Africa’s Food Security Relies on Adaptive Crops

Africa’s food systems are under strain due to a range of challenges, including climate shocks, low agricultural productivity, supply chain issues, and soil degradation. In 2022, one in five Africans was undernourished, even though the continent’s farmland has the potential to meet its food needs. Achieving this, however, requires better management and, crucially, the cultivation of adaptive crops like millet, sorghum, teff, and fonio. These traditional crops, though often overlooked by food companies and retailers, offer significant nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits. Addressing this neglect is essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Urbanization and changing food preferences have led to reduced demand for Africa’s traditional crops, increasing dependence on a few globally dominant staples. Just 20 plant species provide over 90% of the world’s food supply, with maize, rice, and wheat accounting for 60% of global caloric intake. This over-reliance is unsustainable, especially as rising temperatures threaten to reduce yields by up to 30% by 2050, potentially worsening food insecurity. To prevent this, African governments must work with the agricultural sector to promote climate-resilient and nutrient-rich crops, which can help meet the continent’s growing food needs.
There are over 300 of these “opportunity crops,” including globally recognized ones like lentils, cassava, and sweet potatoes. However, many remain known only to the communities that cultivate them. Interest in these crops is rising, with efforts to commercialize fonio in West Africa gaining international attention.
National policymakers and international partners play a crucial role in reducing Africa’s dependence on global staples like maize and wheat. For example, Ghana has promoted cereal-flour blending to increase local sweet potato consumption, and in Kenya, women are encouraged to use orange-fleshed sweet potatoes for making chapatis. These initiatives not only improve nutrition but also create new investment opportunities, as consumers are showing interest in alternative crops.
However, to shift eating habits and develop new markets, policymakers must ensure that African farmers benefit from growing adaptive crops. Currently, climate-resilient grains like fonio are not as commercially viable as conventional staples. In Senegal, for instance, the labor-intensive process of processing fonio results in only 10% reaching the market, leaving farmers with little incentive to grow it. With better equipment and processing methods, fonio could become more competitive. Large-scale adoption of adaptive crops requires policy and market incentives, research funding, and regulatory reforms.
The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS), initiated by the African Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the US Department of State, supports these efforts. VACS promotes global interventions such as land-use planning and fertilizer technologies for adaptive crops, helps governments develop policies, and educates farmers on sustainable cultivation. At the recent Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, African institutions reaffirmed their commitment to expanding food systems through intentional investment in traditional and indigenous crops.
To make this a reality, private sector investment in research and development is essential to scaling up production of adaptive crops that appeal to both African and global consumers. Policymakers must promote commercialization by working with pioneering companies, small businesses, and non-state actors to overcome obstacles. This could include implementing blending targets, offering tax incentives, launching public awareness campaigns, and introducing adaptive crops into public sector meals, such as in schools and hospitals.
Collaboration between governments, development partners, the private sector, and farming cooperatives can accelerate the uptake of adaptive crops. This approach holds the promise of helping African countries diversify agricultural practices, reduce dependence on staples like maize, rice, and wheat, and foster sustainable growth that benefits both people and the planet.