Regional Food Balance Sheet
A digital early-warning system for Eastern and Southern Africa's food security — turning near real-time data on production, stocks, trade, and price into decisions you can act on.
Evidence-based decisions, in a rapidly changing environment
To support reliable, timely, and accurate decision-making, COMESA and AGRA are leading an effort to build a digital Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS).
The system ingests data from a wide range of public and private sources and applies advanced analytics to produce near real-time, forward-looking food balance estimates — across production, stocks, trade, price, and utilisation.
Built on remote sensing & machine learning
Advances in remote sensing and machine learning enable near real-time analytics that weren't possible in the past — especially for in-season crop production forecasting.
Platform Features
User-centric design turns data into insights that guide decisions around production support, trade policy, and stock management.
Production
In-season and end-of-season estimates for yield, acreage, and total production across the three priority commodities.
Stock
Estimated, forecast, or reported commodity volumes held in storage by government or private-sector actors.
Trade
Estimated, forecast, or reported import and export values available in-country for the reporting month.
Price
Estimated, forecast, or reported commodity price for the month, representing market or farm-gate levels.
Utilisation
Estimated, forecast, or reported values for food, feed, seed, or industrial use of each commodity.
Reports
Custom visualizations across reported categories, with the ability to select indicators and variables.
Multiple Data Sources
Combines public and private data streams — satellite, government, and market sources — for full regional coverage.
Analysis
Turns combined data streams into a single, analysis-ready view for decision-makers.
Trade & investment insights
Surfacing emerging surpluses, deficits, and cross-border opportunities as they form — giving policymakers and the private sector a clear signal on where to trade and where to invest.
AI-powered forecasting & anomaly detection
Machine learning models trained on remote sensing and market data flag unusual price or stock movements early, and generate in-season production forecasts before official statistics are available.
"From satellite data to market-ready insight — for the farmers, traders, and policymakers who feed the region."
Partners & Data Providers
Supported by leading development partners, modeled and populated using trusted regional data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get in Touch
Regional Food Balance Sheet is a joint initiative of AGRA and the COMESA Secretariat.
Regional Food Balance Sheet
COMESA Secretariat
COMESA Center, Ben Bella Road
P.O. Box 30051
Lusaka, Zambia