2019 Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition: Containing the Damage of Economic Slowdowns and Downturns to Food Security in Africa

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The latest data shows that the deterioration has slowed, but there remain 256 million hungry people in Africa today. The report further documents that although many African countries are making progress towards reducing malnutrition, progress is too slow to meet six key nutrition targets, which form part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring framework and the World Health Assembly global nutrition targets. Food insecurity has been rising in Africa in recent years and the continent is not on track to eliminate hunger by 2030. The 2017, 2018 and this year’s report identify and report in detail on conflict, climate extremes and economic slowdowns and downturns as the key drivers of the rise in food insecurity. In most cases, the economic slowdowns and downturns that contributed to rising undernourishment in 2014–2018 were the result of commodity price falls. Many effective policy tools are available, but their adoption will depend on the availability of fiscal space to effect the desired policy action. In the longer-term, countries must develop policies and invest to achieve a more diversified economy and achieve an inclusive structural transformation. However, sustained economic growth is not enough: reducing inequalities, including gender-based and spatial inequalities, is essential to strengthening household resilience, laying the path to inclusive growth and reducing food insecurity and tackling the multiple forms of malnutrition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Release date: Mar 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9789251322420

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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COVER PHOTOGRAPH ©FAO/Luis Tato

NIGER. A farmer inspects the greens growing at his crops in a remote area near Maradi, Niger on July 28, 2019.

Recommended citation:

FAO, ECA and AUC. 2020. Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2019. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/CA7343EN

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACRONYMS

KEY MESSAGES

PART 1

REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION

Food security is not improving in Africa

Trends in food security in Africa

SDG target 2.1

SDG indicator 2.1.1

Prevalence of undernourishment (PoU)

SDG indicator 2.1.2

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

Special focus on the most recent food crises

Trends in malnutrition

SDG target 2.2

SDG indicator 2.2.1

Prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age

Economic growth and stunting

Economic growth is essential but not enough to reduce stunting

SDG indicator 2.2.2

Prevalence of wasting and overweight in children under 5 years of age

Adult overweight and obesity in Africa

Policy options to halt the rise in overweight and obesity

World Health Assembly (WHA) global nutrition targets

Considerable challenges to ending hunger and malnutrition remain

PART 2

THE RECENT RISE IN FOOD INSECURITY IN AFRICA: THE ROLE OF THE ECONOMIC SLOWDOWNS AND DOWNTURNS

Trends in economic slowdowns and downturns

Rises in undernourishment in places where the economy slowed or contracted

Commodity dependence is a key factor driving economic slowdowns and downturns in Africa

Commodity dependence and food security and nutrition: transmission channels

Direct impacts of falling commodity prices: declining terms of trade, exchange rate adjustments and the balance of payments

Indirect impacts: increasing domestic prices, rising unemployment, lower wages and reduced government revenue

How households cope and the consequences of failing to cope in the face of economic slowdowns and downturns

Inequality magnifies the negative impact of economic slowdowns and downturns

Economic slowdowns and downturns combined with climate shocks and/or conflict worsen undernourishment

Economic slowdowns and/or downturns were the main drivers of the rise in the Prevalence of undernourishment in the Republic of Congo and Gabon

Climate shocks and economic slowdowns and/or downturns were the main drivers of the rise in the Prevalence of undernourishment in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Conflict and/or insecurity and economic slowdowns and/or downturns were interrelated factors driving the rise in the Prevalence of undernourishment in Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Nigeria

Conflict and/or insecurity, economic slowdowns and/or downturns and climate shocks were interrelated factors driving the rise in the Prevalence of undernourishment in Guinea-Bissau

In Guinea the rise in the Prevalence of undernourishment was due to economic slowdowns and/or downturns exacerbated by Ebola Virus Disease

Policy implications

Social Protection

Nutrition-sensitive and -specific interventions

Conclusion

ANNEX

TABLES, FIGURES AND BOXES

FIGURES

1 The Prevalence of undernourishment in Africa has been on the rise since 2014, and is back to the 2008 level

2 Explanation of food-insecurity severity levels measured by the FIES in SDG indicator 2.1.2

3 Prevalence of stunting in children under the age of five, by country latest observation (%)

4 Estimated economic returns to meeting the World Health Assembly (WHA) 2025 target for stunting in terms of cumulative additions to GDP over 2035–2060, selected countries (billion USD)

