With the disruption of food supplies arising from the
Russia-Ukraine war, Africa now faces a shortage of at least 30 million metric
tons of food, especially wheat, maize, and soybeans imported from both
countries.
African farmers urgently need high-quality seeds and inputs
before the planting season begins in May to immediately boost food supplies.
The African Development Bank’s $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production
Facility is an unprecedented comprehensive initiative to support smallholder
farmers in filling the food shortfall.
The African Emergency Food Production Facility will provide
20 million African smallholder farmers with certified seeds. It will increase
access to agricultural fertilizers and enable them to rapidly produce 38
million tons of food. This would be a $12 billion increase in food production
in just two years.
African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi
Adesina said: “Food aid cannot feed Africa. Africa does not need bowls in hand.
Africa needs seeds in the ground, and mechanical harvesters to harvest
bountiful food produced locally. Africa will feed itself with pride for there
is no dignity in begging for food…”
The African Development Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a historic $1.5B emergency response to address a potential food crisis.
— African Development Bank Group (@AfDB_Group) May 20, 2022
The #AfricanFoodFacility will rapidly produce 38M metric tonnes of food + support 20M farmers across the continent.
➡️ https://t.co/1pKjsvVHKU pic.twitter.com/HFUR9jVeyd
The African Emergency Food Production Facility has benefited
from stakeholder consultations, including those with fertilizer producers and
separately with African Union agriculture and finance ministers earlier this
month.
The ministers agreed to implement reforms to address the
systemic hurdles that prevent modern input markets from performing effectively.
The price of wheat has soared in Africa by over 45% since
the war in Ukraine began. Fertilizer prices have gone up by 300%, and the
continent faces a fertilizer shortage of 2 million metric tons. Many African
countries have already seen price hikes in bread and other food items. If this
deficit is not made up, food production in Africa will decline by at least 20%
and the continent could lose over $11 billion in food production value.
The African Development Bank’s $1.5 billion strategy will
lead to the production of 11 million tons of wheat; 18 million tons of maize; 6
million tons of rice; and 2.5 million tons of soybeans.
The African Emergency Food Production Facility will provide
20 million farmers with certified seeds, fertilizer, and extension services. It
will also support market growth and post-harvest management.
The African Development Bank will provide fertilizer to
smallholder farmers across Africa over the next four farming seasons, using its
convening influence with major fertilizer manufacturers, loan guarantees, and
other financial instruments.
The Facility will also create a platform to advocate for
critical policy reforms to solve the structural issues that impede farmers from
receiving modern inputs. This includes strengthening national institutions
overseeing input markets.
The Facility has a structure for working with multilateral
development partners. This will ensure rapid alignment and implementation,
enhanced reach, and effective impact. It will increase technical preparedness
and responsiveness. In addition, it includes short, medium, and long-term
measures to address both the urgent food crisis and the long-term
sustainability and resilience of Africa’s food systems.
Dr. Beth Dunford, the African Development Bank’s Vice
President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, said: “The Africa
Emergency Food Production Facility builds on lessons learned from the African
Development Bank’s Feed Africa Response to Covid-19 program. That program has
provided a strategic roadmap to support Africa’s agriculture sector and
safeguard food security against the pandemic’s impact.”
Over the past three years, the Bank’s Technologies for
African Agricultural Transformation initiative has delivered heat-tolerant
wheat varieties to 1.8 million farmers in seven countries, increasing wheat
production by 2.7 million metric tons, worth $840 million.
Long-term sustainability to wean Africa off wheat and other
food imports
A five-year ramp-up phase will follow the two-year African
Emergency Food Production Facility. This will build on previous gains and
strengthen self-sufficiency in wheat, maize, and other staple crops, as well as
expand access to agricultural fertilizers.
The five-year phase will deliver seeds and inputs to 40
million farmers under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation
program.
In April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed
Adesina to a select Steering Committee of the Global Crisis Response Group.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and
Foreign Operations recently invited Adesina to make a presentation about the
African Emergency Food Production Facility.