Abstract
Achieving food and nutrition security and ending hunger is a complex and multi-faceted global challenge, which requires urgent attention, particularly in Africa. To eliminate hunger, the continent needs to transition to new sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems that deliver nutritious food and a healthy planet for all. This paper discusses challenges and opportunities highlighted during the “Food Systems Transformation to Address the SDGs” session convened by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and partners at the 8th World Sustainability Forum (WSF2020) held in September 2020. The paper reflects on how African food systems need to change to achieve the food systems related and interconnected the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also presents issues for consideration at the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit. Key considerations include (i) the realization that nutrition insecurity is not food insecurity, (ii) the need for Africa to actualize its potential, (iii) the need to demystify policy development processes; (iv) the need to invest in better measurements and indicators; and (v) the need to create nature-based climate-smart solutions
Highlights
Sustainable food systems are at the center of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for significant transformations in agriculture and food systems to end hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition by 2030 [1]
Through conversations with in-country project partners, we identified a range of crops to be focused on in AFRICAP
There is a need to deconstruct the narrative of Africa as lacking the capacity for transformational change on the demand and supply side of the value chains; Demystifying the policy development processes—The policy process is typically seen as having a series of sequential parts or stages of problem identification, agenda setting, consideration of policy options, decision making, implementation, and evaluation
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Sustainable food systems are at the center of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for significant transformations in agriculture and food systems to end hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition by 2030 [1]. The food systems approach focuses on the complex relationships between the environmental, economic, and social pillars of sustainable development, forming a collaborative network from farm to fork [12]. These interactions of formal and informal actors, vested interests, and technology and innovation inequities make food system transformation complex adaptive systems [13]. Member States to move towards equitable and sustainable food systems that provide food security and nutrition for the continent’s growing population
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