, African countries have committed to keeping borders open for food and agricultural commodity trade. However, the option is ridden with weaknesses related to the ease of transporting food. Recommendations:
♦ Protect children’s access to nutritious food.
♦ Be transparent in how Covid19’s response funds are managed and disbursed. Think beyond the crisis. This is the governments’ responsibility. How will people eat once the health crisis ends?
In true African spirit, the continent has flocked together, to share social and economic resources. We can only hope that the unity results in a prosperous continent that is free from hunger and malnutrition.
Dr Elizabeth Mkandawire is a postdoctoral fellow who co-ordinates the UN’s Academic Impact Hub on Sustainable Development Goal 2 at the University of Pretoria