In response to these crises, the World Bank deploys short- and long-term interventions to strengthen food and nutrition security, reduce risks and strengthen food systems.
These actions are part of a global response to the current food security crisis.
Up to 30 billion dollars are mobilized to strengthen existing initiatives and create new ones in various key sectors: agriculture, nutrition, social protection or even water and irrigation.
This funding aims to boost food and fertilizer production, improve food systems, facilitate increased trade and support vulnerable households and producers.
The price spike
The shock wave triggered by the conflict and these multiple crises will have complex and lasting repercussions throughout the world.
Africa has not been spared.
According to forecasts, world prices will remain at historically high levels until the end of 2024. The crisis is changing the structure of world trade and production, which will aggravate food insecurity and inflation.
These tremors come after two years disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, again damaging an already fragile global food system and struggling with unprecedented climate challenges.
"
Today with galloping inflation, unfortunately many populations in Africa are struggling to have access to the essentials, that is to say food products
", underlines Ousmane Diagana, Vice-President of the World Bank. for West and Central Africa.
Interview with Ousmane Diagana, Vice President of the World Bank - West and Central Africa
Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central Africa © World Bank
On the markets of the Sahel and West Africa, the prices of oil, rice, wheat and other basic products are experiencing sharp increases reflecting international prices.
These increases have a significant impact on the poorest households, which must spend a larger share of their income on food, compared to wealthier households.
According to World Bank data, the price of wheat increased by 60% between January 2021 and early June 2022.
The price of fertilizers, essential for productive agriculture, has also risen drastically since the start of the conflict last February.
It is now almost three times higher than a year ago.
Food production is therefore expected to decline over the next few years, with soaring prices forcing many farmers to use less fertilizer.
Addressing Root Causes
The World Bank is mobilizing to intervene urgently in the Sahel and West Africa and to support countries threatened by food insecurity to react more quickly.
It also works with its humanitarian partners to monitor regional food insecurity and develop food security policies.
Strengthening the region's food and nutrition security also requires long-term responses.
And as many causes and consequences of food insecurity transcend national borders, regional approaches are being adopted to build the resilience of food systems in West and Central African countries and respond to this pressing challenge.
The $716 million Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) is one such approach.
It aims to support nearly four million people in West Africa by increasing agricultural productivity through smart agriculture, adapted to climate change.
This should promote value chains within the region and better manage agricultural risks at the regional level.
The Great Green Wall
As food systems in the Sahel and West Africa are under exceptional stress, demand is growing for climate-smart investments to support countries where communities face the combined effects of climate change, conflict and unprecedented environmental degradation.
The Great Green Wall, a project initiated and driven by the African continent, is a major regional initiative that promises climate-smart solutions to transform the region's economies and ecosystems.
It aims to restore some 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and create 10 million jobs in rural areas, by supporting people's ability to respond and adapt to climate risks.
The World Bank has pledged to invest $5.6 billion between 2020 and 2025 in 11 participating countries.
More than 60 projects target the transformation of livelihoods along the Great Green Wall, through landscape restoration, improved food systems and
Tangible results
“
Before, I used to spread chemical fertilizer every year and I could use 20 or 30 bags of fertilizer
,” explains Nama Boureima, a farmer in Sapouy, Burkina Faso.
Like hundreds of farmers across the country, he has benefited from the installation of a biodigester.
By adding a mixture of cow manure and water to biodigesters, farmers can generate renewable biogas for cooking and organic fertilizer to cultivate their fields.
This equipment makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by capturing the methane emitted by manure, while reducing the pressure on forest resources that were previously used as domestic fuel.
"
Today, I no longer worry about the problem of fertilizers
," notes Boureima.
His farm illustrates some of the sweeping changes taking place as part of the Great Green Wall.
In Burkina Faso, 270,000 hectares of land have thus been placed under sustainable management;
over 2,500 micro-projects have been funded;
1.5 million people have seen their benefits from forest products increased;
and 10 million tons of CO2 could be saved.
In Nigeria, the Erosion Control and Watershed Conservation Project (NEWMAP) benefits nearly 2.6 million people.
This project, funded to the tune of $900 million, has helped strengthen the country's capacity to fight against erosion and natural disasters It has also created 20,000 direct jobs and 32,000 indirect jobs thanks to sovereign green bonds – a first in Africa.
In Niger, the yields of agro-sylvo-pastoral communities have increased sharply, by up to 58%, thanks to training on climate-smart strategies.
A green future
At a time when global food security challenges are on the rise, leveraging these ambitious climate-smart investments is critical to making the region's economy more resilient, achieving inclusive growth and tackling insecurity. eating.
“
When these elements come together, it not only transforms the economy, but also creates jobs.
For young Africans, these prospects allow them to stay in Africa and earn a living by working on the continent
,” explains Ousmane Diagana of the World Bank.
To find out more about World Bank projects and actions: www.banquemondiale.org/fr/region/afr/western-and-central-africa
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