While most discussions attempt to explain the negative consequences, few seem to have captured the strengths and opportunities that have emanated during this episode and period of COVID 19. The advent of COVID-19 has also demonstrated the positive side of African agriculture and food systems, with respect to its resilience, adaptive capacity and innovativeness.
With the exception of countries or regions experiencing a civil war, environmental shocks, climatic stress, and strain, countries in the continent have largely demonstrated the capacity to sustain a flow of food during these difficult times associated with stringent lockdown and restriction of movements.
The following factors could explain the resilience of the African agriculture and food systems during this period constrained by anti-COVID 19 protective measures: (1) The proliferation of home gardens and family farms; (2) the pervasiveness of informal production, marketing, and trading systems; (3) the omniscience of informal financing and input supply systems; and the (4) reliance of social capital, cooperatives, and self-help initiatives.
These are important pointers for policy-makers and those in governance to threat seriously, rather than with disdain and looked upon with scorn. These parallel informal structures, which go beyond classic prescriptions in policy circles, have combined to explain the gallant resilience of most communities in Africa.
Prof. Ernest MOLUA