The Trump administration’s cuts in funding for the World Food Programme should be “a wake-up call” to African governments to improve food security, according to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.
In his blog, Sihlobo noted a London report expressing concern about the health impact of the cuts in USAID funds and in other Western countries’ assistance to Africa.
About half of the World Food Programme’s budget came from USAID, Sihlobo said. USAID has been closed and its remaining operations have been moved to the US State Department.
Sihlobo said this could result in food insecurity in some African countries. The effect might not be immediate because Sub-Saharan Africa had had a reasonably good agricultural season.
“However, when supplies are depleted later in the year or we encounter droughts, we will see the shock to households. Of course, the idea is not to rely solely on aid; countries must improve their conditions. But the decline should have been more gradual, and not this significant, sharp and abrupt decline we see.
“This is a wake-up call for the African governments. On food security matters, amongst other interventions, the African continent needs to invest more in boosting its agricultural output, and the adoption of high-yielding seed cultivars is key.
“This is key to improving food security conditions, along with necessary interventions such as improving land governance, infrastructure, and limiting government interventions in agricultural markets, among other measures, all of which are crucial for long-term agricultural growth in the sub-Saharan African region,” Sihlobo concluded.
