Opportunities for building resilience of African farming systems

Chikowo, R., Olwande, J., Wanzala, M., Lubungu, M., Ngoma, H. and Sanchez, P. 2021. Opportunities for building resilience of African farming systems. IN: AGRA. 2021. Africa Agriculture Status Report 2021: A Decade of Action: Building Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems in Africa. Nairobi, Kenya: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

The United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) has thrust food systems transformation onto the main stage of international discourse in 2021. Concepts of resilience, sustainability, and “green growth” have also gained tremendous traction internationally. Consensus is emerging across the globe that our livelihoods, jobs, and indeed the health of the planet, are fundamentally dependent on developing resilient and sustainable economies. Food systems are a fundamental part of the global economic system – the world’s population depends on them for sustenance. As is the case elsewhere, in Africa, many people depend entirely on food systems for employment and incomes as well. For these reasons, building resilient and sustainable food systems is crucial to ensuring sustainable economies and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 Goals. However, Africa remains food insecure, accounting for 256 million of the world’s 795 million people suffering from hunger. Against this challenge, this 2021 African Agriculture Status Report (AASR21) provides evidence and insights on the prospects of achieving resilience and sustainability in Africa’s food systems.