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According to the Food and Agriculture organisation of the UN, there are currently 256 million hungry people in Africa today. Despite this, several African countries are making progress towards reducing malnutrition and addressing food security challenges to meet the 2030 SDG targets. Innovative projects are being put in place to address issues like climate change, interrupted food supply systems, and threats to production. With the agricultural sector many opportunities exist to help African economies. Africa has large amounts of untapped agricultural land that could be used to increase production. Some estimates range from 480 million hectares to 840 million hectares. But how can this be done in a sustainable way and what role do younger generations play in supporting the sector?
The impact of COVID-19 highlighted the need for African governments to utilise effective policy tools and develop infrastructure to deliver direct support to their citizens, whether it be around providing access to quality foods during imposed lockdowns or supporting farmers and small businesses during economic slow-downs. Communities found ways to support one another, but what can we learn about promoting food security in Africa more widely?
Meet our speakers and chair
Abebe Haile-Gabriel has more than 35 years of extensive experience at national and international levels focused on agricultural and rural development in Africa. Since 2019 he has been the Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Africa and he was formerly the FAO’s Deputy Regional Representative for Africa and FAO Representative to Ghana. Prior to joining the FAO, Abebe had been serving at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, including as Director of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture and Director of the Semi-arid Food Grains Research and Development.
Sara Mbago-Bhunu (@SaraMbago) is Director of East and Southern Africa Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Anouk Patel-Campillo is Assistant Professor of Gender, Development and Globalisation in the Department of Gender Studies at LSE.
ORGANIZER: Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa at LSE
WEBSITE: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2021/06/202106011500/africa