1. Food insecurity, undernourishment and dietary transitions: The triple burden of malnutrition (under-nutrition, over-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies) continues to hamper progress towards food and nutrition security in SSA. Estimates in 2020 indicate that the number of hungry people in Africa increased by 46 million to 282 million, while the prevalence of undernutrition was up from 18.1% in 2015 to 21.5% in 2020. On the other hand, the burden of over-nutrition including child and adult overweight and obesity is on the increase. Notably, there are gender disparities, with women more negatively affected than men. These trends reflect dietrelated risks for non-communicable diseases and are linked to dietary transitions occurring in the region with increased consumption of over-processed foods. This is occurring even as healthy, nutritious diets remain beyond the reach of many.
2. Impact of climate change and other emerging shocks on resilience of agrifood systems: Climate variability and extremes on the continent continue to undermine agricultural production, even as the dominant agricultural systems also contribute to climate change, posing vulnerability risks to many, majority being women whose livelihoods are dependent on agriculture. This is a key driver to the increased food and nutrition insecurity. Moreover, emerging shocks (such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic) have interrupted food systems, further aggravating food and nutrition insecurity in the continent. This points to the need for foodhealth- environment nexus approach to catalysing the transition toward sustainable, healthy and equitable, low-carbon resilient agri-food systems.
3. Regionalisation and agri-food systems’ transformation through trade: Most SSA countries are net importers of agri-food products from global markets, resulting in a steady increase in import dependency that has negative implications on economic growth and food and nutrition security. Intra-regional trade on agricultural produce and products between countries was estimated at 20% as of 2021, one of the lowest in any region across the world. The introduction of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), ratified by 39 African countries, has the potential to catalyse intra-regional trade for sustainable and competitive agri-food systems and employment creation. The concern is to ensure an innovation-led, sustainable, competitive and inclusive regional trade that provides opportunities for smallholders and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially for marginalised groups including women and youth.
4. Challenge of post-harvest loss and waste and the imperative to accelerate sustainable agro-industry: Post-harvest Losses (PhL), which is estimated to be around 37% in SSA, is a major threat to Africa’s food and nutrition security. The threat is related to the volumes of food lost as well as quality and safety of food. Linked to high post-harvest loss is limited value addition practices that relate to low investment in sustainable agro-processing and manufacturing. The agro-food industry holds the most promising prospects for Africa and, with the right policies and enabling environment, has the potential to increase GDP, create employment opportunities, reduce food loss and waste, increase trade and incomes and strengthen food security and enhance nutrition.

Programme vision
To contribute towards realising a sustainably food and nutrition secure Africa.

Programme mission
To develop a world-class programme that contributes to the efforts of the African Union (AU) partners and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—to enhance food and nutrition security and improve livelihoods in Africa through harnessing STI for sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems.

Programme goal/ Strategic objective
To accelerate sustainable, inclusive agri-food systems’ transformation for food and nutrition security through cutting edge STI-focused, policy-relevant research and knowledge brokerage.

Programme focus (Key areas)

1. Resilient and climate smart small-holder agri-food systems;
2. Digital innovation for sustainable and transformational agrifood systems;
3. Supporting regional trade through sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems;
4. Innovation-driven, market-led, healthy and sustainable agrifood systems;
5. Cross-cutting issues on inclusive, gender-transformative agrifood sector transformation through strategic partnerships.