Publications
The African agricultural and food market is expanding quickly as indicated by World Bank projections that show that the value of Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness industry is expected to more than triple to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030, compared to 2010 (World Bank, 2013). This provides an opportunity to not only boost trade in food and non-food agricultural commodities and services within the continent but also enhance food security in Africa. Regional integration is also gaining momentum as evidenced by progress in the creation of customs unions and the initial steps in setting up a common external tariff at the regional level in a number of regional economic communities (RECs) such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) further reinforces the gains achieved in regional integration and opens new market opportunities for farmers and other economic operators.
The FAO-WFP Hunger Hotspots report is a forward-looking, early- warning analysis of countries and situations, called hotspots, where acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate over the coming months. These hotspots are identified through a consensus-based analysis of key drivers of food insecurity, and their likely combination and evolution across countries and regions. Looking at the outlook period of March–July 2021, there are 20 countries and situations where there is a likelihood of further deterioration in acute food insecurity, due to multiple drivers of hunger that are interlinked or mutually reinforcing. These are primarily conflict dynamics, economic shocks, the socio-economic impacts of COVID- 19, weather extremes and the diffusion of plant pests and animal diseases.
FAO-WFP hunger hotspots outlook, the report released yesterday on Forest governance by indigenous and tribal peoples, selected titles on water shared on World Water Day, and the latest COVID-19-related resources.
On top of a decade of exacerbated disaster loss, exceptional global heat, retreating ice and rising sea levels, humanity and our food security face a range of new and unprecedented hazards, such as megafires, extreme weather events, desert locust swarms of magnitudes previously unseen, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Agriculture underpins the livelihoods of over 2.5 billion people – most of them in low-income developing countries – and remains a key driver of development. This report makes a powerful case for investing in resilience and disaster risk reduction – especially data gathering and analysis for evidence informed action – to ensure agriculture’s crucial role in achieving the future we want.
Levels of acute hunger have soared throughout 2020. Country after country has recorded shocking new figures and, globally, the total number of people who have experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels in 2020 is expected to far exceed 2019’s already staggeringly high figure of 135 million people.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has beena further push factor in 2020, on top of intensifying conflict, historic flooding in some areas, a once-in-a-generation desert locust upsurge and pre-existing economic crises. Between March and September 2020 up to 104.6 million people in 27 countries experienced high levels of acute food insecurity – an increase compared with the same period in 2019, according to the September 2020 update of the Global Report on Food Crises.






