Options and opportunities to make food value chains more environmentally sustainable and resilient in Sub-Saharan Africa
This publication (PDF) by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provides an overview of the key continental, regional and national frameworks and policies to promote sustainable and resilient food value chains (VC) in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it examines their effectiveness. The study looks at six VCs: livestock (including meat and dairy products), rice, cassava, maize, pulses and mangoes in several dryland countries. Most of the technical and socio-economic solutions for sustainable and resilient practices can be grouped under the broad umbrellas of on-farm diversification, sustainable intensification of agriculture, and off-farm livelihoods and diversification of markets. Case studies show that there are multiple technical practices throughout SSA to reduce environmental impacts and externalities. However, general adoption of sustainable techniques is slow and needs to be stepped up. This
study thus puts forward a widely applicable Framework for Action, consisting of four intervention areas, or pillars, that are mutually reinforcing and all provide incentives towards sustainable and resilient food systems: 1) information, including communication systems and networks, 2) resources (public and private financial means), 3) enabling policies and regulations and 4) implementation support through capacity-building and technical assistance. The implementation of the key actions under the respective four pillars all require an inclusive and collective action-based multi-stakeholder platform to facilitate the process.