How Africa can build resilient food systems

Africa has become a net importer of food despite the continent’s agricultural potential. The continent’s annual food import bill of $35 billion is estimated to rise to $110 billion by 2025, according to the Africa Development Bank (AFDB).

Aggrey Agumya, the Executive Director of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, spoke exclusively to The New Times’ Tesi Kaven on what it will take to build resilient food systems in Africa and achieve food sovereignty.

Below are excerpts;

Why is it important to build resilient food systems in Africa?

The risks faced by farmers in Africa are more severe than in other regions. For starters, most of the agriculture in Africa is rain-fed and crops are grown where there is no buffer against risks in terms of prices as well as production inputs.

In case of a drought for example, chances are the farmers will lose their crops, yet they have no cash reserves or ability to borrow so as to be cushioned. Governments also have no means to cushion them.

So the case to build resilient food systems is stronger for Africa than in other regions.

Africa is home to an estimated 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. However, the continent is still a net importer of food. How can this be explained?

If it is indeed 60 per cent, is this land really arable or suitable for farming? As a research organisation, we would like to look more into this, but we can use the figure to make an argument.

Productivity in Africa has stagnated and in some cases, it has decreased. There are areas of production that have been expanded, but not fast enough.

On the other hand, the population on the continent has rapidly grown, so there is definitely a deficit which has to be met with importation.

What will it take to have food sovereignty in Africa?

In my view, it will take political will, that’s where it all starts. A good example of a country that is moving towards food sovereignty is Zimbabwe. From the information we have, a decision has been made at the highest level that the country will feed itself and they have prioritised that.

If the political will is there, it will take some time, but most likely, the continent will reach this goal because the potential is there.

The Malabo declaration came into force in June 2014 and comes to an end in 2025, but countries are yet to achieve targets. Did countries set unrealistic targets?

Out of all AU member states, only Rwanda is on track to achieving the Malabo commitments. After careful analysis, we realised that some of the targets of the Malabo declaration were quite ambitious and that affected countries.

Though the countries are not on track and will not beat the 2025 deadline, they have made progress, albeit slow.

What next for the Malabo Declaration after 2025?

We will have a new agenda called Post-Malabo. The process to develop an agenda that will succeed the current one is underway, with 13 working groups already having started on it.

The new agenda will be a continuation of the current one, but with more realistic targets and a very clear pathway for implementation and review mechanisms to track progress.

Next year, there will be an extraordinary AU Summit to launch the post-Malabo agenda, which is quite significant for us because it means special attention is being given issues in Agriculture.

Do these continental frameworks take into account the individuality and uniqueness of each African country?

After the establishment of the continental targets, countries are expected to domesticate them to their context. Each country has its own plans and priorities, so domestication is key to ensure implementation.

For example, on a continental level, the Soil Action Plan is in place and has targets.

Different countries can develop a National Soil Strategy Action Plan which takes into account the specificities of each country. During implementation, countries can then share knowledge and draw best practices.

How can African governments stimulate private investment in Agriculture?

That is the million dollar question.

The private sector will only invest where there is profit. We need to make a stronger business case foragriculture and the governments need to create a policy environment that makes the business case work.

That way, agriculture will become more attractive for private investment.

Agriculture research, though crucial, is grossly underfunded. How is this being handled?

Indeed, agriculture research is quite underfunded in Africa, but the question is, how can we get more investment in this area? I will still go back to the issue of making a business case and giving scenarios of what is at stake if agriculture research remains underfunded.

Partnerships with the private sector can also be explored to fund research.

The other intervention that can be explored is the voices of farmers. If farmer-organisations press their governments in various countries to invest in new knowledge, then governments will listen, as opposed to research firms pushing for funding because this is viewed as self-interest.