For decades, food insecurity has been endemic in parts of Africa because of climate change, relatively low food productivity, and weak infrastructure for marketing and distribution. Over the last couple of years, two external shocks, the COVID pandemic and war in the Ukraine, have exacerbated preexisting vulnerabilities. Food trade has been disrupted and food prices have increased significantly, leaving more Africans either unable to afford or unable to access adequate food supplies. These two shocks are just the most recent manifestation of the continent’s long-term structural vulnerabilities, and lack of economic and food sovereignty.

This policy brief explores three important issues. First, it makes an emphatic case for shifting the narrative from a focus on food availability, to building resilient food systems in Africa. Second, it tackles the thorny issue of food sovereignty, i.e. the ability of a country to feed itself. Third, it explores the potential to significantly increase food production via the judicious use of fertilizers.