Unleashing Africa’s Agricultural Potential is Key to Food Security

Africa is in a race against time on food security and the stakes could not be higher. The situation is unprecedented in my four decades of experience working in agricultural research and development.

Africa’s food security is squeezed from two sides since the continent has both the lowest agricultural productivity of any region and the fastest population growth. Yields of everything from wheat to rice to cassava are well below the global average, reflecting the fact that millions of smallholder farmers lack access to the basic tools and skills that could lift them beyond subsistence.

Now is the right time for African decision-makers to make the smart investment decisions needed to get appropriate technologies to their farmers at scale.

Read the op-ed by Kanayo Nwanze, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive of FAYODE, CGIAR Special Representative to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), and former President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), published by CNBC Africa.