Benissan Barrigah – edited by PACT
Imagine a world where nearly two billion people grapple with the fundamental challenge of feeding themselves adequately. Despite being an essential necessity for human survival, nutritional food remains inaccessible to a vast proportion of the global population.
Food security, as defined by G.Ziervogel (2009), is more than just the consistent availability of food (production, distribution, and exchange); it also extends to access (affordability, allocation, and preference) and utilization (food safety, nutrition, and social value). It is achieved when all individuals can reliably access safe, nutritious food, thereby facilitating normal growth, development, and a healthy, active lifestyle.
On the other hand, food insecurity describes a state in which an individual consistently lacks access to the necessary safe and nutritious food for maintaining normal growth, development, and an active and healthy lifestyle. This condition can arise due to a lack of food availability or inadequate resources to secure it.
Food insecurity manifests in two primary forms:
- Moderate food insecurity, characterized by inconsistent access to a healthy and nutritious diet. In 2022, approximately 29.6 percent of the global population—or 2.4 billion people—were moderately or severely food insecure, marking an increase of 391 million since 2019.
- Severe food insecurity, marked by insufficient food quantity (energy). Approximately 11.3 percent of the population suffered from severe food insecurity in 2022, translating to about 900 million people—a distressing rise of 180 million from 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the issue of global hunger, with an additional 122 million individuals experiencing hunger in 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic era.
In terms of global trends, the scourge of food insecurity has escalated in regions such as Africa, North America, and Europe, while witnessing a decline in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Africa, in particular, has seen an alarming increase in the number of people confronting hunger—rising by 11 million since 2021 and by over 57 million since the onset of the pandemic.
Moreover, the proportion of the population grappling with hunger is considerably higher in Africa compared to other regions. Almost 20 percent of Africa’s population faces hunger, a stark contrast to the 8.5 percent in Asia, 6.5 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7.0 percent in Oceania.
According to the latest studies, the current situation can be summarized as follows in Africa:
- 281.6 million individuals are undernourished
- 868.3 million people are experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity
Recent regional forecasts
By January 2024, it is anticipated that up to 60 million people in East Africa may experience food insecurity. Ten million people live in Ethiopia, ten million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), nine million in Sudan, eight million in South Sudan, six million in Somalia, and five million in Kenya. Famine still threatens South Sudan and Somalia. In the DRC, Malawi, and Sudan, it is anticipated that more people would require food aid than they did a year ago. Between June and September, more than 60% of South Sudan’s population would experience severe food insecurity.
Disturbingly high levels of food insecurity are predicted in West Africa through September 2023, particularly in conflict-ridden areas such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. It is projected that these areas will experience limited food supplies, access to markets, and humanitarian aid until September 2023. Over 42 million people in West Africa are expected to face a food crisis or worse between June and August 2023.
Causes of Food Insecurity
A complex web of interrelated elements is contributing to the intensifying food insecurity crisis in Africa. In our analysis, we’ve opted to spotlight a selection of causes that we believe are particularly crucial to underscore:
1. Conflicts
The fact that the majority of the million Africans who are experiencing severe food insecurity live in war-affected nations highlights the fact that conflict remains the main cause of Africa’s food problems. This shows the indirect impact of conflicts in Africa.
Additionally, eight nations—the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Niger, and Burkina Faso—which are all undergoing continuing violence, account for more than 70 percent of the continent’s acute food insecurity.
Conflict weakens individual, societal, and governmental resilience, aggravating the effects of outside shocks like pandemics, inflation, conflicts, and climate change on the continent’s food security.
2. Climate change
Climate change, characterized by severe weather events such as floods, heavy rains, droughts, cyclones, and storms, is having a profound impact on low-income developing nations. These events pose a significant threat to rural incomes and food security, particularly in regions that rely heavily on climate-sensitive sectors such as rain-fed agriculture.
Africa as a whole is particularly vulnerable to these climatic shifts due to its dependence on such sectors and its limited adaptive capabilities. Certain regions, such as the Sahel, are already experiencing increased dryness, indicative of the substantial changes in weather patterns brought on by climate change.
Moreover, the continent is witnessing a steeper temperature rise compared to the rest of the world, a trend that has significant implications for agricultural output and food security. Increases in temperature can lead to significant reductions in crop productivity and income, disrupting food availability and exacerbating malnutrition rates. This has potentially catastrophic consequences for many African farmers.
The Horn of Africa serves as a poignant example of the devastating impact of climate change. In this region, where the majority of the population depends on pastoralism and livestock production for their livelihood, severe droughts brought on by climate change are dramatically affecting millions of lives.
Since October 2020, following four consecutive failed rainy seasons in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, food insecurity in the Horn of Africa has escalated to a crisis level not witnessed in at least 40 years. This crisis has affected 19.4 million people and led to the death of millions of livestock, increasing the vulnerability of pastoral families who rely on these animals for their subsistence.
3. Economic factors
The high levels of poverty in certain regions serve as a major driving force behind food insecurity.
