Agriculture in Africa is arguably the most important sector, given its contribution to food security, as well as its being the continent’s principal source of income and livelihoods as well as the main source of employment for more than half of Africa’s population – the majority of them being women.

It is also the most vulnerable sector to climate change impacts given the high levels of dependance on rainfed production and low levels of adaptative capacity across the continent. This is not only impacting production at the farm level but is also impacting the broader food system, with climate shocks at the farm level being felt across the entire value chain from distribution to processing to retail. Additionally, market failures within the food system itself are limiting productive capacity and further undermining adaptive capacity at the farm level. As a result, Africa’s food systems are failing to meet the needs of Africa’s people. In fact, of the estimated 927 million people facing food insecurity globally, more than a third are in Africa (346 million).