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Last week, a panel of global and regional experts joined the Africa south of the Sahara Food Security Portal for a virtual dialogue on ICT use in African agriculture .  The dialogue centered on four main discussion questions:

This blog originally appeared on IFPRI.org .

Trade integration is a powerful tool for economic growth, development, and poverty alleviation. In the Malabo Declaration (PDF) of June 2014, African countries committed to tripling the level of intra-African agricultural trade and services by 2025, fast-tracking the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area and adopting a continent-wide Common External Tariff scheme.

Despite improved rains at the end of April and beginning of May, Ethiopia is still expected to see worsening food security outcomes, according to a new alert released by FEWS Net.

Harvests are now ongoing across Mozambique, improving food availability throughout the country, says a new report from FEWS Net.  In the southern and central areas of the country, food security outcomes are forecast to improve from Stressed (IPC Phase 2) to Minimal (IPC Phase 1) in June. In addition, second season harvests (expected in July-September) are developing well due to extended rains, with reasonably favorable prospects for maize, beans, and vegetables. This second-season production will further improve poor households’ food availability and access.

In the 2016 Global Hunger Index (produced by IFPRI, Concern International, and ), Malawi ranked 88 th out of 118 countries, with 20.7 percent of the population suffering from undernourishment and 42.4 percent of children under 5 years of age suffering from stunting. In the lean season, food and nutrition security poses even more of a challenge; according to an assessment by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, 2016 lean-season food insecurity (stretching from October 2015 – March 2016) was forecast to affect around 2.8 million people.