AgriFoSe2030 report launch: Navigating the food crises: insights from Southeast Asia and East Africa

Food insecurity remains a major challenge in many parts of the world despite economic growth and significant reductions in poverty rates in the past two decades. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that around 2.3 billion people are food insecure, and 827 million people are affected by hunger and malnutrition. These people are often smallholder farmers and found overwhelmingly in low-income countries in South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

At this event, the AgriFoSe2030 programme will launch a perspective report showcasing how select projects are responding or adapting in times of crises and how their intervention is a sustainable solution to achieving resilient agri-food systems and ultimately, food security in their respective countries, more specifically, areas of the project.

Smallholder agriculture in times of crises

Since 2020, smallholder farmers have faced a number of domestic and global shocks including droughts, severe rainfall, value chain disruptions, economic shocks, crop and animal diseases, conflicts and COVID-19 related restrictions that have negative impacts on food systems. The perspectives report gathers varied contextual experiences from AgriFoSe2030 projects in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia and synthesises key lessons and approaches adopted by smallholder farmers in times of crises. The report contributes to making agri-food systems more productive, sustainable, and resilient to ensure nutritious, safe, and affordable diets for all.

The AgriFoSe2030 programme is hosted by a consortium of researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lund University, Linköping University and Stockholm Environment Institute. The programme is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.