Africa: Sub-Saharan Africa

The cost of a tomato in Kenya cannot just be measured by the shillings reflected in the direct cost-based market price—it also reflects the costs associated with the land that gets eroded, the carbon emitted, the water and air that get polluted, the children that miss school, underpaid women’s labor, the harassment they endure in the fields, and the credit they are denied.

Farmers in Kenya are facing growing impacts of climate change, including prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall, and sudden floods. Approximately 70%-80% of the country’s land area is classified as arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), and roughly 98% of the agricultural production systems are rainfed. This makes cropping and livestock systems highly sensitive to changing climatic patterns.  Severe droughts have repeatedly devastated livelihoods, including a 2008-2009 event that affected nearly 10 million people and killed more than 643,000 livestock.

Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face growing pressure to produce more on less land while contending with worsening impacts of climate change. The need for sustainable intensification has rekindled calls for a “Green Revolution” in the region, centered on the widespread adoption of modern inputs such as hybrid seeds and inorganic fertilizers. But introducing new agricultural technologies is not just a matter of making such inputs available; it also requires convincing farmers to try them.

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) policy framework reflects the recognition of agriculture-led economy as a driver for enhancing economic growth, reducing poverty, and increasing food security on the African continent.

Rwanda’s agrifood system is identified as an interconnected ecosystem of actors and activities extend across various food system’s stages, from production, processing, distribution, consumption, to waste management. It is central to the country’s structural transformation driving food and nutrition security, livelihood improvement, and sustainable economic growth. Current data indicate that the AFS makes up nearly two-fifths of GDP and accounted for more than 60% of total employment in 2022 (Xinshen Diao et al, 2025).