This archive report was first published on 1 July 2021.
July 1, 2021 - A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the African Union Commission (AUC) highlights the need to transform Africa's agri-food systems to make healthy diets more affordable for Africans.
The report, launched on July 1, 2021, notes that Africans face some of the highest food costs when compared to other regions of a similar level of development.
Nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins, are relatively expensive when compared to staples like cereals and starchy roots, the report argues.
According to the report, nearly three-quarters of the African population cannot afford a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins, while more than half cannot afford a nutrient-adequate diet.
Even an energy-sufficient diet, which supplies a bare minimum of energy and little else, is out of reach for over 10 percent of the continent's population.
FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel, along with UNECA's Director of the Private Sector Development and Finance Division William Lugemwa and African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Josefa Sacko, emphasized the need for a common vision, strong political leadership, and effective cross-sectoral collaboration to transform agri-food systems for healthy, affordable diets.
They stated, 'A common vision, strong political leadership and effective cross-sectoral collaboration, including the private sector, are essential to agree on trade-offs and identify and implement sustainable solutions to transform agri-food systems for healthy, affordable diets.'
The report also notes that current food consumption patterns in Africa impose high health and environmental costs, which are not reflected in food prices. Including these costs would add $0.35 to each dollar spent on food in sub-Saharan Africa.
Rebalancing diets to include more plant-based foods would reduce the cost of diets and lower health and environmental costs, the report finds.
