Agriculture and Food Security

Food security worldwide is increasingly causing concern more so in developing countries with the most vulnerable being the smallholder farmers. The main concern, in this case, is insufficient food production caused by supply chain of inputs with most farmers, especially the smallholders not accessing quality inputs, climate change, disasters, conflict, displacement, and a growing global population. The situation has been further aggravated over the last two years by the COVID-19 pandemic which has worsened the world’s food supply chains due to border closures, trade restrictions, and confinement measures that have prevented farmers from accessing markets, and agricultural workers from harvesting crops. 

CDCI is working with various world development agencies including USAID, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and other agencies to provide solutions aimed at mitigating the current and future challenges to agriculture and food security. Our services are focused on:

• Agriculture policy and analysis – CDCI supports efforts in developing appropriate agriculture policies aimed at raising agricultural productivity; linking farmers to markets; reducing risk and vulnerability; improving nonfarm rural employment; and making agriculture more environmentally sustainable.
• Agribusiness value chain and market systems – CDCI’s consideration is that the enhancement of agricultural value chains and market systems provides an enabling environment for sustainable food security. Furthermore, inclusive agribusiness development including the private sector is a central factor of inclusive and sustainable agro-processing which provides for innovative market systems for agriculture-based products. CDCI works with agencies and governments to develop innovative and sustainable agribusiness value chains and market systems bringing farmers’ groups and the private sector into the value chain to enhance food security and value to the economic development of the country through industrialization and increased trading.
• Private Sector Development including public-private partnerships aimed at enhancing smallholder productivity and returns.