������Ƶ

While global hunger has shown signs of gradual decline over the past three years, Africa stands as a painful exception to this trend. A newly released UN report, “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World,” reveals that hunger worldwide has been decreasing for a third consecutive year — falling from 8.7 percent in 2022 to 8.2 percent in 2024. However, this progress has not only bypassed Africa but left the continent further behind. Africa continues to suffer a disturbing rise in food insecurity.

Across the African continent, the crisis has reached a critical threshold. In 2024, more than one in five people in Africa — over 307 million individuals — were chronically undernourished. This means millions of people are not getting enough food to maintain a healthy and active life, with children particularly vulnerable to stunted growth, cognitive impairment, and increased risk of death. The number is not merely a statistic; it reflects daily suffering, malnutrition, and the erosion of human dignity on a vast scale. Almost 1 billion Africans, roughly two-thirds of the continent’s population, cannot afford a healthy diet. This inability to access balanced, nutritious food is not only a humanitarian crisis, but also a serious threat to public health, economic development, and political stability. In many countries, the burden of food insecurity disproportionately affects women and children, especially in rural areas, where food access is often limited by geography, infrastructure, and entrenched inequality.

More than 50 percent of Africa’s population now experiences moderate or severe food insecurity — a rate higher than in any other region of the world, and more than double the global average. And the future appears bleak. If current trends persist, projections indicate that by 2030, Africa will account for nearly 60 percent of the 512 million chronically undernourished people worldwide.

Understanding why hunger is rising in Africa requires a deeper look at the multiple forces fueling this crisis. Chief among these are armed conflict, climate change, and economic instability — each of which not only contributes independently to food insecurity but also exacerbates the others, creating a dangerous feedback loop that is pushing millions to the edge of survival.

Armed conflict is one of the most immediate and devastating drivers of hunger across Africa. From the Horn of Africa to the Sahel, from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to the war-torn regions of Sudan, violence has uprooted families, destroyed crops, and disrupted trade and food distribution networks. In Sudan, for example, brutal fighting has led to famine-like conditions in parts and among populations living in displacement camps.

Skyrocketing prices have made food inaccessible to millions

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

Beyond conflict, climate change has become a relentless and unignorable force driving hunger across the continent. Africa is disproportionately affected by global warming, even though it contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions. Recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, desertification, and extreme weather events have severely undermined agricultural output in multiple regions. Eastern and southern Africa have been particularly hard-hit by climate-related disasters. Somalia has experienced one of the worst droughts in its history, affecting nearly half its population and leading to large-scale displacement.

In the Horn of Africa and southern Madagascar, failed rainy seasons have wiped out crops and livestock, leading to food shortages that stretch from village markets to urban centers. Desertification now affects almost half the continent, making formerly fertile lands barren and unusable. At the same time, rising temperatures and increased frequency of floods and cyclones are damaging infrastructure, contaminating water sources, and leaving already vulnerable communities exposed to diseases and hunger. As climate change continues to escalate, the risks to Africa’s food security will multiply unless decisive adaptation strategies are implemented.

Compounding the effects of conflict and climate change is a profound and persistent economic instability. While food might be available in some markets, skyrocketing prices have made it inaccessible to millions. The impact of global food price inflation has been most severe in Africa, where a large portion of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

The result is simple, but devastating: Even when food is available, people cannot afford to buy it. In addition, structural issues, such as poor infrastructure, inefficient food systems, and underinvestment in agriculture, further weaken food security. For instance, food in Africa often travels vast distances, sometimes over 4,000 km, taking more than three weeks to reach markets. In this time, a third of perishable food is lost. Without improvements in storage, transportation, and market access, food losses will continue to erode already fragile food security. At the same time, population growth is outpacing gains in agricultural productivity, making it increasingly difficult for nations to feed their citizens.

These interwoven crises cannot be solved by emergency food aid alone. What Africa needs is a comprehensive, holistic approach that addresses both the immediate needs of hungry populations and the structural causes of food insecurity. To reverse the current trajectory, a broad spectrum of coordinated actions must be undertaken at the local, national, and international levels.

A first and urgent priority is to promote peace and enhance humanitarian access in conflict zones. Without the restoration of security and stability, food aid will continue to be blocked, and agricultural activities will remain suspended. Peacebuilding initiatives, support for ceasefire agreements, and diplomatic interventions are essential. At the same time, governments and armed groups must allow unhindered access to humanitarian organizations, enabling them to reach displaced and starving populations with food, water, and medical care.

Population growth is outpacing gains in productivity

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

In parallel, Africa must invest in climate-resilient agriculture. This means shifting from rain-fed farming to more sustainable irrigation systems, promoting the use of drought-resistant crops, and training farmers in climate-smart practices. Water conservation, soil restoration, and reforestation efforts must be scaled up. Governments should build early warning systems to detect and respond to droughts, floods, and crop failures before they spiral into crises. These adaptation strategies are no longer optional; they are necessary to protect lives and livelihoods in an era of climate volatility.

Efforts must also focus on rebuilding Africa’s broken food systems. This includes improving rural infrastructure to reduce transport times and spoilage, increasing investment in agricultural research, and empowering smallholder farmers with access to credit, land, and modern farming technologies. Governments must create favorable policies that promote local food production and reduce dependency on imports. At the same time, regional cooperation is needed to create cross-border food corridors, enabling countries to share resources and stabilize prices during times of shortage.

Economic reforms and social safety nets are also essential. Countries must prioritize macroeconomic stability, manage debt burdens, and control inflation to protect household purchasing power. Meanwhile, social protection programs, such as cash transfers, subsidized food markets, school feeding programs, and nutrition programs for pregnant women and children, should be expanded. These programs protect the most vulnerable and also strengthen communities’ ability to withstand shocks.

Finally, a meaningful response to Africa’s hunger crisis requires robust international cooperation and increased financial support. The World Food Programme has called for $5.7 billion in additional funding to meet urgent needs, but donor contributions remain far below target. Humanitarian efforts must be linked to long-term development strategies to build resilience, reduce dependency on aid, and create lasting change. The international community must treat Africa’s hunger crisis not as a peripheral issue but as a central test of global solidarity and shared responsibility.

In conclusion, the rise of hunger in Africa is a profound moral and political challenge. It is a crisis born from conflict, intensified by climate change, and worsened by economic vulnerability. As the rest of the world makes strides in reducing hunger, Africa is falling deeper into distress. Failure to act decisively will not only lead to the suffering of hundreds of millions, but also undermine global progress toward ending hunger everywhere. The time to act is now. Africa must not be left behind.

• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist.
X: @Dr_Rafizadeh