Introduction [in 2022 Annual trends and outlook report: Agrifood processing strategies for successful food systems transformation in Africa]

Overall, the economic transformation process requires both diversification and sophistication (specialization) of a country’s production system. Indeed, countries that undergo successful diversification and sophistication are more likely to achieve transformative development goals. In Africa, food systems are transforming, with value chains becoming more complex and purchased, processed, perishable, and high-value food products accounting for larger shares of consumers’ diets (Tschirley et al. 2015a; Tschirley et al. 2015b). The midstream segments of agricultural value chains are increasing in importance in response to demand from urban markets for both greater volumes of food and greater value added (Reardon et al. 2015). Africa’s agrifood processing sector is central to these changes, and growth and development of the sector will help to determine whether the burgeoning demand from urban food markets will be met through local production or through increases in Africa’s already high levels of imports from outside the continent. The processing sector is the conduit through which smallholder farmers reach consumers, and as such it plays an important role in increasing income opportunities for farmers as well as creating employment opportunities along food value chains.PRIFPRI4; ReSAKSSAF