Towards a Functional Food System in Africa

The evolving global challenges in recent decades have exposed the inefficiencies in the Africa food system. From climate change and global energy crises to pandemics and political standoffs, both within and outside Africa, it is clear that African countries are heavily reliant on commodities acquired abroad to nourish their populace. Surprisingly, policy and scholarly efforts remain trapped in mitigation, resilience and recovery strategies narratives, with only timid attempts made on how the food system can be developed to be functional to the benefit of the continental population. This conceptual article highlights how with every global challenge and with every global supply chain disruption, Africa experiences food and energy supply shortages and soaring commodity prices, which undermine its food system. The article then proposes a number of pathways through which the system can be empowered to be functional, effective, efficient and sovereign. The conceptual nature of article presents a particular limitation, which future research can resolve by the use of empirical investigations.