African countries ranked among world's 50 most food self-sufficient countries
Researchers examined food self-sufficiency across countries, assessing national production against dietary needs in seven essential food groups: fruit, vegetables, legumes, starchy staples, meat, fish, and dairy.
The study, titled Gap between national food production and food-based dietary guidance highlights lack of national self-sufficiency, found that only Guyana met 100% self-sufficiency across all categories.
While European nations struggled particularly with fruit and vegetable production, and many Asian countries fell short in dairy, several African countries made a surprising appearance among the top 50 most self-sufficient nations.
Eight African countries made the list, including the military-led countries of Mali and Niger, both of which remain in a state of political transition.
Their inclusion shows the continued strength of subsistence and small-scale agriculture despite governance challenges. Cameroon and Senegal also featured among the continent's top performers, with strong domestic production of starchy staples, legumes, and fish helping them meet internal food demands.
The study emphasised that self-sufficiency scores below 100% indicate import needs, while scores above suggest a surplus suitable for export.
Below are the African countries ranked amongst 50 most food self-sufficient countries in the world:
Rank Country Fruit Starchy staples Dairy
1 Mali 107% 236% 69%
2 Niger 29% 142% 101%
3 Cameroon 296% 193% 15%
4 Senegal 23% 82% 20%
5 South Sudan 61% 107% 303%
6 Tunisia 188% 18% 170%
7 Malawi 243% 221% 17%
8 Morocco 161% 22% 65%
Most African nations still rely on imports for dairy and meat products, but tend to perform better in crop-based categories, particularly legumes and staples like cassava, maize, and millet.
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