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From risk to resilience: How strategic government partnerships can enhance access to insurance-linked credit for smallholders in Zambia

Nov 7th, 2024 • by Martina Mascarenhas, Anne G. Timu, and Liangzhi You

Smallholder farmers across the globe produce over a third of the world’s food supply, yet they receive a disproportionately small share of global climate finance. A 2020 report released by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) shows that less than 2% of international climate finance, amounting to approximately $2 billion, was allocated to smallholder farmers in 2017/2018.

Unleashing the potential of Generation Z for food system transformation in Africa

Oct 31st, 2024 • by Kibrom Abay, Clemens Breisinger, Harriet Mawia, Joyce Maru, Dorah Momanyi, and Boniface Munene

Africa’s population is the youngest of any region, with more than 400 million young people aged 15 to 35 out of a total of 1.5 billion. But even though rising numbers of this cohort—a “youth bulge”—enter the labor market every year, African economies are still struggling to create opportunities for them, leading to high rates of youth unemployment across the continent. One-third of young people are unemployed, another third are vulnerably employed, and only one in six have wage employment.

Challenges Remain for Trade Integration in West Africa

Sep 26th, 2024 • by Sara Gustafson

Since its establishment in 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been a regional economic community (REC) success story, enabling free movement of people and enhancing trade integration across its 15 member states. When it comes to the movement of agricultural goods, however, ECOWAS continues to be hampered by regional conflict, political instability, corruption, poor infrastructure and logistical capabilities, and the lack of a common regional currency.

Enhancing milk quality in Uganda: Challenges and innovations in the dairy value chain

Sep 11th, 2024 • by Richard Ariong, Bjorn Van Campenhout, Sarah W. Kariuki, and Jordan Chamberlin

Over the past few decades, Uganda’s dairy sector has transformed from mostly subsistence activities into a dynamic and modern industry—a shift enabled by government initiatives, private sector investments, and the introduction of better technologies and practices. But the industry still faces challenges, particularly in establishing a market for high-quality milk.

SSA Continues to Face Increasing Acute Food Insecurity: 2024 GRFC Mid-Year Update Released

Sep 7th, 2024 • by Sara Gustafson

Africa south of the Sahara has continued to face alarmingly high levels of acute food insecurity in 2024, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) Mid-Year Update. This includes populations in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) food insecurity in Sudan, South Sudan, and Mali, with famine plausible in some areas of Sudan.

As in previous years and reported in the April release of the GRFC, conflict, extreme weather events, economic shocks, and forced displacement of large populations have driven worsening food and nutrition security outcomes across the continent.