As part of a concerted drive to combat food insecurity plaguing the African continent, the Peasant Farmers Association is advocating for a comprehensive trade policy aimed at ensuring a constant food supply throughout the region.

This advocacy is in response to alarming findings from the Africa Agriculture Status Report, which reveal that approximately 50 percent of the African population currently lacks access to an adequate supply of food.

In an interview with Citi Business News, Dr. Charles Nyaabah, the Head of Programmes and Advocacy for the Peasant Farmers Association, explained the need to remove trade barriers that exist on the continent in the wake of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement

“If we have a trade regime that allows smooth movement of goods and services of agricultural inputs it will go a long way to motivate farmers to easily identify markets and then increase their productivity and address some of the food securities that we are facing,” he added.

The report, which was launched at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2023 in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania, has therefore called for a concerted response from governments, the private sector, communities and individuals alike in empowering Africa’s food systems for the future.

It added that if the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) were fully realized, 50 million people could escape extreme poverty by 2035.