A Food Security Framework for U.S.-Africa Trade Relations
CLIENT: Chicago Council on Global Affairs
PROJECT: Apply Trade Policy Tools to Food Security Challenges in Africa
Eighty percent of Africans work in the food and agriculture sector – yet one in every four people in Africa suffers chronic hunger, and 227 million people in Africa are considered undernourished. While rates of agriculture productivity in Africa are growing, they’re still far too low to meet projected demand in 2030. If current trends continue, hunger in Africa will remain a persistent threat to the continent’s economic development and stability – with dire global consequences.
As intractable as this problem seems to be, the United States has at its disposal a vital – but underutilized – lever to alleviate hunger in Africa while at the same time promoting its growth: trade policy. The countries targeted for U.S. agriculture development assistance will be some of the largest and fastest growing food markets of the future. But our trade policies are not in sync with our development approaches, and our approach to development does not advance U.S. commercial interests.
Aligning these priorities would benefit farmers in rural Africa by removing hurdles to market access, move food more efficiently to people in need and serve the growing number of people buying food in African city centers. At the same time, it would support American companies seeking partners and customers in new markets. After all, the African agriculture and food sector is expected to reach a value of $1 trillion by 2030.
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