How we can improve food security in Africa

Editor, RE: “Africa’s food security depends on research, innovation – experts” (The New Times, June 14). Experts have defined food security as “the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food”. This emphasises three main aspects: availability, accessibility, and nutritious. If one or two of the three is not good, the state of food security is poor. If, for example, the northern part of our country, which is known for growing potatoes, its post-harvest handling is poor and the losses are high yet, in the southern or eastern provinces this type of food is costly, the state is questionable without looking at alternatives. The general assembly of FARA going on in Rwanda should bring this to light, looking into the various alternatives and options to sustain Africa’s growth path towards a food secure continent but also transforming the continent production into a global food basket. We also need to translate science and technology in the aspect of agricultural modernization. For food security value chain to be strengthened along the three main aspects as presented in the above definition, research has to guide us on ways we can best do things. Research and technology should assess and provide innovative breakthrough from the level of productivity through distribution and post-harvest handling. Urgency: The current world population is expected to reach 10.5 billion by 2050 (UN March, 2013), further adding to global food security concerns. This increase translates into 33% more human mouths to feed, with the greatest demand growth in the poor communities of the world. Therefore, researchers at the forum should understand the urgency to this matter. However, it is very critical to also note that, regardless of having a clear vision, we also have to identify capacity gaps that limit our ability to achieve our goals. Focus should be given primarily to identifying capacity gaps along the value chain and substantial investment has to be put there with priority planning. Richard Niwenshuti

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How we can improve food security in Africa