Africa agriculture status report 2023:empowering Africa’s food systems for the future
With its vast arable lands and youthful population, Africa holds the potential to not only ensure food security for its people but also play a crucial role in the global food system. However, the continent is still grappling with myriad challenges from climate change and infrastructural gaps to inadequate policies, which require proactive and innovative solutions. The report’s in-depth assessment and stocktaking analysis of African food systems provides valuable insights into both the challenges and opportunities facing the region. With over 20 percent of the continent’s population (roughly 257 million people) undernourished, Africa bears the heaviest burden of malnutrition (FAO, 2022). Projections by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) indicate that Africa’s annual food imports will increase significantly by a factor of seven from USD 15 billion in 2018 to USD 110 billion by 2025 and by a factor of three from the current USD 43 billion (ECA, 2021).
