How can donors disrupt food systems in Africa?

Transforming the global food system can lead to significant benefits for both people and the environment. Key shifts in donor spending can break the status quo and help achieve sustainable development goals such as zero hunger.

Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria are three countries that face significant challenges in their food systems. They range from greenhouse gas emissions to food loss and waste and from low productivity levels to a lack of long-term agricultural development funding.

By taking action on three key takeaways, donors can disrupt the food system in a way that contributes to sustainable change and better food security for all.

Reducing greenhouse gases

Firstly, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the livestock sector, which is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria. Animal-source foods like meat and dairy are essential for a healthy diet and over 90% of people in these countries cannot afford a healthy diet.

One solution is to invest in sustainable livestock intensification, which involves improved breeding practices, feed and manure management and a shift towards smaller ruminants like chickens and goats. This would lead to significant productivity gains and support better nutrition, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Preventing waste

Secondly, prevent waste through better food storage and handling. Food loss and waste is a growing problem in all three countries, largely due to poor storage and handling infrastructure.

Donors can make a significant impact by investing in education about food waste and safe food storage methods, as well as infrastructure development along the value chain. Solutions like Cold Hubs, a Nigerian start-up that builds solar-powered cold stations to increase the shelf life of perishable foods, have the potential to be game-changing.

Investments in these solutions would contribute to better nutrition, less hunger and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Leveraging emergency food assistance

Thirdly, leverage the growing pool of emergency food assistance for long-term gains. Emergency food assistance budgets have grown significantly in the past five years, but long-term agricultural development and food security budgets are severely underfunded.

Donors can disrupt this vicious cycle by leveraging emergency food assistance to contribute to the longer-term food systems agenda. Donors can reduce both current levels of hunger and poverty, as well as the longer-term requirement for emergency food assistance, by building resilience amongst vulnerable populations through transfers and household security programmes.

As we continue to grapple with the challenges of achieving zero hunger, we must acknowledge the urgency of the situation and take bold action to transform our food systems. Through sustainable intensification of the livestock sector, preventing waste through better food storage and handling and leveraging emergency food assistance for long-term gains, donors and governments can play a crucial role in creating more resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems.

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