NAIROBI -- Some African countries in sub-Sahara are facing severe tests due to skyrocketing food prices and the current food crisis is compounded by the region's weak agricultural base and a dwindling farming population caused by urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), experts say.
Food available for consumption in urban areas is primarily produced in rural and peri-urban areas or imported, according to experts attending the 25th Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s Regional Conference for Africa.
As a result of the acceleration of urbanization in the SSA, the big rise in the urban population as well as the decline in the agricultural population, the gap between food production and demand, is becoming bigger, the experts said.
According to data released by the FAO, in 1964, total cereal production in the SSA was 32 million tons, compared with a demand of no more than 33 million tons. But in 1999, demand outstripped production by 15 million tons, with the number of undernourished people standing at 194 million.
In 2015, there would be a shortfall of 25 million tons of cereals in the SSA and the number of undernourished people could reach 205 million, the FAO predicts.
The consumption of rice, the most rapidly-growing food source, has grown by 5.3 percent between 1995 and 2001 in the SSA, while production grew by about 2 percent.
In response to the surging demand for rice, especially in urban areas, imports during the period rose 8.4 percent annually, and the SSA now accounts for 20 percent of the world's total rice imports, the FAO said, adding that given this trend, the SSA countries are spending more than 1.2 billion U.S. dollars annually on rice imports.
In addition, subsidized food imports to feed cities compete with local products, rendering local farming unprofitable and prompting many people to abandon farming as a livelihood, the FAO added.
Looking at the global level, the SSA, excluding Nigeria, stands out as the only region that failed in raising per capita food consumption, the FAO said.
At least 40 percent of the urban population is energy deficient in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea and Tanzania, with percentages reaching 90 percent in urban Ethiopia and 76 percent and 72 percent in urban Malawi and Zambia respectively, the FAO said.
Along with the urbanization, the food security situation in the SSA is no cause for optimism. Unlike people in rural areas, urban households may have to devote an extremely high proportion of their disposable income to food, between 54 percent and 76 percent in the sub-Saharan capital cities.
Therefore, some experts say, the higher the proportion of the income that is spent on food by low socioeconomic groups, the more precarious their food situation is likely to be, although food budget shares in different cities may not be directly comparable.
So under the current situation, those urban households, especially the low and middle income classes, are more vulnerable to influences and impacts of the soaring food prices, the experts say.
Currently, soaring food prices have put further pressure on the SSA. According to statistics of the World Bank, in the past few months, demonstrations or riots against the high food prices have been staged in many African countries including Mozambique, Kenya, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Cameroon.
In efforts to ease the escalating food crisis in Africa, the FAO, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and other international organizations have all pledged to give more emergency aid on food to the region.
They also noted that long-term plans should be worked out to help the region enhance its agricultural base, improve agricultural productivity and increase food production.