5 The prevalence of stunting falls with higher per capita GDP (constant 2010 USD)

6 Number of children under the age of five who are moderately or severely wasted in the world and Africa and its subregions (million), 2018

7 Prevalence of moderate or severe wasting in children under the age of five, latest year available (%)

8 Prevalence of overweight in children under the age of five in the world and in Africa and its subregions, 2010–2017 (%)

9 Change in the prevalence of overweight in children under the age of five, 2012–2018 (percentage points)

10 Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2017, by malnutrition-related risk factor and subregions of Africa (all ages)

11 The prevalence of adult obesity in the world and Africa and its subregions, 2000–2016 (%)

12 Adult obesity prevalence in Africa rises faster in countries with higher initial prevalences of adult obesity

13 The percentage point increase in the prevalence of adult obesity in African countries, 2010 to 2016

14 The prevalence of adult obesity appears correlated with urbanization in African countries (%)

15 The prevalence of adult obesity in African countries rises with increasing prosperity

16 Total availability of calories is positively correlated with a higher prevalence of obesity

17 The prevalence of obesity is positively correlated with a rising availability of calories from sugar and sweeteners

18 Percentage points by which prevalence of obesity is higher in females than in males in selected African countries, 2010 and 2016

19 Examples of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or reducing overweight and obesity

20 Number of WHA global nutrition targets that a country is on track to meet by 2025

21 Economic slowdowns and downturns in Africa over 2002 to 2018

22 Economic slowdowns and downturns in subregions of Africa over 2002 to 2018

23 Countries where PoU increasing change points coincided with economic slowdowns and downturns

24 Commodity price indices for all and selected commodities, 2005–2019 (based on current USD)

25 Commodity price falls and the transmission channels by which they impact food security and nutrition

26 Ratio of selected commodity prices indices to FAO’s food price index, 2010–2018

27 Average percentage change in local currency vs USD, 2011–2013 and 2014–2017

28 Gini coefficient for African countries, latest available

29 Annualized growth in mean consumption or income per capita for the poorest 40 percent and for the total population, by country, 2010–2015

30 Quantity and value of cotton exports for Burkina Faso, 2010–2016

31 Average maize retail price for Mozambique, 2013–2019

32 Net per capita cereal and livestock production indices for niger, 2000–2016

33 Net per capita cereal production index for South Africa, 2000–2016

34 Imports and exports of cereals, South Africa, 2000–2016

35 Average national retail prices for selected food commodities in Zambia, kwacha per kg, 2013–2019

36 Area, yield and production for maize, Zimbabwe, 2000–2017

37 Wholesale prices for selected food items in Lagos, 2013–2019

TABLES

1 The number of undernourished in the world, Africa and its subregions, 2000–2018 (million)

2 Prevalence of undernourishment in the world, Africa and its subregions, 2000–2018 (%)

3 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (measured using FIES) in the world, Africa and its subregions, 2014 to 2018 (%)

4 Number of moderate or severe food insecurity (measured using FIES) in the world, Africa and its subregions, 2014 to 2018 (million)

5 Number of stunted children under the age of five in the world, Africa and its subregions, 1990–2018 (million)

6 Reducing stunting: identifying what works

7 Countries by typology of primary commodity dependence (1995-2017)

8 Summary of key drivers of the rise in undernourishment for African countries in 2014–2018

Annex table 1

Prevalence of undernourishment (%)

Annex table 2

Number of undernourished (millions)

Annex table 3

Prevalence of severe and moderate or severe food insecurity (%)

BOXES

1 Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices can help improve child malnutrition

2 Treating wasting: examples from Kenya and Chad

3 Policies to halt the rise in obesity in South Africa

4 How is an economic slowdown and downturn defined?

5 Change Point Analysis

FOREWORD

This edition marks the first time that the African Union Commission joins FAO and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to co-publish the Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition report. This is a reflection of FAO’s efforts to forge close partnerships with relevant UN