“African food systems are under massive pressure from climate change, depleted soils and water sources, and strained public budgets. But the case for investment in these systems is also massive, and growing with time. This is why IFAD is doubling down on its partnerships with African leaders, farmers, and the private sector to invest in transforming their food systems,” said Donal Brown, Associate Vice-President, Programme Management Department, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF).
The prominent forum taking place in Kigali 2 – 6 September serves as a vital platform for dialogue among leaders and experts from governments, private sector, civil society, and international organizations to address the challenges and opportunities around the transformation of Africa’s food systems.
African agriculture and food systems face formidable challenges including environmental, financial, and climate-related issues. But food and agriculture are also a vital part of African economies, a sector expected to be worth a trillion dollars by 2030. There is a range of dynamic small and medium-scale enterprises operating in different segments of food value chains, often with innovative and technology-enabled business models. According to Brown, the challenge lies in how to invest in sustaining this dynamism so that it reaches all the parts of food systems where transformation is needed, and how to ensure that opportunities and benefits are equitably shared – by women and men alike, by young people, by marginalized and vulnerable groups, and in remote rural areas.
“How development finance institutions, governments, and the private sector invest today will determine the future of African food systems. We need to work with a sense of urgency but also with a sense of the enormous opportunity that we can unlock through transformative investments in this sector. And we need to do this with a genuine spirit of partnership and with a focus on results, remembering that we are ultimately accountable to the millions of people now living in food insecurity or unable to afford adequate diets,” added Brown.
At the AFSF, Brown will participate in a number of high-level discussions and panels focusing on key issues, including climate and environment finance, and the delivery of food systems transformation. He will also participate in a debate on whether Africa can feed itself.
“The real question is not whether Africa can feed itself or not. The question is how with each investment that we design or finance, each policy decision or programme we support, each partnership we commit to, we contribute to realizing the potential of African agriculture, help to build stronger value chains, strengthen markets, and ultimately empower all other actors in food systems. African small-scale producers and small rural enterprises are key partners in this effort. Therefore, our investments must first and foremost empower these entrepreneurs to drive change in food systems in the continent,’’ added Brown.
IFAD has committed to investing in rural people, small-scale producers and small rural enterprises in Africa to transform the agriculture sector and rural economies. In its 2025-2027 project cycle, up to 60% of core financing will be invested in the continent.
