Food Poverty in African Countries: Examining the Dual Challenge and the Interplay Between Energy Utilisation and Ecological Sustainability

Despite various policy interventions, food poverty (FP) remains widespread across the African continent, exacerbated by limited access to modern energy use and harmful ecological practices. This study therefore not only examines the effects of energy consumption and environmental sustainability, but also explores how the interaction between energy use and ecological sustainability influences FP in Africa. Data from 42 African countries, spanning the period 1990 to 2021, were analysed using the method of moments quantile regression technique. Empirically, the study demonstrates that improved energy use and ecological sustainability reduce FP in African economies, particularly in contexts where FP is less severe. However, the mitigating effect of environmental sustainability on FP is consistently greater than that of energy consumption across all quantiles. Conversely, the interaction between energy use and ecological sustainability reveals a reinforcing effect on FP. Further findings show that when food production is exclusionary, unsustainable, and exploitative, it exacerbates FP. Additionally, while income and population growth significantly intensify FP—particularly in African countries with low to moderate FP intensity—the effect of income is relatively marginal. Drawing on these findings, the study outlines policy interventions that African economies can adopt to address FP effectively.