The agricultural solutions Africa needs to fight hunger

According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report , published last July by the five main UN agencies working on the issue, the number of people suffering from hunger in the world fell from 688 million in 2023 to 673 million in 2024. But progress has been uneven : Africa saw a slight increase in the number of undernourished people, from 296 million to 306 million. Even worse, the pattern is set to continue: the report estimates that despite the global decline in hunger, there will still be 512 million undernourished people in 2030, almost 60% of whom will be in Africa.

But the continent's governments can prevent this. The most effective strategy would be to improve Africa's agricultural productivity and sustain progress against extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. To do so, governments must collaborate with the African Union and key stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including universities, research institutions, development partners, NGOs, financial institutions, and philanthropic organizations.

Work should focus on five areas. First, there is an urgent need to mobilize investments to improve soil health and reverse environmental degradation in Africa, which is a leading cause of food insecurity and hunger. Up to 65% of Africa's cultivated land is degraded , and erosion causes a loss of soil nutrients equivalent to a staggering $4 billion (€3.436 billion) each year across the continent. In particular, continuous cultivation reduces soil fertility and crop yields in Africa.

Up to 65% of African cultivated land is degraded

African leaders are waking up to this crisis. In 2024, the AU convened a summit on fertilizers and soil health, which brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders to discuss strategies to improve African crop productivity. Perhaps the most important outcome of the summit was the development of an action plan for soil health across all agricultural sectors, with an emphasis on fostering multi-sector partnerships.

Second, Africa must increase investment in agricultural research and development to enable sustainable productivity improvements. Currently, most African countries allocate less than 1% of agricultural GDP to agricultural R&D. By increasing this percentage and mobilizing private capital, African governments can drive innovations ranging from the development of high-yielding, climate-resilient plant species to early warning systems for pests and diseases.

Third, African governments and other stakeholders must ensure farmers adopt current and future technologies; this includes climate-smart irrigation systems, real-time weather forecasts, and mobile platforms for the rapid provision of training, recommendations, and support. Several countries are beginning to recognize that encouraging and enabling the adoption of the latest advances is essential to improving the efficiency and resilience of the agricultural sector. For example, earlier this year, Botswana launched its own satellite, one of whose missions will be to provide real-time agricultural data.

But to accelerate the adoption of these innovations, governments need not simply disseminate them. They must also provide more financial support to farmers, collaborate with universities to provide ongoing training, and invest in critical infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and digital connectivity. All of this will empower farmers to be active participants in the transformation of African agriculture.

Women make up approximately 40% of Africa's agricultural workforce, but face systemic barriers.

Fourth, special attention must be paid to women, who make up approximately 40% of Africa's agricultural workforce but face systemic barriers that prevent them from full and equal participation in the sector. One option for governments is to create training programs and implement policies that address some of the challenges faced by women farmers (including insufficient access to land ownership); this would greatly help boost rural development and reduce hunger.

Finally, we must encourage the participation of Africa's rapidly growing youth population, which is on track to double by 2050. Young Africans possess the energy, creativity, and entrepreneurial drive needed to strengthen food security; yet their capacities remain underutilized, largely due to their lack of adequate access to finance and advice. To reduce hunger and create the conditions for lasting economic growth, African governments, the AU, and other stakeholders must invest in the next generation of agricultural leaders and innovators and provide them with the resources and training they need to succeed.

Urgent action is needed to reverse the alarming trend of rising hunger in Africa. Food security begins with healthy soils and sustainable productivity growth, which requires adopting regenerative agricultural practices, investing in agricultural research, and embracing new technologies. But these changes must be accompanied by efforts to empower farmers (particularly women) and unleash the potential of Africa's youth. The continent already has the seeds of the solution to the hunger problem; now it just needs the right conditions to cultivate them.