Food systems
Introduction
Globally, three billion people cannot afford a nutritious diet and more than 800 million people are undernourished. Despite favourable conditions for agriculture and food production, Africa imports up to 65 percent of the continent’s food.
Globally, three billion people cannot afford a nutritious diet and more than 800 million are undernourished. Despite favourable conditions for agriculture and food production, it is estimated that Africa imports up to 65% of the continent's food. Two-thirds of those living in extreme poverty are subsistence farmers. This often means low and unstable incomes for farmers and roles in the food sector value chains that are poorly compensated and insecure.
A key area to address in this context is also the low level of processing. In many countries, large quantities of food never reach the market and become waste. At the same time, food security is exacerbated by factors such as climate change, geopolitics, war and population growth.
In the Food Systems sector, we invest to increase food production, decrease waste during production and increase sustainability throughout the value chain. Investing in the food sector creates formal jobs, economic empowerment and increased food security through increased production and improved resource and energy efficiency. Correctly made, investments can be climate-adapted to better respond to the climate change we are witnessing and reduce the negative impact on biodiversity.
Areas
- Input goods.
- Agriculture/primary production.
- Warehousing and logistics.
- Local manufacturing and processing.
- Trade, distribution and sales.