africa

Africa at a Fork in the Road: Taking Off or Disappointment Once Again?
in food loss or waste and, together with that, waste of all the resources that were
used to create it (FAO, 2011; Lundqvist and others, 2008). Tackling food wastage
requires communication among the different parts of the supply chain to better balance
demand and supply, such as farmers discussing production with buyers and
establishing a harvesting calendar to avoid flooding the market.
Other causes of high food losses include deficiencies in market infrastructure and
inadequate market systems. To minimize losses, commodities produced by farmers
need to reach consumers in an efficient way. Wholesale and retail markets in many
developing African countries are often small, overcrowded, and lacking in cooling
equipment (Kader, 2005). They require shorter supply chains and better market
access, as well as improvements in marketplaces and stores. Simple improvements,
such as adding a roof to a local market, can greatly reduce wastage by protecting
the produce from sun or rain (Lipinski and others, 2013; Pedrick, 2012; FAO, 2011).
Tapping into renewable energy sources that can generate electricity for the market
will further improve the shelf life of produce.
25.3 Increasing food security and resilience
Africa is acutely vulnerable to food security crises. These can arise not only from
weather-related events such as drought and flooding but also from complex interactions
among political, economic, social, and environmental factors. Climate-related
risks are common across the region even though Africa is full of different types of
people and distinct economies. Other causes of African food crises include slower
moving stresses such as the nexus of rapid population growth, land fragmentation,
natural resource degradation, and conflict which, among other things, causes poor
utilization of water, energy, land, labor, and capital.
As a result of these challenges, many people have become continuously dependent
on humanitarian assistance for food and financial aid, which, although designed as
a temporary mitigating strategy, has been in use for years. This prolonged use is
unsustainable. Food handouts do not build resilience; they increase dependency
(Fan and others, 2014). New thinking and actions are urgently needed on how to
help vulnerable communities become resilient and ultimately prosperous.
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