The United States Cannot Forget About Africa When Investing in International Agricultural R&D

Africa will play a major role in the future of the global food system. Continued research partnerships between U.S. and African institutions can help accelerate sustainable agricultural productivity growth across the continent and around the world— strengthening global food security and driving economic growth.  

Investments in international agricultural R&D provide significant returns and lead to improvements in overall human health, dietary quality and diversification, and environmental impacts, particularly in the most vulnerable populations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Innovation Labs are a critical channel for U.S. investments in international agricultural R&D. They are U.S. university-led global research hubs that couple U.S. research teams with international research partners to tackle specific problems that could affect the global food supply. In their various forms, they have been a key element of U.S. international agricultural engagement for decades.

As the State Department explores launching new Innovation Labs after halting them a year ago with the dismantling of USAID, it must not neglect Africa.  

Investing in R&D in countries across key agricultural zones in Sub-Saharan Africa should be one of the priority considerations for Innovation Labs.

• It will have the greatest impact. Africa is home to the largest numbers of food insecure people and faces the largest humanitarian needs. Roughly 20 percent of the African population experiences hunger, compared to 6.7 and 5.1 percent in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, respectively. At the same time, agriculture is a large portion of Africa’s overall economy, with significant untapped potential for productivity growth. Investing in research partnerships in Africa aimed at improving sustainable productivity can lead to agriculture-led economic growth that drives development and prosperity.

• It offers direct strategic and economic benefits to the United States. Research partnerships are a concrete and enduring means of building U.S. influence in the face of mounting geostrategic competition on the continent. They also strengthen ties in Africa’s rapidly growing food and agricultural sector, which can set the conditions for U.S. businesses to expand their access to the world’s fastest growing market.  

• It helps future-proof agriculture. Africa’s diverse agroecologies and climate-stressed systems offer unmatched conditions to develop and test innovations. Building and maintaining research network relationships underpins U.S. preparedness and competitiveness for current and future food security challenges.

There are strategic advantages of investing in Africa, and significant negatives now and into the future if we exclude the region.

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