Two-thirds of all countries suffering food insecurity are in Africa, where GDP has declined for six consecutive years. Present trends would mean that the number of chronically undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa would rise from 180 to 300 million by the year 2010. Energy is one key to higher food production in the region.
Many African countries are among the lowest per capita energy consumers in the world.
This environmental degradation is compounded by greater reliance on energy sources such as dung or unused plant material, which are needed for maintaining soil fertility and structure for future production. A transition to sustainable energy systems is urgently needed to accelerate the growth of basic food production, harvesting and processing. However, breaking the current energy bottleneck must also be sustainable - i.e. environmentally sound, socially acceptable and economically viable. Such a transition involves a commitment to long-term developmental goals and requires innovative policy and technological solutions. Obvious benefits are greater resilience in the production system, higher productivity, improved efficiency and higher incomes to farmers.