Building sustainable food production system in Africa: how can the G20 assist?

The policy brief identifies three primary drivers of food insecurity in Africa: limits to agricultural land, limits to agricultural productivity, and climate change effects. It highlights a steady decline in arable land per capita from 0.31 in 1990 to 0.2 in 2020, alongside severe productivity gaps where African farmers use only 8kg of fertiliser per hectare compared to 140kg in Asia and Latin America. The document calls on the G20 to provide financial and technical support for soil mapping, small-scale irrigation, the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism, and the commercialisation of quality seeds to help the continent meet UN Sustainable Development Goals and AU Agenda 2063 targets.

• Africa is the most food-insecure region globally, with the prevalence of undernourishment increasing from approximately 16.7% in 2014 to 21% in 2020, affecting 232 million people.
• Arable land per capita in Africa has consistently declined over 30 years, falling from 0.31 in 1990 to 0.2 in 2020, driven by population growth, urban expansion, and infrastructure development.
• Agricultural productivity is severely limited by poor soil health, with approximately 65% of cultivated soil in Africa already degraded due to factors like erosion, acidification, and unsustainable land management.
• Africa lags significantly behind other regions in fertiliser use, with farmers averaging 8kg per hectare annually compared to 140kg in Asia and Latin America, while local fertiliser prices are two to four times the global average.
• Only about 20% of African farmers use quality seed due to high costs and inaccessibility; increasing adoption could potentially generate an additional 25 million metric tons of food.
• African agriculture is the least mechanised in the world, with farmers in other developing countries possessing 10 times more mechanised tools per farm.
• Climate change shocks, including droughts and floods, are linked to a 5–20% increase in food insecurity in countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Tanzania.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2023). Building sustainable food production system in Africa: how can the G20 assist? https://saiia.org.za/research/building-sustainable-food-production-system-in-africa-how-can-the-g20-assist/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Building sustainable food production system in Africa: how can the G20 assist? 2023. https://saiia.org.za/research/building-sustainable-food-production-system-in-africa-how-can-the-g20-assist/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Building sustainable food production system in Africa: how can the G20 assist? |date=28 June 2023 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/building-sustainable-food-production-system-in-africa-how-can-the-g20-assist/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2023building, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Building sustainable food production system in Africa: how can the G20 assist?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/building-sustainable-food-production-system-in-africa-how-can-the-g20-assist/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }