[LUM#15] "We need to rethink our food systems as a whole".
Climate change, political instability and population demographic growth... In Africa, perhaps perhaps more than anywhere else, the issue of food security remains a challenge. What is at stake? What levers can be used? Explanations with Patrick Caron, researcher at the ART-Dev laboratory and former former Chairman of the High-Level Panel of Experts(HLPE) of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security.
To fully understand what we're talking about here, can you tell us what is meant by food security?
The main definitions are those of 1974 and 1996, drawn up at the first two World Food Summits. The latter states that "food security exists when all people, at all times, have economic, social and physical access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life".
What are the major food security challenges facing Africa?
Let's start by saying that there's no such thing as one Africa, so we have to qualify anything we say. That said, one of the continent's specific features is its demographic growth(Ined). The future increase of 1 to 2 billion in the world's population will mainly concern African countries, where the availability of food, whether in terms of calories or proteins, is lower than on other continents. 800 million people worldwide, a large proportion of them in Africa, are hungry (FAO report), and this figure could worsen in view of demographics, rapid urbanization, and a climate and health crisis. Micro-nutrient deficiencies and the rapid spread of obesity-related problems also make food the number 1 public health issue. We need to rethink our entire food system.
What do you mean by "food systems"?
It's the way we organize ourselves to produce and consume our food. These systems are at the heart of future transitions. They leave their mark on the local and global environment. Agriculture accounts for a third of global employment(World Bank data). Africa's population is predominantly rural, and the conditions are not ripe for creating jobs outside the agricultural sector, as has historically been the case on other continents. At the same time, the incredible growth of cities and large metropolises raises the thorny issue of urban food supply in a way that is more pressing than elsewhere.
What impact will this have on the environment?
Large areas of Central Africa, in particular, are still largely unoccupied. How will the development model operate, and what will the consequences be, both locally and globally? Are we going to deforest as we did in the Amazon or in South-East Asia? What are the consequences for global environmental public goods?
On biodiversity, climate, desertification, the renewal of productive capacities? On our health? We also know, as we saw in the case of Ebola, that the modification of environments and ecosystems linked to production can be the source of emerging diseases.
How can political instability impact food security?
The tensions and conflicts in Africa have a dual impact on agricultural and food issues. On the one hand, they restrict access to food for vulnerable populations, and on the other, they undermine productive capacity. The agricultural sector therefore plays a major role in guaranteeing the dynamics of territorial development and avoiding the exacerbation of conflicts, in Sahelian regions for example.
The role of the informal economy in Africa is often mentioned. What influence does it have on trade and production systems?
This is one of Africa's other peculiarities: the coexistence, especially in the agri-food sector, of informal and formal sectors, sometimes resulting in a very strong dichotomy. In some countries, such as South Africa, there are large farms that supply highly structured markets via supermarkets. On the other, there are small-scale producers who make their living from self-consumption, the sale of a few surpluses and jobs that are not solely agricultural. The informal economy plays an essential role, beyond the agricultural sector: street sales, markets, exchanges... It provides a living for many families and also facilitates access to food for many people.
Is it a drag on local economies?
This informality is not just a way of evading taxation or health controls, it's a social construct which, in times of crisis, contributes to the resilience of these societies. So it's not necessarily a problem to be solved. On the whole, Africa abounds in innovation and ingenuity, with a permanent transformation of food styles and a phenomenal creative capacity. So many assets to be exploited!
In terms of resilience, what lessons can the West learn from Africa?
It's fair to say that the West has a lot to learn from Africa, particularly about the role of informality, adaptation, innovation and proximity. At the same time, the immense and difficult transitions that African countries will have to make call for specific trajectories, different from those adopted by OECD countries. They have the intellectual, material and creative resources to do so, and I believe that our African friends can write the future of the world.
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*Actors, Resources and Territories in Development (ART-Dev)
- (Cirad - CNRS - UPVM - UPVD - UM)