The role of agrifood systems in addressing obesity and overweight in Africa

Although addressing malnutrition has been a key focus area in health and agriculture, on the other hand prevalence of obesity and overweight are increasing in sub- Saharan Africa at an alarming rate. This paper was prepared to provide suggestions on strategies that could be implemented by players in agrifood systems to reduce and prevent obesity and overweight. Agrifood system players have the potential to play a more active role in addressing obesity and overweight. Obesity and overweight are driven by a number of factors including globalization, urbanization, the built environment, the food environment, physical inactivity, genetics, caloric intake, cultural perceptions of weight, and lack of knowledge. These factors can interact together leading to increased prevalence of obesity and overweight. Among all these factors researchers have pointed out that increased caloric intake without corresponding energy expenditure are the main drivers of obesity and overweight. Caloric intake is a function of the food environment. Therefore this paper focuses on the role of agrifood systems or the food environment in reducing and preventing overweight. The paper also identifies some key challenges faced in the current agrifood systems in sub-Saharan Africa and provides recommendations on strategies for preventing and reducing obesity and overweight. Addressing obesity and overweight in complex agrifood systems is not an easy task and requires collaboration of multiple players in the agrifood system. Key words: agrifood system, obesity, sub-Saharan Africa