Initiative:

West and Central African Food Systems Transformation

Challenge

Agriculture makes up between 30 and 50 percent of GDP in West and Central Africa (WCA) and provides income and livelihoods to 70 to 80 percent of the population. Some 65 percent of the region’s labor force is in rural areas, where 42 percent of women practice smallholder farming.

Climate change is creating significant challenges for the sector which, as a result, is struggling to produce sufficient food for the needs of the region’s growing population. Reduced biodiversity is having a negative impact on soil health and crop production, while markets and value chains are fragmented due to large post-harvest losses, aging infrastructure and a non-supportive policy environment.

Food security in the region falls by an estimated 5 to 20 percent with each flood or drought, while food calories from key crops are falling by around 1.4 percent per year. Increasingly, consumers are turning to unhealthy, imported and ultra-processed food, increasing the triple burden of malnutrition.

While agricultural exports are rising, Africa remains a net food importer at an annual cost of $43 billion. Without action, the continent’s food import bill could top $110 billion by 2025.

Objective

This Initiative aims to improve nutrition, incomes, and food security within the context of climate change in West and Central Africa through nutritious, climate-adapted, and market-driven food systems. 

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