Africa’s agricultural sector must accelerate efforts to become more resilient to global supply disruptions, rising input costs and climate-related shocks, as recent instability in international trade has exposed the continent’s continued dependence on external agricultural inputs.

The disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has already created significant consequences for farmers across Africa, with fertilizer, fuel and transportation costs increasing sharply. The impact has been particularly evident in countries such as Ethiopia, where rising input costs are influencing planting and production decisions.

The crisis has been compounded by increasingly difficult climate conditions, including the effects of El Niño. Together, these pressures are placing additional strain on rural livelihoods and raising concerns about food security across the continent.

However, the latest disruption is not an isolated event. Africa’s agricultural sector has faced a succession of global shocks over the past decade, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, both of which disrupted supply chains and contributed to higher global food prices.

These events have highlighted the risks associated with Africa’s dependence on imported fertilizer, fuel, agricultural technologies and other critical inputs. Building stronger domestic and regional agricultural systems will therefore be essential to protecting farmers from future disruptions.

The 2025 Kampala Declaration provides a framework for addressing some of these challenges, with African countries committing to increasing agricultural production, strengthening local value chains, expanding processing and improving regional agricultural trade. Implementing these commitments at greater speed could help countries reduce their exposure to international supply shocks.

At the farm level, diversification is already demonstrating its potential. In southern Zimbabwe, for example, a family farm responded to severe drought conditions by moving away from maize and increasing production of more climate-resilient crops such as millet. The change improved both yields and farm income while supporting greater dietary diversity.

The family subsequently reinvested profits into processing equipment, allowing the farm to produce animal feed and expand into poultry. This demonstrates how diversification and investment in value addition can help farming businesses create additional income streams while reducing exposure to a single crop or market.

Similar approaches could be scaled across Africa. Governments, regional institutions, research organisations and private-sector companies will need to work together to ensure that farmers have faster access to technologies and innovations that can improve productivity while reducing production risks.

Improved crop breeding is one area with significant potential. Modern breeding techniques could help increase the productivity of traditional crops such as sorghum, millet, teff and fonio, which are naturally better adapted to many African growing conditions and can provide important nutritional benefits.

Biofertilizers could also become an increasingly important component of Africa’s soil health strategy. These products use beneficial microorganisms to improve nutrient availability and, in some crops, naturally fix nitrogen in the soil. Experiences from Brazil, particularly the use of Bradyrhizobium bacteria in soybean production, demonstrate the potential to reduce reliance on costly nitrogen fertilizers.

Research and trials involving biofertilizers are already expanding across countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. While these technologies will not eliminate the need for mineral fertilizers, they could complement conventional fertilizers and help farmers use expensive inputs more efficiently.

Africa is also investing in additional domestic fertilizer production. Major projects, including planned expansion by the Dangote Group in Nigeria and Ethiopia, could strengthen regional fertilizer availability and reduce exposure to international supply disruptions.

Digital agriculture offers another avenue for improving efficiency. Artificial intelligence-powered tools such as Virtual Agronomist use localized soil information to determine the type and quantity of fertilizer required for individual plots and identify appropriate application periods. Such technologies could help farmers reduce unnecessary fertilizer use while improving crop productivity.

The broader challenge, however, extends beyond technology. Innovation must be supported by effective agricultural policies, infrastructure, financing, research systems and regional market integration. Farmers also need reliable access to markets so that higher production can translate into sustainable incomes.

Africa cannot prevent future global crises, but it can reduce the damage they cause. Strengthening local production, diversifying crops, improving soil health, expanding processing and developing regional agricultural trade networks can create a more resilient food system.

The disruption to global shipping should therefore serve as a catalyst for accelerating the commitments made under the Kampala agricultural agenda. Achieving the continent’s goal of significantly increasing agrifood production by 2035 will require sustained investment in farmers, technology, infrastructure and innovation.

For millions of African farmers, agricultural resilience is not simply a long-term development objective. It is becoming an immediate necessity as global shocks, climate pressures and rising input costs increasingly shape the economics of farming.