The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is a global collaboration of research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas working on issues of trade, investment and sustainable development. Coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the TKN links network members, strengthens capacity in areas of research, training and policy analysis, and also generates new research to assess and address the impact of trade and investment policies on sustainable development. The TKN brings together institutions and individuals working on common concerns, strengthening each others’ research and communication capacity and knowledge bases, and developing solutions to share with others outside the network. It thereby provides a platform for partner-based research and specific policy engagement.
Hilton Lambert contributed a commentary on recent trends in African trade issues that impact food security to the TKN’s September 2012 research releases.
We found that Food security remains an enigma for most African states in the post-2008 food-crisis-scenario era. In grappling with this enigma, tools like the Economist’s new food security index point to a dismal picture, but also provide useful pointers as to where policy lacunae exist and where these could be filled. In this regard, and despite its criticisms, the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) has been recognized as a convenient docking station for the G-8 and international donor agencies in their responses to African food crises and agricultural development. Regional trading blocks and the African Union are highly cognizant of the role that CAADP plays in regional food security. What is required is the resolve to put not only money but also political will behind what appears to be a highly effective, goal-rich, policy instrument.
For a copy of the Trade Knowledge Network article click here