The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and various measures taken by the Governments to safeguard the spread of the virus, including restriction of movements of people and goods have been affecting the food and agriculture sector in Africa. The Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2020 published by Global Network Against Food Crises and Food Security Information Network showed that 73 million people in Africa were already acutely food-insecure in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) due to conflict/insecurity, weather extremes, desert locusts, economic shocks before the global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are high risks that the COVID-19 pandemic might further worsen the situation if no urgent and effective actions are taken.

Building on the discussions held during the Africa Regional Civil Society Consultation organized autonomously and independently by the Civil Society in Africa with the support by FAO last February 2020, as well as on the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) for relations to the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Webinar: Learning about the COVID-19 crisis in the CFS held on April 15, 2020, this webinar will provide an opportunity to bring together the Civil Society in Africa and discuss challenges and opportunities for smallholders, family farmers and producers in Africa during and post COVID-19, as well as to share the best practices to respond to the crisis and beyond.

The objective of the webinar is to share knowledge, in-depth analysis and best practices of smallholders, family farmers, producers fisherfolks, pastoralists, youth and women in Africa in the light of COVID-19 pandemic as well as past experiences such as Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa and 2008 International Food Crisis.