Food & nutrition security for all is an imperative if Africa is to end hunger, extreme poverty and gender inequality.

About the Food and Nutrition Security Practice

African governments have for a long time acknowledged the need to implement policies and programmes that accelerate agricultural transformation on the continent. Making commitments in 8 broad areas, the African Union member states in 2014 committed themselves through the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

However, across 3 consecutive Biennial Reviews, African countries remain largely off track in achieving the targets of the Malabo Declaration which means almost 1 billion Africans remain at risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

Our work seeks to support African governments, both national and subnational, in implementing evidence informed and practical actions that strengthen food and nutrition resilience and improved livelihoods, especially for rural youth, women and girls.

Programs

The Extension Support Program provides evidence-informed interventions that help governments and communities address the yield gaps experienced by smallholder farmers. Through projects like the Village Based Advisors, that address the coverage one extension services, and partnerships with inputs companies that ensure new and improved technologies are available, we make it possible to close that gap and address household food insecurity. Learn more.

Practice Objectives

Strengthening the enabling environment for evidence informed decision making. This aspect of our work aims to supports improvement in policy and regulatory frameworks to support the emergence or strengthening of a culture of evidence use.

Growth in human capital development. Evidence informed decision making as the norm in the public sector requires adequate coverage of skills in accessing using and sharing evidence within the policy life cycle. This aspect of our work supports innovation in capacity building, design of incentive mechanisms, human resource planning and peer networking for the civi service.

Sustainable financing for evidence. While evidence generation, use and dissemination are core to government, the funding for this is in many instances in constant jeopardy. This aspect of our work aims to support efforts to mobilise domestic resources for sustainable evidence collation and knowledge management infrastructures.

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