This archive report was first published on 15 June 2020.
Published on June 15, 2020, a report by McKinsey and Company, Safeguarding Africa's food systems through and beyond the crisis, highlights the need for immediate actions to safeguard food security and speed up the recovery of the agricultural sector.
John Barabara, a successful farmer from Kenya, has been growing vegetables and selling the produce to boarding schools. However, the pandemic has disrupted his modus operandi, and he has not had a market for this year's crop. Instead, he fed cows everything that he had harvested.
According to the report, the production and consumption patterns of food during and after the coronavirus crisis are disrupted. Even without the current pandemic, food security in Africa has been under threat from low agricultural productivity, population growth, and the region's dependence on food imports.
Donor agencies estimate that at least 1.3 million people mainly from the arid regions of Kenya are currently facing food crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity. A prolonged pandemic could create a major food crisis in the country.
Africa's food vulnerabilities emanate from the fact that the continent has become a net food importer. Yet, 60 per cent of the arable land globally is in Africa. The management of food systems remains weak, making any crisis, small or big, a significant threat to livelihood.
McKinsey and Company's report suggests immediate actions that could safeguard food security and speed up the recovery of the agricultural sector. African governments must take the lead to ensure continuity in the agrarian food systems as they address food insecurity.
Some of the immediate actions include setting up a food-security "war room" and deploying digital tools and data-gathering approaches to managing food availability, accessibility, and affordability. Governments must also identify "hot spots" of shortages or hoarding, and in intervening where necessary, track ongoing indicators to ensure continuity of the agricultural and food system.
Lastly, governments need to keep their foot on the pedal of agricultural transformation. They can take this opportunity to rethink their agriculture and food systems strategically.
By leveraging on data and other proactive measures, Africa must arise to safeguard its food systems. In future, the continent must improve its productivity, manage population growth, and increasingly reduce its dependence on imports.
