Defining the State of Food Security in Africa.
It is worth pointing out from the onset that food insecurity is a multidimensional problem.
This is a problem that is linked to healthcare, conflicts, policies, politics, leadership, strategic vision, trade and economic interests, agricultural production, food system, global food industry trade politics, and the environment (mother nature).
In healthcare, for example, there is a direct link between food insecurity, malnutrition, and a global pandemic like the HIV/AIDS. That is to say, if a member of a given family, for instance, is affected by the AIDS epidemic, the family of that patient will automatically lose a breadwinner and financial income generator.
Less to say, the state of food insecurity in Africa relative to other regions of the world, except for West Asia, is troubling and non-promising. Hence, understanding and accepting this reality should be of a concern for all Africans regardless of their socioeconomic and political status.
This reality should be of a concern for the African political leadership, the mayors of mega African cities, the NGOs, the civil society, the media. Also the farmers, the business community, the youth, the academia, the churches, the mosques and other faith-based organizations, and the consumer organizations alike.
According to the FAO 2015 State of Food Insecurity in the World IN BRIEF, Africa scores poorly in all indicators regarding food security and nutrition targets. For example, in 2015, only 18 out of 54 African countries reached the MDG 1C hunger target (Millennium Development Goals 1C).
Two of the many reasons why food security keeps evading millions of Africans are the never-ending conflicts and incessant political instability on the continent. Often, in many sub-Saharan African countries, foods are available and plentiful but not accessible to everyone.
Poor families, for example, disproportionately pay the brunt of conflicts and wars. Farmers cannot bring their staple crops to the markets because of the lack of security even if and when they wanted to do so.
The current state of food security and widespread malnutrition in Africa is not as ideal as Africans would like it to be. It is a multidimensional problem.
And In order to address this, the continent must tackle misdirected policies and politics, trade and economic interests, weak institutions, failed leadership, and many other variables that make it hard and difficult for many African countries to achieve food security.
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