Groundwater to play a key role in transforming Africa's food systems, finds AMCOW event

Accelerating the development of sustainable groundwater use in Africa could be pivotal in the transformation of the continent’s food security and prosperity. This was the key message from a side event of the UN Food Systems Summit Science Days, organized by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) with support from WLE.

Held on July 6, the event brought together WLE’s Deputy Program Director, Claudia Ringler, and representatives from AMCOW, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to discuss the benefits and challenges of increasing Africa’s groundwater use.

Participants were clear that groundwater could play a decisive role in improving Africa’s food security and nutrition, both of which are coming under increasing strain from climate change and population growth. “The volume of water stored underground in Africa is estimated to be twenty times greater than the freshwater stored in rivers and lakes,” explained Paul Orengoh and Moshood Tijani of AMCOW in…

Photo Credit: David Brazier/IWMI