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Africa: UNFSS + 4 Stock Take to Be a Game Changer in Africa

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Africa: UNFSS + 4 Stock Take to Be a Game Changer in Africa


The 2nd UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) took place from July 27-29, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy. It is now four years since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). UNFSS+4 has provided a platform for reflecting on progress, strengthening collaboration, and unlocking finance and investments to accelerate food systems transformation.

The author dedicates this article to the 2nd UN Food Summit conducted in the last three days in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia had something to show to the delegated of the Summit which included heads of states and governments as well as leaders of UN systems and invited guests.

Ethiopia has been honored to host this Summit in cooperation with Italy. The Summit has provided another excellent opportunity for Ethiopia to showcase her practical achievements and experiences in implementing the UNFSS+4 global events. Gone are the days in which Ethiopia was mentioned as a country ridden by famine. The author wishes to take an important topic regarding the challenges of food scenario in Africa and the possible solutions.

What are the most conspicuous challenges that Africa is facing to feed its growing population and what are possible solutions thereof? This contribution attempts to suggest answers to these two basic issues.

Extreme weather including droughts and floods disrupting rainfed agriculture, which supports 70% of African livelihoods. Crop yields in some areas have already dropped by up to 50% due to climate variability. The effects of climate change on food production are far more noticeable in sub-Sahara and some northern African countries. Over the last several decades, African countries were forces to heavily depend on foreign aid to respond to food crisis they encounter almost every year in a row,

In spite of the fact that Africa possesses a large expanse of arable land, soil degradation, deforestation, and water scarcity in many African countries reduce arable land and hampers agricultural productivity.

Food that is produced in Africa is mostly lost due to low technology in the mode of harvesting. In Ethiopia post-harvest loss accounts for about 30% of production. This is gradually improving with the introduction of agricultural post-harvest technology but still there is more to be done.

With Africa’s population set to reach 2.8 billion by 2050, rising demand for food exacerbates pressure on limited resources. Besides, rising prices of food has not only exacerbated hyperinflation but has also affected the ability of the population to have access to adequate food supply.

Alarming urbanization drives labor shifts away from farming, shrinking farm sizes and disrupting rural supply dynamics. This also adds up to the effects of displacements and migration in search of food and rural employment possibilities. It also created a higher degree of pressure on urban development programs which will be forced to shift to relief and rehabilitation programs for those who migrate to urban centers.

High poverty levels limit both farm production and access to food. Conflict and displacement in regions like the Sahel and Horn of Africa disrupt agriculture and livelihoods. This has been the case for almost half a century. Conflicts over political issues and scares resources as well as ethnic identifications on internal borders in African countries has continued unabated.

All forms of corruption, weak governance, and poor institutional capacity lead to misallocation of resources and ineffective agricultural support. Although many African countries have high sounding policies on paper, effective implementation in agricultural modernization is hampered by lack of political commitment. For instance, according to the reports from the Commercial Bank OF Ethiopia, the bank was robbed some 7 billion birr by so called experts and their accomplices only to be caught with their thrift.

Except for Ethiopia and probably Kenya, most countries of the Horn of Africa are bust prioritizing political squabbling to issues of food security and food self-sufficiency. For instance, Ethiopia’s quest for access to ports and joint development has been politicized and over politicized by countries of the Horn of Africa supported by those who dread the economic development of Ethiopia.

Lack of rural infrastructure, bad roads, scarce storage, weak logistics leads to post-harvest losses and fragmented food markets. This is indeed a chain of challenges which is visible in almost every African country. This is not only a major challenge for each African country but also for the implementation of COMMESA, AfCEFTA and other regional economic organizations. This is also complicated by internal trade barriers and limited regional coordination hamper redistribution of surplus food across borders.

In most African countries, production gaps are large: smallholder farmers frequently lack access to seeds, fertilizers, mechanization, and modern farming methods. Ethiopia has worked on resolving these challenges over the last several years by introducing inclusive, technology oriented cluster farming and wider import substitution programs in the production of wheat and possibly rice.

Agricultural innovation uptake is limited: ICT tools, precision farming, and drought-resistant seeds remain underutilized due to infrastructure and capacity constraints.

What is to be done to improve Africa’s food situation? The following may be considered.

Expansion of climate-resilient crops (drought-tolerant, early-maturing varieties like cassava, teff, millet) is underway with support from AGRA, CGIAR, and national breeding programs. This is a practical solution for populations in arid and semi-arid populations residing in African countries.

ICT innovations including mobile platforms, voice/text extension services, and digital marketplaces are empowering farmers with timely information and market access

AI-powered tools for local weather forecasting, AgriLLMs, and precision farming are scaling via initiatives like AIM for Scale, benefiting millions and reducing vulnerability to climate shocks

Investments in rural roads, cold storage, post-harvest facilities, and transportation networks help reduce losses and improve supply chain resilience agrifocusafrica.com.

Intra-African trade via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) supports redistribution of surplus to deficit regions, smoothing supply fluctuations

Strengthening policy frameworks with land tenure reform, strategic grain reserves, anti-corruption measures, improved data systems, and social protection programs are building resilience.

Enhancing extension services and financial access especially via public- private partnerships–boosts smallholder participation and productivity.

Supporting youth employment in agriculture, rural skills training, and family planning/education efforts can reduce population pressure and diversify rural livelihoods.

Promoting agribusiness and local value chains to capture more agriincome domestically instead of relying on raw exports.

To advance rapidly toward food security, African nations and development partners should emphasize:

Scaling proven technologies like AI forecasting, climatesmart seeds, and sustainable irrigation.

Bridging finance gaps through climate adaptation funding focused on smallholders.

Fostering collaboration among governments, NGOs, researchers, and the private sector to implement multidimensional, locally tailored solutions.

Africa has tremendous potential with 60% of the world’s available arable land and a growing young workforce but turning this potential into resilient food systems requires bold investments, inclusive policies, and integrated innovation at scale .