The war in Ukraine highlighted Africa’s dependence on food imports – more land suitable for cultivation is unused than the rest of the world combined

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has put many African countries into trouble. The rise in the price of food, fertilizers and fuel is punishing poor economies. The countries of the continent have bought the lion’s share of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine.

When the war suppressed the countries’ wheat exports and prices rose, the dependence of African countries on the import of basic foodstuffs came to the fore. Since the 1970s, the continent has imported more food than it has exported.

We asked Luonnonvarakeskus Luke’s special researcher From Mila Sellwhy Africa cannot grow its own food, and what should be done to make it successful.

In addition to wheat, African countries also buy sunflower oil and corn from Ukraine and Russia.

Luke’s specialist researcher Mila Sell states that wheat is of great importance in African countries today, as they too have moved rapidly from a traditional diet to a Western one.

Importance varies from country to country and within countries. For example, in Egypt, a very small part of the land is arable, says Sell.

Centralizing imports has its risks, but Sell estimates that many African countries have been ready for it because of the favorable price and other trade relations.

Ukraine and Russia have been responsible for a total of about a quarter of the world’s wheat exports:

Specialist researcher Mila Sell states that the reasons for Africa’s dependence on food imports are multidimensional, structural and historical, but the main reason is poverty.

Much of the food consumed locally is still produced by local small farmers who are poor.

It is difficult for them to sell their food, because the problem is how to transport the food – are there even roads – and how to preserve it, as well as whether the quality of the food is sufficient.

– Even if food is produced, much of it goes to waste because it cannot be forwarded or stored properly.

And although the price of grain has already fallen a little, the price of fertilizers has risen by about 300 percent.

– If small farmers couldn’t afford them before, they can’t afford them even less now, says Sell.

The self-sufficiency of food production is also eroded by conflicts and population growth.

– When the population grows, the premises are divided among more and more family members and the premises get smaller as they get smaller, says Sell.

Even before Russia’s war in Ukraine, there was a major food crisis in the Horn of Africa. The rains have practically not come in four consecutive rainy seasons.

According to FAO (you will switch to another service) In Somalia, the number of people in need of emergency aid has increased from 4.1 million to 7.1 million at the beginning of the year. Livestock have died, crops have decreased and people have had to leave their homes because of the drought.

As climate change progresses, droughts and also floods are only expected to increase. The biggest challenge is drought, but sudden downpours can also ruin the entire crop.

According to Sell, every African farmer can already see the change.

– When you interview them, they say that it was different in their youth. The soil is now harder and drier and more difficult to work with.

The work is hard when the farmers don’t have machines. The harshness is increased by the increased heat.

Sell ​​points out that the claim about Africa’s vast unexploited arable lands is not clear-cut, but involves many questions.

– What will be lost if the land is taken up for cultivation, what is there at the moment? What would the land be used for? Are we looking for monoculture and intensive production, or is the land being used for diverse farming, which may not look as efficient, but the soil is preserved?

Climate change also has a significant impact: Will we really be able to cultivate the land in the future?

According to Sell, it is also important who gets to decide on land use. For example, Chinese companies have taken over the land and export their products to China.

For African governments, this can be advantageous when they receive, for example, infrastructure in return. However, the country is absent from its own country’s food production.

According to Sell, for the African population, a return to traditional plants would be much better than a Western diet. Traditional plants adapt better to the climate and are also better from a nutritional point of view.

–. A good example is Ethiopia, which has nurtured its own food culture. There they eat tef, which is the smallest grain in the world. The productivity of teff is lower than that of wheat, but unlike wheat it can be stored for years, says Sell.

He also does not advocate giving up small farming, but supporting it. Cultivation can be beneficial for your own community in terms of community food security.

However, productivity is now low.

– The alternative is not for someone to buy the land and establish huge farms. Rather, we should think about how to get small farmers to work together to get to the market.

Sell ​​would also like Africans to receive more food processing, as the continent now exports a large part of its food as raw materials.

Sell ​​believes that increasing trade between African countries would help ensure food security. This is also because it is difficult for Africans to get their food to Europe, for example, due to the agricultural subsidies paid here.

– Self-reliance thinking has increased with the crisis in Ukraine. It is really important, but it limits, among other things, the access of Africans to the export market, says Sell.

In Sell’s opinion, in order to improve food security in Africa, it would be important to develop local food production, processing and industry.

However, he does not support taking a model from Western power production, but rather developing his own African perspective.

– Do not make the same mistakes as the western food industry. It is not ethical in terms of animal breeding, the soil and the environment, he says.

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