Food security equation in Southern Africa

Currently, 75% of the technical expertise devoted to researching food security is focused on food availability issues (i.e., food production, storage, etc.), whereas, in the view of the authors, at least 50% of the research should address the demand (i.e., food access) side of the equation, in light of the coexistence of malnutrition and food surpluses in the region. The paper identifies priority food security research needs, categorizing them under the following broad headings: food and agricultural production; marketing and rural infrastructure and storage; income and employment generation in rural areas; food access and nutrition; national food security policy analysis; and regional food security policy analysis. It then goes on to suggest that, given the complexity of food security issues in Africa, such research should be (1) multidisciplinary and (2) funded on a long-term basis. The development of a research network Africa to carry out a program of comparative studies within a 10-year time frame is recommended.