The East African Community through its Business Council (EABC) is pushing for the implementation of food insecurity response plan among member countries in the wake of global crises and climate change.
This comes at a time a study on the impact of global crises on food security in East African Community (EAC) indicates that, prior to Covid-19 pandemic, only Kenya had a score above average in Global Food Security Index (GFSI), followed closely by Rwanda and Uganda though there was a consistent improvement in Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania’s scores from 2021 to 2022, indicating quick adaptability to the pandemic.
Speaking during a webinar of high-level policy decision-makers and 60 agri-value chain actors convened, on Tuesday this week, Francoise Uwumukiza EAC Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the East African Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Agriculture, Tourism, and Natural Resources said there is need to establish a gender-sensitive food response plan in the region.
“Food security is key for our economic development and we are keen to exercise our legislative, oversight, and representation roles in collaboration with other partners to end hunger,” said Uwumukiza.
She emphasized on quick implementation of agricultural policies, eliminating Non-Tariff Barriers, and tackling inflation for improved food security in the region.
According to the impact of global crises study, all member states experience some form of climatic challenge, however, the level of the challenges does not cut across the whole region, creating opportunities for food production and trade in the region.
The disruptions in the food supply chain caused by the Russia-Ukraine war had a significant effect on the EAC’s food security, leading to increased food inflation.
East African Community partner states are net food importers with staple food products mainly cereals, such as maize, rice, and sorghum, which have a high import dependency ratio.
“The global crises, such as the war in Ukraine and Covid-19, have led to volatile global and regional food prices, which have impacted food security. However, the EAC countries have shown quick adaptability to the pandemic, with some countries improving their GFSI scores,” said John Bosco Kalisa, CEO at EABC.
Study recommendations
The impact of global crises study recommends that EAC should increase investments in local food production, diversify food crops, improve intra-industry trade of cereals, food preparations, and animal dairy products, and improve food value chains to reduce food waste.
Kalisa said that there is a project to enhance the competitiveness of the agri-food industry and mitigate the impact of global crises to improve food security in the region.
Under this project, EABC will conduct training on agricultural topics ranging from sustainable supply chains, smart agriculture, contract farming, and export procedures to empower agriculture value chain actors, including women, youth, farmers, and SMEs.