Food insecurity and persistent poverty have a mutually reinforcing link that frequently results in the creation of a vicious loop. The chronically poor are often the most vulnerable to food insecurity – particularly exposed to food insecurity hazards as well as having limited coping mechanisms to deal with such hazards.
In turn, food insecurity may exacerbate poverty. This is true not only in terms of the detrimental impacts of poor nutrition on health and livelihoods but also in terms of the adoption of coping strategies like asset sales, which make it more difficult for families to escape the cycle of poverty.
Across the region, food prices are escalating, largely due to dependence on imports and the ripple effects of the current multifaceted crises.
A significant factor influencing regional food prices has been the conflict in Ukraine. As substantial producers and exporters of agricultural goods, both Ukraine and Russia play crucial roles in global food and agricultural markets. Their conflict led to a record high in the FAO Food Price Index in March 2022, signifying a rise in global food costs. This has triggered a spike in food import costs, particularly for African nations that depend heavily on such imports.
Moreover, the cost of obtaining a balanced diet has been on an upward trajectory. From 2019 to 2021, the price of a balanced diet rose by 6.7%. In Africa, the escalation was even more sudden, with a surge of over 5% between 2020 and 2021.
This hike in the cost of nutritious food has coincided with a decrease in disposable income, with many individuals losing their jobs and income due to lockdown measures, economic downturns, and other disruptions related to the pandemic. This has predominantly impacted low-income households, which usually spend more than 60% of their income on food.
Lastly, according to recent FAO studies, a stark reality is revealed: an overwhelming 83.4% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa lacks the financial means to afford a healthy diet, further exacerbating the region’s food security crisis.
4. Agricultural Productivity
Despite its vital social and economic role, agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa has consistently underperformed, leading to heavy reliance on food imports.
The African Development Bank estimates that by 2030, Africa’s food import costs could reach $90 billion, despite the fact that most of the food imported could potentially be grown domestically.
Ironically, despite owning most of the world’s uncultivated agricultural land, Africa struggles to feed itself.
The primary culprits are years of underfunding, neglect, and underutilization of public infrastructure, all of which prevent Sub-Saharan African nations from realizing their full potential. A mere 5% of the region’s irrigable land is equipped, compared to 37% in Southern and Eastern Asia.
In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 92% of agriculture depends on rainfall, making it unviable in areas with annual rainfall of less than 700 mm.
Despite an overall increase in scientific investment in the world, some 80% of countries investing less than 1% in R&D are in Africa, with an estimated investment share of 0.45% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting a missed opportunity to improve agricultural productivity.
5. Population growth and Urbanization
Africa’s rapid population growth, characterized by a youthful demographic and swift urbanization, poses considerable challenges to the continent’s food systems. High fertility rates in many countries have resulted in population growth outpacing agricultural production. This situation is further exacerbated by an urban population projected to double to over a billion by 2040, which amplifies food demand and drives changes in dietary habits. Youth unemployment further fuels migration from rural to urban areas, reducing the agricultural workforce and causing the average farm size to shrink to a mere 2.4 hectares as lands are subdivided into smaller, less productive plots. Concurrently, climate change triggers additional migration to cities, straining urban supply chains as they struggle to connect expanding urban consumer bases with food production areas. Consequently, Africa’s intense population pressures and rapid urbanization create substantial food security challenges by placing increasing demands on already strained food supply systems. Moreover, urbanization catalyzes transformations in agrifood systems, leading to many challenges. These include the proliferation of cheap, unhealthy, energy-dense foods; limited access to fruits and vegetables; exclusion of small farmers from formal value chains; and loss of land and natural resources due to urban expansion.
Conclusion
The escalating crisis of food insecurity in Africa is a multifaceted issue demanding urgent and comprehensive attention. A complex interplay of conflicts, climate change, economic instability, low agricultural productivity, demographic shifts and other societal factors contributes to the growing numbers of individuals facing hunger and malnutrition. As the continent grapples with these issues, the number of undernourished individuals and those experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity continues to rise.
Our (partial) exploration of the factors contributing to food insecurity in Africa is more than an intellectual exercise; it’s a heartfelt journey into the intricate complexities of a problem that touches millions of lives. Our goal is not just to increase our collective knowledge, but to let this understanding be our compass, guiding us towards a future where every individual in Africa has safe, secure access to food.
We commit ourselves to delve deeper into the profound impacts of food insecurity in Africa in our future conversations. This is a delicate task, one that requires time, humility, and a recognition of the lived experiences of those affected.
Acknowledging hunger as a fundamental human need, we understand that our discourse on sovereignty and development is incomplete without a sincere, sustainable, and all-encompassing approach to this pervasive issue. Hunger has silently, but relentlessly, gnawed at the vitality of our ecosystems and communities, and diminished our potential for far too long.
Our fight against hunger is more than a mere response to a crisis; it is a stand for human dignity, a claim for sovereignty, and a critical milestone on our way to a more complete development. It’s a commitment to a future where every person in Africa can fulfill their potential and develop, without being burdened by the fear of not having enough to eat.
This is a shared burden and a collective responsibility.
Sources
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Food and Agriculture Organization. (2023)The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc3017en
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