With the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and decline of traditional foreign aid from many Western donors, Africa’s food system is at a crossroads — and activists see an opportunity to make it more sustainable.
Agroecology — a farming system that works in sync with nature to grow food that is healthy for people, animals, and the planet — is a big part of the rethink. Activists are also trying to push reform of agriculture subsidies to support local seed banks and indigenous crops; along with policies that strengthen local institutions and public-private partnerships, and emphasize nutritional quality rather than calorie production alone.
A reformed African food system, they argued, could encourage locally produced farm inputs, while more local financing would generate funds to support food production and marketing. Boosting intra-African trade would promote agricultural produce that is not dependent on foreign exchange.