Book Description

This pathway seeks to provide a way forward for future R&I policy in Europe and implement the EU-African Union partnership priority on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. It is 1 out of 10 FOOD 2030 Pathways for Action, which target key R&I leverage points for transitioning towards sustainable, resilient, healthy and inclusive food systems that leave no one behind. The FOOD 2030 Pathways for Action will help to underpin Horizon Europe, support evidence-based policymaking and implementation, foster education, skills and capacities, boost innovation and investment, encourage synergies and policy alignment. The achievement of these objectives will be assisted by a dedicated Horizon Europe Food Systems Partnership expected to be launched in 2023 that will provide a multi-actor R&I governance platform and process to deliver co-benefits in line with the European Green Deal. Africa has the world's fastest growing population. It has doubled since 1990. While fertility rates start declining; it is expected to nearly double again over the same 30-year period, by 2050. As a consequence, the market for food in Africa is expanding rapidly, fuelled by urbanisation, growing incomes and an increasing middle class. By 2030, food demand is projected to increase by 55%, bringing the size of Africa's food and agribusiness to USD 1 trillion and opening up employment opportunities all across the value chain. African supply still dominates the domestic food markets with an estimated 90% of all consumed food supplied by local producers. Nevertheless, the African Development Bank projects that African food imports will triple from USD 35 billion in 2017 to about USD 110 billion in 2025. The COVID-19 crisis could expose African food systems to an existential shock. Lockdowns to contain the transmission of the COVID-19 virus could lead to life-threatening situations of loss of income and food crisis by food supply chain disruptions. Malnutrition remains a big challenge and constitutes one of the greatest obstacles to equitable economic and social development. No single country is on track to achieve all the global nutrition targets by 2030. Malnutrition in Africa is the cause of a 10% loss of gross domestic product every year. Different forms of malnutrition (stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiency, overweight and obesity) can coexist within the same country, and sometimes within the same household or individual, and they thus must be addressed altogether. Food security is not only a matter of quantity but also of access and nutritional quality. In Africa south of the Sahara, the 2015-2017 undernourishment rate is still at 22 percent and it is the highest regional rate of all regions.