Countries in West and Central Africa are facing a food crisis with multiple causes. Estimates in late December 2025 suggested that 41.8 million people were already in crisis or worse in October-December 2025. The number was expected to rise to 52.8 million in June-August 2026. IFPRI researchers Oliver Kiptoo Kirui and Chibuzo Nwagboso explain how serious the situation is.
Generative AI can close agricultural information gaps. A new AI voice agent offers tailored, real‑time advice to smallholder farmers, even in remote areas.
Are we at the beginning of another period of high food prices? The short answer, in our assessment, is probably not—at least not yet. The conditions that drove prior price spikes are largely absent today, and the Hormuz disruption is a fundamentally different kind of shock than either the 2007-2008 food price crisis or 2022
Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, on the growing links between food systems, economic stability, and national security under rising global pressures.
Over three days in Nakuru, Nairobi, and Kiambu, partners and funders of the BRAINS project observed how research, markets, and finance are aligning to improve livelihoods, strengthen value chains, and build climate resilience for farmers and enterprises.