At AFSF 2025, Leaders and Innovators Unite to Build a Shock-Proof Food Future for Africa-Insuring the Harvest

With over a billion Africans unable to afford a healthy diet, a major push at the Dakar summit focuses on de-risking agriculture through national insurance schemes and youth-led technology, aiming to protect the continent’s most vulnerable farmers from climate and market volatility.

DAKAR, Senegal – As the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 gets underway this week, a critical and urgent theme is taking centre stage: how to build a resilient food system capable of withstanding the escalating shocks of climate change and market instability. With food insecurity still a pressing challenge across the continent, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its partners are spearheading a crucial conversation on agricultural insurance, investment, and policy innovation as the missing links to a secure future.

The stakes could not be higher. In 2024, an estimated two-thirds of the continent’s population—over one billion people—could not afford a healthy diet, a reality constantly threatened by droughts, floods, and conflict. While high-level commitments like the Malabo Declaration and the new CAADP Kampala Strategy (2026–2035) chart an ambitious course, experts argue that without robust risk management systems, progress remains fragile.

Agricultural insurance, designed to protect farmers and attract investment, is seen as a cornerstone of this new resilient framework. Yet, with penetration below 3% for smallholders, the challenge is immense.

This week in Dakar, two flagship events will showcase a dual approach to tackling this issue: strengthening national policy from the top down while empowering technological innovation from the ground up.

Governments Showcase National Insurance Models

On Thursday, September 4th, a high-level side event co-hosted by UNDP and the Government of Senegal will bring together senior officials to share proven strategies for institutionalizing agricultural insurance. The session, “De-Risking Food System Resilience,” will move beyond theory to highlight concrete national models.

Attendees will hear directly from leaders on the front lines of policy innovation. Senegal’s Compagnie Nationale d’Assurance Agricole du Sénégal (CNAAS) will be featured as a prime example of a state-led insurance entity. Similarly, officials from Ethiopia will discuss their new Rural Finance Service Unit, Uganda will present its public-private insurance scheme, and Zambia will detail its success in integrating insurance into the national Farmer Input Support Programme. The session aims to create a blueprint for other nations to follow in embedding risk finance directly into their agricultural strategies.

Youth-Led Tech Offers a Glimpse of the Future

Complementing the high-level policy discussions, the Forum will also spotlight the power of youth-led innovation. Agripreneur Miriam Agbo, representing the global Youth4Climate (Y4C) initiative, will take the stage at the Youth Agri-Food Innovation Showcase on Wednesday, September 3rd.

Ms. Agbo will present her groundbreaking startup, which leverages the Anatsor Integrated Poultry Management System (AIPMS). This solar-powered solution uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to help poultry farmers in Africa monitor and optimize critical variables like temperature, humidity, and feed consumption in real time.

Her participation underscores a vital message: that building resilience is not just about financial instruments, but also about empowering a new generation of innovators to create practical, climate-smart solutions that strengthen food production at its source. By combining institutional reform with disruptive technology, the partners at AFSF 2025 aim to forge a clear path from vulnerability to security for millions of smallholder farmers across the continent.

ajm.muchoki@gmail.com

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Key Resilience Events at AFSF 2025

1. High-Level Policy Session:

• Title: De-Risking Food System Resilience through an Institutionalized National Agricultural Insurance Agenda
• Date & Time: Thursday, 4 September | 8:30–10:00 AM (GMT+2)
• Details: Co-hosted by UNDP and the Government of Senegal, this session features senior officials from Senegal, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Zambia, alongside partners Aceli Africa and ISF Advisors.

2. Youth Innovation Showcase:

• Title: Youth Agri-Food Innovation Showcase featuring Miriam Agbo (Youth4Climate)
• Date & Time: Wednesday, 3 September | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM (GMT)
• Location: The Youth Dome, Conference Venue
• Details: A showcase of cutting-edge, youth-led solutions, highlighting how technology and entrepreneurship are driving sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.