Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa after COVID-19
Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa after COVID-19
At the #SummerUndod2022 event in Swansea on 15th July, Carol Adams, Africa Portfolio Lead at the Sub-Saharan Advisory Panel and Managing Director at Food Adventure, chaired a panel discussion on sustainable livelihoods in Africa in the post-COVID era.
The panel consisted of Lenshina Hines, Co-Manager of Fair and Fabulous and Chair of the Board at BAFTS Fair Trade Network UK; Dr Krijn Peters, Associate Professor of Politics, Philosophy and International Relations at Swansea University; and Lettie Chimbi, founder of Chomuzangari Women’s Co-operative.
Carol asked the panel and audience to consider the main challenges and possible solutions to creating sustainable livelihoods in Africa today. The following rose to prominence:
Challenges:
- COVID-19 has been detrimental to travel and tourism in Africa
- Increased costs and delays to shipping has affected craft businesses
- One in two African countries relies on imported grain from the Ukraine and fertiliser from Russia, both of which have been severely affected by the Russo-Ukrainian War
- Workers need tools that could be produced sustainably in their own countries but it is often cheaper to import them from India and China instead
- Climate change is wreaking havoc on rainfall for food crops
- Soaring inflation in countries like Zimbabwe means basic goods are becoming unaffordable
Potential Solutions:
- Find better and more frequent ways of telling consumers the stories of producers
- Help consumers make better informed decisions when buying – “buy less, buy better, buy well”
- Advocate for institutions and organisations
- Raise more funding for community-led projects across Africa
- Increase levels of research for evidence-based solutions