Food security in Africa remains a ‘wicked’ problem, with economic pressures , conflict, climate change and population growth contributing to complex and worsening food insecurity.  According to the report “Africa – Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023“, nearly 282 million people in Africa (around 20% of the population) were undernourished in 2022. The situation is expected to worsen through 2025 because of drought conditions and escalating conflict.  

African Union member states had committed to ending hunger by 2025 under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), while the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 focuses on ending hunger by 2030.  

However, a 2024 review of the programme shows that not a single AU country is currently on track to achieve the 2025 commitment. Progress towards meeting the target had already slowed before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the start of the Russia-Ukraine ware war in 2022. The agricultural sector needs to increase productivity, boost infrastructure across the whole value chain, improve continental trade and increase public spend on the sector if it hopes to resolve food insecurity.  

Food security is key sector that supports others 

Supporting food security and agriculture means addressing core issues such as poverty, hunger and food insecurity, primarily through food relief, feeding schemes, small-scale farming and commercial agriculture initiatives, survivalist farming, and spending on infrastructure, facilities and equipment. Investing in food security and agriculture not only plays a complementary role in supporting the health and education sectors – it helps to prevent social unrest while bolstering entrepreneurship and employment.  It safeguards the lives and livelihoods of billions on the continent. 

Company support for food security and agriculture  

Food security and agriculture currently receive 11% of average corporate social investment expenditure. Boosting food security is a priority in food-insecure regions across Africa. This means investing in agriculture but also in climate-resilient food production. Water scarcity and soil degradation are two major issues that require addressing, along with biodiversity loss, which can directly threaten crop yields. Agriculture accounts for 30 – 40% of GDP in Africa – higher than any other sector – and private sector support can serve to improve crop health, improve supply chains and access to market, and boost SMEs that are often run by women.