Africa’s Response to High Food Prices

(AfricaFiles)--The rapid rise in food prices recently led to food riots with hungry protesters in countries such as Cameroon, Mauritania, and Senegal calling for cheaper food. The African Union, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), development partners and NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) have now kick-started initiatives aimed at staving off the high food prices.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation food price index, global food prices rose by 9% in 2006, 23% in 2007 and then shot-up to 54% in the year leading up to the end of April 2008. In Africa, the prices of basic foodstuffs such as bread, rice, meat and milk have nearly doubled in three years and African governments and RECs are raising fears about increases in malnutrition and hunger. Although the soaring food prices are a global problem, people in developing countries are most likely to be hit hardest by the hike in prices since they spend a much higher proportion of their income on food. The indication is that in the absence of emergency and long-term measures food prices are set to remain high for most Africans over the next couple of years.

Under the auspices of the AU, NEPAD and particularly through the acceleration of CAADP at the country-level, African countries have highlighted a series of short to long-term measures for boosting food security in the context of the high food prices. CAADP is an Africa-led and Africa-owned initiative and framework to rationalise and revitalise African agriculture for economic growth and lasting poverty reduction results.

The four pillars on which CAADP rests include:

1. extending the area under sustainable land management;
2. increasing market access through improved infrastructure and trade-related
interventions;
3. increasing food supply and reducing hunger by increasing smallholder productivity
and improving responses to food emergencies;
4. increasing agricultural research and systems to disseminate appropriate new technologies, and increasing the support given to help farmers to adopt them.

As part of the first key stage of the response to the high food prices, 19 countries engaged in the CAADP process and/or those adversely affected by the food price crisis met in May this year with key African farmers’ organisations, development partners and CAADP Pillar 3 lead institutions to identify roadmaps for responses that can be implemented at the country level.

CAADP Pillar 3 provides the framework for any response to the high food price crisis, alongside the broader context of the other three CAADP Pillars which support long-term sustainable agricultural development. Some of the short-term measures aimed at addressing soaring food prices include:
- humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable,
- subsidised inputs,
- cash and food based safety nets,
- nutritional measures and
- assisting livestock holders with restocking and feed.

Medium to long-term measures include:
- boosting agricultural production through investing in soil and water management,
- irrigation,
- the enhancement of market linkages for farmers and
- government capacity building.

Of key importance in the long-term is the creation and implementation of policies to respond to the high food prices and the set-up of budget adjustments that can help countries to adjust their budgets in line with the high food prices. Teams are already in place to help coordinate the regional response and to ensure that technical assistance and resources are available to respond to the country demands if these are not accessible at the country level.

This African-led and all-inclusive approach towards identifying, communicating and implementing African relevant solutions to Africa’s agricultural problems is in line with the continent-wide focus and political endorsement that has been accorded CAADP both by Africans and Africa’s partners in development.

*Dr. Andrew Kanyegirire is CAADP Communications Manager of the NEPAD
Secretariat.

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