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

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs outlines the systemic challenges facing food production in Africa and proposes specific interventions for the G20 to help the continent avoid missing the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and AU Agenda 2063 targets.

• Africa is the most food-insecure region globally, with one in four people (232 million) undernourished. The prevalence of undernourishment rose from approximately 16.7% in 2014 to 21% in 2020, making it unlikely that the continent will meet the AU Agenda 2063 target of eliminating hunger by 2025.
• Food production is hindered by three primary factors: limits to agricultural land, limits to agricultural productivity, and climate change effects. Arable land per capita has declined from 0.31 in 1990 to 0.2 in 2020, driven by population growth, urban expansion, and infrastructural development.
• Agricultural productivity is severely limited by poor soil health, with approximately 65% of cultivated soil in Africa already degraded. The document notes that African soils are not properly mapped, which hinders the ability to quantify degradation or assess the efficacy of interventions.
• Water management and irrigation are critical weaknesses; over 95% of food production is rain-fed, and only about 5.5% of cultivable land is suitable for irrigation. Current initiatives often prioritize large-scale, capital-intensive schemes over more affordable small-scale schemes.
• Fertilizer use in Africa is extremely low compared to other regions, averaging 8kg per hectare annually versus 140kg in Asia and Latin America. Additionally, fertilizer prices in Africa are two to four times the global average.
• Access to quality seed is a major bottleneck, with only about 20% of farmers using improved seeds due to unaffordability and inaccessibility. The brief suggests that adopting improved seeds could generate an additional 25 million metric tons of food.
• 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. The document argues that Africa lacks the collective leadership necessary to mitigate these effects.
• The G20 is urged to take specific actions: support soil mapping and the Soil Initiative for Africa; fund micro-irrigation; boost the AfDB's Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism; help document germplasm accessions for seeds; and fund research via the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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} }