Food Security Threats and Policy Responses in EU and Africa

Abstract

The global dynamics we are observing during the past few years are severe, global and multifaced. The global warming, the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine have largely modified the geopolitics of our globe, with implications that are several in many sectors, included the agricultural and the food sectors. The state of food security has become (again) an emergency for several countries, and a concern for all. Governments and international organizations are reacting to limit the impacts of the global shocks. However, in comparison to previous events, such as the food crisis between 2008 and 2011, current food security issues are a result of disruptions in the global supply chain. Aside from this, the effects of the border closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the export restrictions imposed by Russia and Ukraine on food, pose a threat to both the EU and Africa, which rely heavily on Russian food imports. We compare the (contrasting) needs and the (national and international) interventions in Europe and Africa, stressing the necessity to act. While food security trend and severity caused by recent events are different in two regions, the tight links across the two continents call for joint policy responses, necessary to reconstruct a resilient and sustainable agri-food sector.