As the continent celebrates and reflects on Africa today, food insecurity and poverty remain the biggest challenges its people faces. The inability to deal with climate change has also made Africa vulnerable.
National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) senior economist, Thabile Nkunjana, said despite the many challenges the continent has, Africa possesses the power to generate and feed itself.
There is enough land
“Africa accounts for some of the world’s arable land. There are several inefficiencies in the soil that is currently being used, thus it is underutilised.
“Africa’s grain imports which include rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, barley, and oats increased by 33.4% between 2014 and 2022, from 25.6 billion USD to 34.2 billion USD,” he said.
Nkunaja explained that these are basic staple foods the continent can produce and trade across borders.
According to prior World Bank figures, barely 5% of Africa’s cereal imports came from within the continent, he added.
“Farmers have a market of 1.4 billion people on the continent, and millions of people are hungry and malnourished.
“Despite the continent’s natural resources of arable land, water, and labour, it remains among the poorest, including its inhabitants. There are some fundamental concerns that African leaders and policymakers should advocate for,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nkunjana said while the continent celebrates Africa Day, some critical aspects and bottlenecks need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“Eliminating market controls like prices; farmers produce products in an open market with limited restrictions to generate money.
“African governments often implement trade restrictions in response to possible shortages. This has been demonstrated multiple times, and it typically works against the intended means,” he said.
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Prepare for climate change
Nkunjana added that technology adoption and infrastructure are among the other critical elements that need to be dealt with to ensure a food-secure continent.
“Several sub-regions within Africa face problems connected to climate change. At this point, it is more than a need, it is a requirement that Africa look at climate change and its effect on food production.
“With drought, flooding, and disease outbreaks occurring on a regular basis, the continent must keep up with the rest of the world by developing human skills and, most critically, cultivars to deal with climate-related challenges,” he said.
Elijah Ramafoko, former training coordinator at the Northern Cape department of agriculture, said training in climate change by focusing on factors that cause it and mitigation strategies that is customised for Africa, is going to go a long to address challenges.
“Africa is blessed with natural resources to sustain itself and protect and ensure food security to its people. I strongly oppose the magnifying of climate change as if there are no mitigation plans. Africa can sustain itself socially and economically. Climate change requires adaptability and resilience.
“Relevant and appropriate training agricultural colleges, and universities with qualified and accredited trainers are needed, courses on climate change must be taught from primary to universities,” he said.
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