The population of sub-Saharan Africa is set to reach 2-billion by 2050, but there will only be enough food for 13% of the population if current food production levels persist.
“Sub-Saharan Africa remains the world`s most food-insecure region, with a quarter of its 925 million population trapped in a vicious cycle of hunger and poverty. Twenty-eight countries in the region require external assistance for food,” writes Teresa Nogueira Pinto in World Review.
“Sub-Saharan Africa has huge agricultural potential. But it has been a net importer of food for the past three decades. Now with accelerated demographic growth, many leaders of countries in the region are putting agriculture back on top of their agendas to reduce dependence on food imports.”
The African Union has declared 2014 the year of Agriculture and Food Security, with the ambitious goals. It has pledged to end hunger in Africa by 2025.
“Another factor vital for food security is access, which in sub-Saharan Africa is often hampered by armed conflicts, lack of infrastructure, high transportation costs, under-developed markets, and trade barriers and restrictions,” Nogueira writes.
The African Union’s initiative to boost agricultural production on the continent could fulfil internal food demand and allow Africa to become a net exporter of food.
