As global leaders arrive in Johannesburg for the historic G20 Leaders Summit at Nasrec this weekend (22 -23 November 2025), the first ever hosted on African soil, agriculture and food security will be on the agenda. The Business 20’s Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems group has highlighted three key principles for building stronger food systems: increased trade, resilient supply chains, and sustainable farming. Agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo breaks down what these principles mean and explains how African countries can implement them.

What is global food security, and how does it differ from food poverty?

Global food security is a broad, long-term goal that looks beyond hunger alone. It focuses on ensuring that people everywhere have access to nutritious, affordable and sustainably produced food. Unlike food poverty, which highlights a lack of food at household or individual level, global food security considers the entire system — from production and trade to environmental impact and economic access.

Its ambition is for countries, especially G20 members, to work together on reducing global poverty in meaningful ways, both nationally and within households. To achieve this, countries need agricultural policies that boost food production, promote environmentally friendly farming, and reduce trade barriers. This makes it possible for nations that cannot produce enough food to import it affordably.

Smoother global logistics are just as important — lowering tariffs, easing trade friction and avoiding export bans that disrupt markets. For example, India’s rice export ban in 2023 pushed up global prices. This is why I have championed the approach of “achieving food security through trade”.

In a world where trade friction raises the cost of food, open and predictable markets are essential. Ultimately, improving global food security is about raising living standards, especially in poorer regions across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

How can increased trade, resilient supply chains and sustainable agricultural practices enhance food security?

These interventions sit at the centre of reducing food costs. When trade friction, such as tariffs, non-tariff barriers and export bans, is eased, the transaction costs of moving food from production areas to consumers come down.

This makes food more affordable. Resilient supply chains ensure that food can be produced, processed and delivered with minimal disruption, even during natural disasters or conflicts. They keep markets functioning when it matters most.

Sustainable agricultural practices are also essential to the food system. But
sustainability does not mean abandoning improved seed cultivars, better genetics or agro-chemicals. Rather, it is about using these inputs safely and optimally. I have observed a troubling trend of activism that pushes for the elimination of agricultural inputs altogether — a move that would lower productivity, reduce output and ultimately worsen hunger.

The focus should instead be on responsible use. Recent farm protests in the European Union highlighted this tension. Farmers raised concerns that the EU’s regulatory approach, particularly elements of the Green Deal aimed at sharply reducing pesticides, fertilisers and other key inputs, posed a major risk to production. These inputs remain critical for boosting yields and supporting global food security.

What specific policies should countries, especially African nations, put in place to ensure the success of these principles?

South Africa and the African Union, both G20 members, should champion three key interventions to advance the G20 principles and strengthen food production across the continent.

1. Climate-smart farming
There must be a strong push for sharing knowledge on climate-smart agricultural practices. These are new ways of farming that help minimise damage from climate-related disasters such as drought and heatwaves.

This is crucial because Africa is extremely vulnerable to natural shocks. For African agriculture to thrive, governments need co-ordinated policies on disaster response — covering how countries mitigate climate risks, adapt to climate change and recover quickly after disasters.

2. Trade reform
Africa should also push for reforms in the global trading system to improve food security through trade. South Africa already benefits from deeper access to G20 agricultural markets through lower tariffs and even tariff-free entry in some cases.

Open trade enables countries to buy and sell food at lower prices, which is essential at a time when some nations are taking a more confrontational stance on trade. While countries with lower agricultural productivity may not see immediate gains, they will benefit significantly in the long run.

3. Improve access to fertilisers
Africa must continue prioritising discussions on improving fertiliser manufacturing and trade. Fertiliser access and usage remain low across sub-Saharan Africa, yet increased fertiliser adoption is vital for boosting food production and reducing food insecurity.

Access to affordable finance is also a major constraint. This is why fertiliser discussions should be linked to investments in network industries such as roads and ports. It is one thing to have fertiliser available; moving it to farming areas is often difficult and costly.

The G20 should drive localised fertiliser production. Producing fertiliser on the continent would soften the blow of global price shocks and make it affordable for even the most vulnerable African countries to buy and distribute.

Where do you suggest the balance is between more efficient agricultural production and reducing agriculture’s contribution to climate change?

Striking the right balance between more efficient agricultural production and reducing agriculture’s contribution to climate change starts with using technology wisely. We need to focus on adapting to climate change rather than demonising agrochemicals and seed breeding – a trend that is unfortunately gaining traction in some parts of South Africa.

If we use high-yielding seed cultivars, fertilisers and agrochemicals to control diseases, we can farm a smaller area and still achieve ample output. Cutting back on these inputs too drastically forces us to expand the land we cultivate, because lower yields must be compensated for somewhere. And once we start tilling more land, we inevitably harm the environment.

The priority, therefore, should be the optimal and safe use of agricultural inputs to increase food production. This is essential for global food security. The G20 also has a critical role to play. By championing the agricultural principles outlined above, it can help steer the world towards a more food-secure and sustainable future.

Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and serves on the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University.

This article was originally published on www.theconversations.com and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence.