Expert SpeakIndia with Africa
Published on Oct 29, 2026
As Africa faces deepening food insecurity, India can draw on its Green Revolution experience to advance African food sovereignty, strengthen local agriculture and build climate resilience
The world is experiencing a crisis of unprecedented scale. Two major wars, the United States (US)–Iran war and the Russia–Ukraine war, have led to acute supply shocks, particularly in food, fertiliser, and energy. Much of the developing world, already reeling from successive shocks, is severely affected. India’s External Affairs Minister recently warned of an impending food crisis and expressed disappointment over the apparent disregard for how wars impact the Global South.
Global instability affects the Global South, particularly Africa, disproportionately. The region’s vulnerability stems from low agricultural productivity and heavy dependence on external markets for cereals. Cereal yields in Africa average1.7 tonnes per hectare, less than half the global average of 4.2 tonnes (2024), and the continent as a whole is a net food importer, making it extremely vulnerable to food supply shocks and price increases. The number of Africans facing hunger has risen to nearly309 millionfrom171 millionin 2010. Several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and the Central African Republic, are currently facing acute food insecurity. Rising food and energy prices are likely to reduce real per capita incomes in Africa, pushing more people into poverty and hunger. Climate change also poses a serious threat to African food security, as the continent is warming faster than the global average. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) identifies climate shocks asone of the majordrivers of food insecurity.
It is important to note that many of Africa’s challenges are not of its own making. Africa navigates an unfair international order that limits its prosperity, and the region accounts for less than 4 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Several countries are also facing mounting debt burdens. African countries collectively owe more than US$1.8 trillion, and debt obligations undermine critical public spending, posing a significant risk to long-term growth. The reduction in Western support comes at a time when the region faces acute challenges. Drastic cuts in development aid and the shutting down of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), one of the major development agencies operating in Africa, have left most African countries in the lurch.
Given the impending food crisis, India must leverage its global standing to safeguard food security across the Global South, particularly in Africa.
In this context, India must play a larger role globally. Given the impending food crisis, India must leverage its global standing to safeguard food security across the Global South, particularly in Africa. Moreover, India must redefine its relationship with Africa, a region with which it has a longstanding partnership based on mutual respect and solidarity. Unlike Western development aid, which has often been characterised by a strict donor-recipient hierarchy, India’s partnership with Africa is demand-driven and focuses on building local capacity. Its lines of credit support infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges and railway lines. The country also played a crucial role in the African Union’s entry as a permanent member of the Group of Twenty (G20). India enjoys considerable goodwill in Africa. However, given the impending food crisis, India must concentrate its efforts on supporting Africa in achieving food sovereignty.
Despite decades of investment in the conventional food security agenda, Africa’s progress towards ending hunger, undernutrition and food insecurity is disappointing, and the region is likely to miss the global goal on hunger.Food insecurity remains a marker of Africa’s poverty and dependence on global markets. The continent urgently needs to focus on achieving food sovereignty and reducing its import dependence on food staples. Import dependence on food staples exposes African countries to external shocks, such as global food price spikes, shifting import tariffs and geopolitical disruptions. Though India cannot match the economic weight of the US, the European Union (EU) or China, it is by no means a small development actor. As developed countries cut their aid budgets, India should scale up its engagement in Africa by increasing aid allocations and providing targeted support to help the region achieve food self-sufficiency.
Despite decades of investment in the conventional food security agenda, Africa’s progress towards ending hunger, undernutrition and food insecurity is disappointing, and the region is likely to miss the global goal on hunger.
Many African leaders are inspired by India’s own development journey, especially the Green Revolution, which helped make India food-secure. For instance, former Nigerian Agriculture Minister and President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, asserted that to develop with pride, Africa must feed itself. He also said, “There’s no better place to have that discussion than here in India. The Green Revolution turned India from depending on the largesse of others to a food self-sufficient nation and now a global powerhouse in food”.
Therefore, as a responsible global actor, India must ensure its collaboration with Africa in the coming years is geared towards making Africa food sovereign. Food security and agricultural development were identified as important pillars of cooperation between India and Africa at the third India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III). India is also a major source of rice for many African countries and provided food aid to Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is imperative that these initiatives are subsumed under an overarching objective of making Africa food sovereign. A food-sovereign Africa will exercise greater agency in international affairs and will be less vulnerable to external shocks and climate-related shocks. Moreover, it will help India distinguish itself from Africa’s other partners, namely the West and China, who are pursuing the resource and infrastructure sectors.
India and Africa must work together to develop an Africa-led roadmap for food sovereignty, drawing on the expertise of Indian and African scientists, agricultural economists and policy researchers.
India and Africa must work together to develop an Africa-led roadmap for food sovereignty, drawing on the expertise of Indian and African scientists, agricultural economists and policy researchers. Such a partnership should move beyond emergency food assistance to strengthen domestic productive capacities, promote agro-industrial development and reduce Africa’s vulnerability to external shocks. The path towards food sovereignty must be guided by agroecological approaches that account for climate change risks, draw on indigenous knowledge and support local farmers.
Malancha Chakrabartyis a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Malancha Chakrabarty
Dr Malancha Chakrabarty is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. Her research interests encompass issues related to international development, the institutional architecture of …
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