Currently, the biggest challenge to Africa’s food security is that despite its vast agricultural potential, the region is still a net food importer. As a result, disturbances in the global food supply chain that limit access to food imports hit Africa particularly hard.

Traditional donor countries such as the US and UK are now facing their own economic crises. So far, states have heeded international organizations’ call for funds, with countries such as Germany and the UK contributing tens of millions of dollars to the WHO’s Coronavirus emergency fund. Given Covid-19’s economic toll on the global economy, however, regular fund transfers and aid for non-Coronavirus programs is likely to decrease significantly.  

Now is the time to revolutionize agriculture in Africa

The current crisis presents an opportunity for Africa to develop and modernize its agriculture sector, which would put the region on a path towards food security and economic prosperity. Countries that wish to use the current crisis as an opportunity to enhance their food security, improve the resilience of their food supply chain, and reach self-sufficiency in food production can take several steps:

a) Diversification

Many farmers in Africa concentrate their efforts on growing a single staple crop (often maize). This lack of diversification not only makes it hard for farmers to receive adequate nutrition; it also makes their fields less resilient to climate change and erratic weather patterns.

One of the obstacles to diversification is convincing farmers – and the greater population – to prepare and eat a more varied diet. Since the pandemic might make certain staple foods less available, governments now have an excellent opportunity to educate the public on the health benefits of lesser-known crops. Governments can also run public education campaigns to teach the people that adequate overall nutrition means more than just a minimum amount of daily calories. Companies and entrepreneurs can provide inputs and guidance to farmers on planting and caring for unfamiliar crops.

b) Invest in Farmer education

Farmers on the continent often employ traditional farming techniques that have been passed down over the generations. But advances in agriculture have revolutionized agricultural practices and led to much of the world growing more abundant yields of sturdier and more nutritious crops.

Introducing and improving national and regional farmer education projects can help farmers get the most out of their time in the field.

c) Invest in Mechanization

65% of land in Sub-Saharan Africa is still tilled, plowed, and weeded manually. Due to the availability of physical labor, lack of funds, and other structural reasons, farmers in the region tend not to invest in modern tools and equipment. The lockdown, which has limited laborers’ availability in many markets, may encourage farm owners to shift to machine use over human labor.

Investors and entrepreneurs can work together to establish machine-lending schemes that would allow farmers to reap the benefits of mechanization without purchasing expensive equipment that is used only a couple of months a year.

d) Invest in Infrastructure

Africa’s underdeveloped infrastructure poses a considerable challenge to farmers’ productivity and profitability. The scarcity of roads in rural areas makes it difficult for farmers to move their crops to the local markets. The prevalence of unpaved roads and inadequate port facilities on much of the continent hinders national and inter-African trade and makes African countries dangerously dependent on imports shipped by air from outside the region. Lack of access to electricity also hinders Africans’ ability to establish food manufacturing facilities and add value locally to the agricultural raw materials. 

Lastly, investing in irrigation and other water technologies would allow farmers to use current inputs to dramatically improve their yields. Without neglecting large scale irrigation investments, governments and donor organizations can also fund farmer-led informal irrigation ventures. 

The current crisis, which has underscored the importance of functional infrastructure at the local, domestic, and regional level, may encourage renewed efforts to close Africa’s infrastructure gap.

e) Invest in National Food Stockpiles

Many African countries do not currently have national emergency food stockpiles. Instead, they rely on foodstuff imported on a need-to-need basis to adequately feed their citizens. The pandemic may drive governments and farmers’ collectives to build storage warehouses and stock up on food when the regular food supply is disrupted. Better crop storage facilities will also help mitigate the significant post-harvest losses that African farmers currently experience.

The private sector can also invest in storage centers to serve small-holder farmers according to various business models. Companies that want to serve lower-income farmers can accept payment in kind and receive a portion of the grain in exchange for the storage services,  where farmers pay for storage. Eventually, companies can build these storage facilities into holistic support centers for farmers that provide inputs, guidance, and equipment.

f) Encourage local food production

The current crisis has highlighted many African countries’ dependence on imported foods. What happens when an exporting country cuts off the supply? 

When Vietnam announced what turned out to be a temporary ban on rice exports, many experts worried that scarcity would push up the price of food staples beyond the reach of many. Although Vietnam’s rice exports to Africa have since resumed, this episode could serve as a wake-up call for countries to encourage local production and transition towards food self-sufficiency.

Now is an ideal time for governments to move their countries away from a reliance on imports. States can institute policies that protect local producers, such as “smart” subsidies as part of sustainable soil fertility management practices.

g) Agriculture and Technology

With most people spending even more time indoors due to lockdowns, digital communications have increased globally. As a result, governments and international organizations are redoubling their efforts to increase digital literacy in Africa. This, in turn, will also help Africa’s farmers produce more food, since the increased use of the internet also increases agricultural knowledge.

Conclusion

The current pandemic may plunge much of Africa into a long term economic and public health crisis. The continent is young, and its demographic gives it an advantage in battling the Coronavirus. In the medium and long term, however, one of the region’s most pressing concerns is the pandemic’s effect on Africa’s food security. 

The IMF has stated that 2020 will be a year of reckoning for the world’s food systems. In some regions, such as the European Union, the pandemic highlighted the urgency of transitioning towards a healthier and more sustainable food production system. The EU is now focussing on offsetting the biodiversity loss caused by industrial agriculture practices that have made humanity more vulnerable to virus outbreaks. 

Governments in Africa can also take this opportunity to establish measures that will help their population weather the current emergency and develop long-term food security. Creating these programs will require funding from international institutions such as the Worldbank and IMF as well as cooperation from the local, regional, and global private sector. But it can be done. By working together, the current crisis can serve as a turning point for agriculture on the continent.