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The emergence of an urban middle clbad in much of Africa is fueling demand for food products that could stem hunger and reduce poverty in rural areas, said a US-based think tank.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said rural communities were "in crisis," with high poverty rates and poor services fueling hunger and malnutrition.
According to the latest statistics from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, one in five people, or more than 256 million, are hungry in Africa.
But there are also opportunities, IFPRI said in its annual report.
In Africa, a growing middle clbad, with a higher purchasing power, is fueling an increased demand for food – and with an interesting twist, said Ousmane Badiane, director of the IFPRI for Africa.
"They do not just ask for imported food, wine and cheese, but also traditional staples. But they do not want to eat them in the traditional way, "he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Dakar, Senegal.
This has resulted in a large number of small agribusinesses that process, package and distribute such foods, creating jobs and opportunities for small farmers, he added.
In Senegal, new processing technologies have led to a growth in ready-to-cook ready-to-eat millet products and a reversal of years of low consumption and declining healthy cereals without gluten, the report says.
Similarly, national brands of locally produced dairy-based and grain-based products now have a significant presence in Ghana, Mali and Tanzania, he added.
This sector is expected to grow further, with projections that most traditional commodities, such as millet and cbadava, would be consumed in processed form within 20 years, said Mr. Badiane.
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which is expected to come into force in 2019, would also help, he said, by giving farmers and businesses access to a 1.2 billion dollar market. of people in 55 countries.
For opportunities to come true, technology and financing are needed to enable local people to innovate and compete, he said.
There should also be investments in rural areas and access to energy and telecommunications, he added.
According to IFPRI, almost half of the world's population lives in rural areas, but accounts for 70% of the extremely poor population.
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