The underperforming agricultural sector in Africa is not just delaying economic transformation, but is also contributing to higher poverty rates

 How will the world feed a growing population in the face of climate change?The short answer is: no, we will not run out of food. Why? Because agriculture is beating the odds. Thanks to productivity growth due to technological changes, agriculture is growing just as fast—and even faster—than the population. the challange is the steady and ongoing increase in commodity prices worldwide. In the last decade, food prices have gone up dramatically. The sustainable intensification of agriculture and the elimination of food waste and loss are among the building blocks of a resilient global food system.
Climate change is already putting food security at risk. Rising temperatures and extreme events, such as sudden droughts and floods, mean that it will be even harder to meet the growing demand for food, fiber and fuel, especially for poor countries with high population growth.
Unless immediate action is taken by policy-makers, the impacts on livelihoods will increase over the long-run, especially as agriculture expands onto wild-lands that now provide natural resources such as clean water and biodiversity.
Hunger and malnutrition are other big global challenges that confront humanity. Nearly 850 million people across the globe are hungry. More than 2 billion people suffer from deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals, and about the same number of people are overweight and obese.
Elimination of hunger and malnutrition should be equally central because poverty, hunger and malnutrition are linked in a vicious cycle. Hunger and malnutrition affect the capability of individuals to escape poverty by reducing their capacity for physical activity and impairing physical and cognitive development.
Global development actors, including governments, development agencies, civil society, philanthropy organizations and the private sector, play a critical role in ensuring food security and nutrition. However, inefficient policies and practices that add to the burden of hunger and malnutrition—underinvestment in food security and nutrition; lack of social safety nets to protect the poorest; unsustainable use of natural resources in food production; trade restrictions; and gender inequality in agriculture—must be eliminated.
Small farms play an indispensable role in global food security, particularly in developing countries