Pan-African and Regional Trade and Policy for the Food Systems Transition

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective examines the intersection of trade policy and the transition to agroecological food systems in Africa. It argues that current trade regimes, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), often prioritize industrial agriculture and neoliberal orthodoxy, which can marginalize smallholder farmers and undermine food sovereignty. The document advocates for a shift toward 'territorial markets' and regional trade policies that align with agroecological principles to enhance food security, nutrition, and environmental resilience.

• The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides a foundation for reimagining trade but currently lacks explicit integration of agroecological principles, focusing instead on conventional trade objectives like reducing barriers.
• Intra-African agricultural trade is characterized by high costs and imbalances; the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is the largest player and maintains a trade surplus, while other regional economic communities (RECs) face deficits ranging from 7% to over 200%.
• Significant hurdles impede the agroecological transition, including the world's highest intra-continental agricultural tariffs (averaging 19.58%), complex rules of origin, and non-tariff barriers such as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
• Territorial markets—food distribution systems linked to local, national, or regional systems—are identified as critical for the transition because they are often more remunerative for smallholders and serve social and cultural functions beyond food supply.
• Funding for agroecology in Africa is fragmented and limited, estimated at less than 10% of total agricultural funding, with even smaller portions allocated to trade-related aspects like market access and value chain development.
• Philanthropy is urged to move away from profit-driven, market-led innovations that favor 'big food' and instead support long-term funding for small-scale operations, the reduction of trade costs, and the empowerment of civil society in policy-0 ownLeiato same as the document suggests that philanthropic support should focus on territorial markets and the alignment of trade policy with ecological sustainability.

APA

Odero, K., Kamelu, J. N., Makochekanwa, A., & Ifelaja, S. (2025). Pan-African and Regional Trade and Policy for the Food Systems Transition. African Climate Foundation. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_I-Pan-African-and-regional-trade-WEB-1.pdf

Chicago

Odero, Kenneth, Joshua Ndong’a Kamelu, Albert Makochekanwa, and Seyi Ifelaja. Pan-African and Regional Trade and Policy for the Food Systems Transition. African Climate Foundation, 2025. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_I-Pan-African-and-regional-trade-WEB-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Odero |first1=Kenneth |last2=Kamelu |first2=Joshua Ndong’a |last3=Makochekanwa |first3=Albert |last4=Ifelaja |first4=Seyi |title=Pan-African and Regional Trade and Policy for the Food Systems Transition |publisher=African Climate Foundation |date=2025 |url=https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_I-Pan-African-and-regional-trade-WEB-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{odero2025panafrican, author = {Odero, Kenneth and Kamelu, Joshua Ndong’a and Makochekanwa, Albert and Ifelaja, Seyi}, title = {{Pan-African and Regional Trade and Policy for the Food Systems Transition}}, institution = {African Climate Foundation}, year = {2025}, url = {https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_I-Pan-African-and-regional-trade-WEB-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }