Expanding farming capabilities will not close Africa’s ‘hidden hunger’ gaps

Expanding farming capabilities will not close Africa’s ‘hidden hunger’ gaps

Researchers combined data on demand, production, and resource constraints, moving beyond calories to nutrients that matter for health across all 54 African countries

‘Hidden hunger’ in Africa cannot be addressed by expanding domestic farming alone, according to a new study from Cardiff University.

The first-of-its-kind assessment, published in Nature Food, moves beyond calories to measure the availability of nutrients that matter for health, across all 54 African countries. 

According to the research, limited land and water supply means most African countries would be unable to close significant gaps in important nutrients like iron, calcium, and zinc through their own food production capabilities.

Countries will instead need to increase agricultural productivity, reduce food loss, and strengthen trade and supply chains to meet people’s nutritional needs, the authors argue.

The international team, led by researchers at Shandong University in China, compared how much food and nutrients people need with how much is produced locally, before assessing whether expanding farming under existing land and water limits could close the gap.

“Most studies on food self-sufficiency focus only on calories, which hides the deeper challenge of micronutrient deficiencies,” explains co-author Dr Pan He from Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

“Malnutrition in Africa is not only about hunger, but also about ‘hidden hunger’ caused by lack of iron, zinc, or vitamins.

“At the same time, expanding agriculture comes at the cost of land and water, which are already under pressure from scarcity and overuse.

“We wanted to understand the true scale of nutrient gaps between national demand and production and whether African countries could realistically close them through domestic production.”

The research team says the findings could help governments, development agencies, and communities working in food security, design food and nutrition strategies to meet the challenges in health, climate resilience, and sustainable farming facing countries in Africa.

The team used data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to measure gaps for nine key nutrients including protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin A.

They found widespread nutrient gaps across Africa, with all countries deficient in at least one nutrient, notably iron, which was lacking in every country.

The study also reveals only seven out of 54 African countries could meet their nutrient needs within sustainable land and water limits.

Our study reveals important micronutrient gaps in domestic food supply, with iron, calcium, and zinc being the most deficient, contributing to widespread anaemia, malaria, and high infant and child mortality,” explains Lead author Professor Xu Zhao from Shandong University.

“Achieving micronutrient self-sufficiency is more challenging than for macronutrients, as over half of African countries would still fall short due to land constraints, even under optimised production.

“Strengthening agricultural productivity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is crucial for enhancing nutrient security.

“Equally important is reducing food loss and waste across the supply chain, which currently diminishes total nutrient availability by 9–15%.”

The team plans to explore how productivity improvements, better supply chains, and innovative solutions like supplements or fortified foods could help bridge the gaps identified in their study.

They also aim to examine regional and household data, to understand inequalities in access within specific countries.

Their paper, ‘National food production cannot address nutrient gap in African countries’, is published in Nature Food.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Paper

An advanced copy of the paper is available on request.

Data

• Data on food production, nutrient composition, and recommended nutrient intake were obtained from publicly available databases, such as those provided by FAO and WHO.
• The nutrient gap investigated in the research compares the magnitude of food ‘ready to be consumed’ after preparation and cooking processes, with that needed by a given population.
• Researchers use recommended intake to represent nutrient demand rather than actual nutrient intake.
• The resource constraints refer to the thresholds for sustainable agricultural land use and water consumption at the national level.
  • The water constraint is defined as 20% of the nation's total runoff.
  • The land constraint for agricultural land use is defined as the potentially available cropland.

Interviews

Interviews with the research team are available on request.

For more information contact: 

Jonathan Rees 

Communications and Marketing  

Cardiff University 

ReesJ37@cardiff.ac.uk  

Cardiff University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of Britain’s leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the Russell Group of the UK’s most research-intensive universities. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework found 90% of the University’s research to be world-leading or internationally excellent. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Sir Martin Evans. Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The University’s breadth of expertise encompasses: the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Its University institutes bring together academics from a range of disciplines to tackle some of the challenges facing society, the economy, and the environment. More at www.cardiff.ac.uk