ABSTRACT
Many African countries depend heavily on food imports. Recent price increases in international food markets and price volatility threaten their food security. This essay analyses how international market developments affect domestic food prices in Africa and discusses some strategies to help strengthen domestic food security in countries that rely heavily on food imports. Key to countervailing food import dependency is diversification of food suppliers, commodities and consumption patterns. Besides diversification, bottom of the pyramid consumers need more and better employment/income-generating activities, resulting in improved purchasing power. This requires active involvement of African countries in domestic food markets, with policies aimed at strengthening food security being central. However, achieving more food and nutrition security through increased food system resilience is not a binary choice between domestic production or food import. National policies towards such goals must include all possible measures and optimize domestic production capacities alongside imports, depending on the national economic, political and ecological context.
