Food Systems

In Malawi, the food system remains stubbornly centered on maize, dominating both production and consumption despite clear policy ambitions for greater crop and diet diversity. While nutritionists and agronomists warn of its limited nutritional value and its vulnerability to climate change, average consumption remains high at 2.8 kg per person per week. This dependence on a single staple leaves the nation’s food security at constant risk of harvest failure.

Military and paramilitary groups exert substantial influence globally, serving as the primary power base for regimes in forty-two different nations.

Key takeawaysCrop insurance can help smallholder farmers in Africa and elsewhere manage climate risk and stabilize livelihoods in the face of droughts and extreme weather.Although insurance has ​evolved to become more affordable, further innovation is needed to ensure high-quality products that cover farmers’ needs.Scaling coverage requires better product design, farmer education, and links to credit and inputs and in some cases smart subsidies. As climate change impacts intensify, African economies face increasing exposure to extreme weather events.

Militaries play a major role in the politics of many countries. They determine whether elections can occur and who can compete. From Egypt to Pakistan and Myanmar to Uganda, the military is often the most important powerholder.In parallel, violent non-state actors—including criminal networks, terrorist groups and paramilitaries—have proliferated over the last two decades.To maintain their influence and finance their operations, militaries and violent non-state actors often become heavily involved in both legal and illicit business activities.

Formally including Ugandan women in commercial agriculture—through contract ownership or behavior-change interventions—can increase women’s empowerment without reducing productivity, and with positive spillovers for household welfare and gender relations.Estimates suggest that there are 475 million smallholder farms in low- and middle-income countries, including 43 million in sub-Saharan Africa (Lowder et al. 2016, FAO 2017).