| Improving food security in the Sahel is difficult, but achievable |
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Africa’s Sahel suffers from degraded soils, erratic rainfall, and an exploding population – all of which hold huge implications for the region’s food security. This year the situation is especially dire. Valerie Amos, the United Nations coordinator for emergency relief, estimated that 20 million people in the Sahel will face hunger this year, requiring $2 billion in food aid. WRI’s Chris Reij writes about it.
» Read more at the World Resources Institute website |
It will most likely be difficult for the international community to continue providing large-scale food aid to the Sahel – especially considering that world food stocks are low, prices are high, and climate change is expected to exacerbate the region’s current agricultural problems. The question is: can the Sahel cost-effectively and sustainably increase food production? The answer is yes. We are already learning from farmer innovators on how to do so.