Food security is made of food availability, access, utilization and stability. The significance of food access in the cycle is that despite adequate availability, if not sufficiently accessed, food can’t be utilized, hence persistent insecurity. Food access means individual’s ability to adequately purchase/barter appropriate foods needed to maintain consumption of an adequate diet. In East Africa, apart from military and political security, food, economic, health and personal security are predominantly privately accessed but state policy remains vital in determining them. Thus, ability to access food rests upon two pillars; economic and physical access. Economic access determined by disposable income, food prices and social support while physical access, by availability and quality of infrastructure that facilitates food markets.
Before COVID-19, EAC faced a sequence of food access inadequacies. As the pandemic surged in 2020, the number of people who couldn’t adequately access food in the region increased from 29.3 million in 2019 to 32.9 million. According to WFP, by December 2022, the number more than doubled compared with 2019 (reaching 64.5 million). So, the region couldn’t guarantee all-time physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet all people’s dietary needs and preferences. While the pandemic exacerbated the situation, the mechanisms to control, manage and fight the pandemic actually exaggerated food access complications in EAC the most.
The EAC
The 1999 signing of the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community marked the regional body’s revival. Formerly composed of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, the community expanded with Rwanda, Burundi’s accession (2007), South Sudan (2016) and DRC (2022). This revival has triggered positive strides in the integration process with the establishment of the Customs Union (2005), Common Market (2010), Monetary Union protocol signing (2013) while processes for a political federation are currently underway. Different organs like Secretariat, EALA, EACJ, Council of Ministers, The Summit, and other institutions are in place and functioning.
EAC’s fight against COVID-19
After the COVID-19 outbreak, EAC Secretariat instituted a regional response plan for a joint action towards facilitating movement of goods and commodities including food and other essential services. Nevertheless, each partner state adopted its own strategy. It’s this individualism that exacerbated food access inadequacies in the Community. While Burundi and Tanzania adopted no restrictions, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Kenya restricted movements of people and in some places commodities through lockdowns and curfews. Resultantly, food supply chains were constrained, frustrated and broken.
East Africa has potential to produce enough food for regional consumption and surplus for export. Despite this, food insecurity is still a huge problem in the region and neighbourhoods. During the pandemic, food access was impacted both economically and physically. Physically, there was inadequate food exchange between places of abundant harvests and those with deficit harvests. Economically, poverty and poor economic performances exacerbated food access complexities as declines in employment and income generating opportunities in both rural and urban areas severely reduced consumers’ purchasing power parity. Thanks to the heavy travel restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the disease. Recent studies indicate that the informal sector which employs more than 85% of the workers in the region and majority of who are youth was most affected. By 2020, more than 38% and 44% of Ugandans and Kenyans respectively were food insecure as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. The situation wasn’t any better in other member states. Regional food markets were disrupted, food prices skyrocketed as the implications of the restrictions worsened. Three years later, the pandemic is no longer as lethal but food access is still difficult. Food prices are high in most places as a result of high costs of food production and transportation, many businesses completely closed and unemployment went to a rise (AfDB).
Going forward
EAC member states must adopt a culture of implementing regional plans to manage even more complicated challenges without much damage on the crucial sectors like food security. If the regional plan had been implemented, food access wouldn’t have deteriorated amidst abundant food production. Towards a political federation, emergencies should trigger collectiveness.
Tweheyo Charles is a Ugandan, analyst of politics & international relations.
tweheyocharles@gmail.com