Urbanisation has become a major challenge to food security, as arable land is being converted into real estate, experts warn.

Regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), is also raising concerns over the inadequate budget allocations for agricultural projects by member states, which it says has contributed to increased deaths resulting from malnutrition.

Igad noted that all eight member countries have been allocating less than two percent of their total annual budgets to agriculture, falling short of the African Union’s recommended 10 percent needed to effectively combat food insecurity.

The lack of financial resources in these countries has led to a growing food-insecure population, with numbers rising from about 50 million to over 63 million in the past decade.

Igad policy and food security expert Sylvia Henga said that 63 million people, including 11 million children, suffered from acute malnutrition in 2024.

The experts were speaking in Mombasa at a regional workshop to prepare Igad’s Regional Agrifood Systems Investment Plan (RASIP) 2026–2035.

They emphasised that to achieve food security in East Africa, governments must realign their priorities and implement the Kampala Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) strategy and action plan.

The Kampala Declaration, adopted at an extraordinary African Union (AU) Summit in January 2025, outlines a 10-year plan to transform Africa’s agrifood systems.

Igad Food System Resilience Project coordinator Dr Senait Regassa said member states have failed to implement sound agricultural policies, thereby exacerbating food insecurity.“Lack of peace and competition over limited resources such as water, land, and pasture have contributed to rising insecurity, which in turn has reduced food production. With more than 70 percent of Africa’s population depending on agriculture, there is an urgent need for an evidence-based agricultural plan,” said Dr Regassa.

Dr Rose Kitur, Director of Nepad Programmes Kenya, supported efforts by the National Assembly to approve a motion to formulate a Land Use Policy on Zoning for Agriculture and Built Development.

She said the motion directs the government, through the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development, to establish a policy framework for effective land use in rural areas to address the shrinking availability of agricultural land.“The proposed framework will designate zones for commercial and residential development with shared public utilities, while preserving separate zones for agriculture to prevent further loss of farmland and sustain the country’s agricultural productivity.”

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