Policy & State Capability

Image: Josh Ishimwe

The bigger picture of agriculture is all about decision-making.

Who receives government support after a drought? How quickly can a new seed variety be approved? What happens when food is plenty in one country, but stuck at the border while prices rise in another? Which roads, irrigation systems, distributors, or storage facilities receive public investment? Are young farmers included when national or regional agricultural plans are drawn up, or only mentioned after the decisions have already been made?

These are questions of policy and state capability.

Policy is about the priorities and public choices that shape agriculture. State capability is about whether governments and public institutions have the resources and systems required to translate those choices into results — or can they create or acquire them to support necessary problem-solving? Combined, it’s about listening to supply, demand, and sustainability needs and working to find solutions.

This field needs economists and lawyers, but it also needs data analysts, political scientists, researchers, programme managers, communicators, budget specialists, and people who understand how communities experience government decisions in real life.

Why should I do it?

This path may suit you if you are rarely satisfied with systems as they currently exist. You tend to be an advocate for change and don’t wait for permission to find solutions to problems.

You notice patterns. You ask who benefits, who has been left out and what evidence supports a decision. You can listen to different sides of an argument without losing sight of those affected by it.

Perhaps you enjoy research, debate, writing, or working with data. Maybe you are good at translating a complicated issue into something people can act on. You might be the person who can bring farmers, officials, businesses, and civil society into one room while keeping the conversation on track towards a decision.

Policy work is for people who want to solve problems at scale. Instead of helping one farmer navigate a broken process, you may help redesign that process for thousands of farmers.

And no, you do not have to become a politician. You could work in a research institute, think tank, community group, development organisation, farmers’ association, private company, advocacy group or technology team supporting public decision-making.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Because Africa does not lack agricultural ideas — it’s actually full of them. But the continent often struggles with the systems needed for implementation.

A government may offer farmers cheaper fertilizer, but it can still arrive too late for planting. A country may have a strong climate policy, but local officials may not have the data or resources to act on it. Young entrepreneurs may be praised on public platforms, but procurement systems, financing, and land policies continue to shut them out.

Capable public institutions can direct investment, create fair rules, respond to crises, and give private businesses enough certainty to invest in local farming solutions.

The stakes are high. In 2024, more than 300 million people across Africa were undernourished, while nearly 60% of the continent’s population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. Those figures reflect interconnected questions of production, infrastructure, trade, conflict, climate, finance and governance. Good policy cannot make rain fall. It can, however, determine whether a country was ready when the rain did not come.

Who else in the food system would I work with?

You would work especially closely with people in Inclusive Markets, Trade, and Finance.

Trade and market specialists can show where a system is breaking down: produce held at a border, small businesses unable to secure credit, traders facing unpredictable fees, or processors unable to find reliable supplies. Policy and state workers can help turn that evidence into better regulations, public investments, and regional agreements.

You would also work with seed experts on things like variety registration and quality standards. Climate specialists could help you design adaptation plans, early-warning systems, or incentives for sustainable farming. Farmers’ organisations would tell you whether a policy that looks convincing on paper is actually working in the field.

MEET ISABELLE KAMARIZA

Isabelle Kamariza is the President and Founder of Solid’ Africa, a farm-to-fork initiative that ensures access to nutritious meals for public service recipients, such as those in public hospitals and schools. Through their work, Solid’ Africa is reimagining what public nutrition infrastructure can look like — alleviating food insecurity where it can hit hardest. From growing and harvesting produce, to cooking and delivering meals, the initiative can guarantee affordable nutrient-dense food for those who need it most. For more on Solid’ Africa, watch the video below.

What is YEFFA, and how can it get me started?

Get Started

YEFFA stands for Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture. The programme aims to reach 10 million young people and support at least 1.5 million of them to access agriculture work — that means you too, if you’re interested! It does this by addressing more than skills alone. Namely, YEFFA brings together training, enterprise support, market connections, access to finance, policy participation, and climate-smart agriculture.

Your starting point could be joining a youth policy dialogue, researching a barrier affecting young agripreneurs, learning how agricultural budgets are developed, or contributing evidence from your community to a national discussion. You could also become the person who explains a new policy to local communities, tracks whether public promises have been delivered, or helps a youth organisation make a stronger case to the government.