FAO Highlights Steps to Attain Food Security in Africa

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has highlighted steps that would help Africa to meet global goals on food security and nutrition.

The Director General of FAO, Mr. QU Dongyu, at the first Vatican Roundtable of African Farmers, which took place in the Vatican City, Rome, said that science, innovation and technology (STI), would offer significant opportunities for economic growth and the creation of new jobs in agrifood systems by contributing to producing more with less; reducing food loss and waste, helping food production adapt and mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis and improving access to finance and market information.

He also stated the need for creating real change via investments not just for agricultural businesses, but also for agricultural research, training for farmers, mechanisation, as well as the introduction of new technologies, new crop varieties and sustainable production systems.

He pointed out the need for the world to do more to empower the continent’s youth whose agility, creativity and ability to innovate can be a game-changer in the efforts to overcome poverty and hunger in the region.

He said that Africa has been a strong focus of FAO’s efforts since its foundation, nearly 60 years ago, but bemoaned that the number of undernourished people on the continent has risen to over 281 million since the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic, while conflicts and the climate crisis continue to plague Africa.

“Just this year, Cyclone Freddy struck Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, and there are ongoing droughts in Uganda and Somalia. And while Sudan, Mali, Niger and others continue to be gripped by conflict, new data released only two weeks ago confirmed that the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to be one of the world’s largest food crises, with one-quarter of the population – more than 25 million people – facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity,” he said.

Dongyu added that “this all means that Africa is not on track to meet the global goals on food security and nutrition set out in the 2030 Agenda, nor the goals of the Malabo Declaration agreed to by Members of the African Union (AU).