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Southern Africa has been hard hit with drought over the last year, with many areas facing increased food insecurity and several countries declaring national emergencies. According to researchers at the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) , these drought conditions could be southern Africa’s “new normal.” If this is the case, cereal and livestock farmers in the region will need assistance in building their resilience and adapting their production to the new, drier conditions.

Nigeria continues to face severe financial and food security challenges as a result of ongoing conflict and economic downturn. In June, the Central Bank allowed the country’s exchange rate to float. According to the Nigerian Market Monitoring Bulletin released last week by FEWS Net, since that time, the Nigerian Naira (NGN) has depreciated by more than 40 percent.

The latest Africa Agriculture Status Report , launched last week by the Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) , reports significant progress in Africa’s agricultural sector following a decade of intensified attention from governments and the international community. Investment in agriculture by both governments and private sector actors has increased in many countries in the region, and there is evidence of increased agricultural productivity, enhanced nutrition, and increased off-farm job opportunities in the region’s expanding agri-food system.

The April 2016 meeting of the CAADP Partnership Platform called for renewed efforts to meet the 2003 Maputo commitment to invest at least 10% of public budgets in agriculture, as reiterated in the 2014 Malabo Declaration.  Mainstreaming nutrition in the National Agricultural Investment Strategies has been a goal for regional planners but a number of knowledge gaps still exist.   Research has shown that CAADP has been successful in improving the effectiveness and transparency of agricultural policy-making in Africa, increasing the political cachet of the agricultural sector, and promotin

In 2003, the member countries of the African Union launched a new initiative aimed at increasing food security and reducing poverty through the growth and development of the region’s agricultural sector. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program , or CAADP, set a target of 6 percent annual average growth in the agricultural sector, as well as the allocation of 10 percent of total annual government expenditures to the sector.