Globally scientists are looking for solutions that will help to achieve food security and end hunger. This is a complex problem that requires urgent attention, particularly in Africa. Sustainable food systems are at the centre of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and food security is an important goal to be achieved by 2030. Yet with 2030 fast approaching, the world is not on track to fulfil its global commitments in this area.
A new paper by Professor Lindiwe Sibanda (Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria) and Sithembile Mwamakamba (Regional Policy Officer for GCRF-AFRICAP and Director – Policy Research and Analysis at Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network) explores the issues for consideration at the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit.
The paper discusses the challenges and the opportunities highlighted during the “Food Systems Transformation to Address the SDGs” session convened by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and partners at the 8th World Sustainability Forum (WSF2020) in September 2020. It reflects on how African food systems need to change to achieve the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals alongside their ability to provide healthy diets. Finally, it considers policies relevant to the transformation of the food systems before discussing the importance of science, data, and evidence to guide and monitor actions designed to transform the continent’s food systems.