What it takes for Africa’s agrifood systems to thrive?

THE year 2021 was one of critical conversations about global agrifood systems — the processes and methods through which farming produces food.

Following on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in global poverty, 2021 was a year for recovery and an urgent call to transform food systems if the world is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2030.

The United Nations Food System Summit in September called for action and challenged nations to build “transformed” food systems.

It was followed by the development of the African Common Position. This outlines how countries on the continent plan to heed that call and challenge.

Then came COP26: sustainable, resilient agrifood solutions are, after all, key to mitigating the effects of climate change.

If commitments are met, these high level dialogues have the potential to shape the trajectory of Africa’s agrifood system over this next decade.

But how can global conversations be internalised into systems? How does the continent build sustainable, resilient food markets? What roles do private sector actors and public policy-makers play?

As specialists in food systems keen to tackle these big questions, we have drawn on key findings from the African Agriculture Status Report and identified three salient features about Africa’s agrifood system.

These are that food demand is expected to increase; that African-based agribusinesses are investing; and, finally, that transforming the food industry will take time in light of persistent informality.