An introduction to
Food systems across the globe have failed to nourish people adequately, resulting in widespread hunger and high levels of malnutrition. Nowhere is this failure more pronounced than in Africa, with urban poor populations and dryland communities being more vulnerable to this crisis.
The Zero Hunger Initiative, an initiative the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), seeks to contribute to address this urgent challenge. Grounded in the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)—endorsed by Kenya and numerous African nations—the initiative champions the right to food as a fundamental human right. This includes freedom from hunger and access to safe, adequate, and nutritious food.
Guided by the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” we invite you to join us in creating a food-secure future for Africa, by joining our Zero Hunger Movement. Together, we can transform food systems to nourish lives and sustain communities for generations to come.
For more information, click here to access our detailed brief.
Ending Hunger & Promoting Safe, Healthy & Sustainable Food in Urban Poor & Dryland Communities Through a Human Rights Based Approach
Generate evidence, strengthen community capacity, and drive policy change through research, public engagement, and strategic communication. We are committed to building equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems in African urban poor and dryland communities—by promoting innovative agroecological farming, advancing the right to food, and fostering social change.
Food is a Basic Human Right: Food is a fundamental right, and the state must protect, respect, and
fulfill this right. People should be enabled to feed themselves with dignity or be supported by
the state when they cannot access food through production or purchase.
Food is a Common Good: Food is part of our shared cultural heritage and should be accessible
through community-driven, state-supported actions that reflect collective autonomy and
cooperation in the spirit of Ubuntu—”I am because we are.”
Food is a Public Good: The state must ensure that food is available and safe for all, as part of its social contract with the citizens.
Some of our work
The Zero hunger initiative is anchored on the belief that we all have a right to food, and that, “The right to food is not a right to be fed, but primarily the right to feed oneself in dignity.” – Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In Kenya, this right is constitutionally guaranteed under Article 43(1)(c) of the Constitution (2010), which affirms every citizen’s right to be free from hunger and to have access to adequate, quality food.
Lessons and successful practices from Kenya will be shared with other African cities to expand the initiative’s impact. The initiative is guided by our 2050 Food Systems Vision for Nairobi—restoring the city to “A Place of Cool Waters,” a food-secure, healthy, and environmentally sustainable urban space where all people live in peace and harmony through a regenerative, human-centered food system by 2050.
We don’t do this alone, we have amazing partners who are making sure we get to achieve our goal of Zero Hunger in Africa.
From our blogs
