What's New

While some countries in Africa South of the Sahara have seen improvements in food security in 2023, the region as a whole continues to be plagued by food crises, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2023 Midyear Update. East Africa has been the hardest hit, with nearly 65 million people in the region having experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in the first half of 2023, up 8 million from 2022.

The supply and demand of fruits, vegetables and animal products is often insufficient and too expensive for most consumers in sub-Saharan Africa. However, recent evidence suggests that both the production and consumption of these nutrient-dense products is rapidly growing. What are the policy implications of this? And what can governments do to stimulate more inclusive and sustainable domestic value chains?

On May 12 in Abuja, Nigeria, two CGIAR initiatives—Fragility, Conflict and Migration (FCM) and National Policies and Strategies (NPS)—brought together policymakers, researchers, and representatives from the private sector and civil society to discuss how to advance food systems resilience amid crises while empowering women and youth. The workshop invited research presentations from six other CGIAR research initiatives working in Nigeria and facilitated lively discussion among all.

The Horn of Africa continues to face severe food insecurity, reduced livelihoods, and hunger-related deaths as a result of several years of drought and failed harvests, according to FEWS Net. The hardest hit regions include Somalia, Sudan, the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya, and southern and southeastern Ethiopia. The situation has been further exacerbated in Sudan and Ethiopia by ongoing conflict.

Debate around how to increase production and consumption of nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables and animal products in Africa south of the Sahara has long centered on overcoming constraints such as high cost. According to a new IFPRI working paper, however, this focus may ignore how grassroots efforts, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midstream value chain actors, are in fact driving substantial growth in both supply of and demand for these more nutritious foods.