A third of the continent's wheat is imported from Russia and Ukraine, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Countries that do not rely on imports from Russia and Ukraine are also suffering as food prices soar on global markets. Africa's food import bill has nearly tripled over the past decade, but its agricultural production itself has also been growing steadily.
The African continent has a large amount of arable land, and there is a huge potential for self-sufficiency. Why rely on imported food? Africans produce food, but don't sell it A major portion of African farmland is used to grow export crops such as industry email list coffee, cocoa and cottonseed oil, while the staple crops of wheat and rice for Africans are mainly imported. arrow_forward_iosunderstand more Powered by GliaStudio Much of this imported food can be produced locally, according to the World Bank.
African countries can provide a level of self-sufficiency by replacing foreign grains with local crops such as fennel, tea, sorghum, amaranth and millet. These crops can be traded between African countries, creating much-needed jobs for young people and raising incomes for farmers. These crops can also form the basis of a healthy diet. Pauline Chivenge, a researcher at the African Institute of Plant Nutrition in Morocco, told DW: "Indigenous crops can provide healthier alternatives to currently consumed grains. Their benefits are not only in maintaining food security, but also in nutrition.