Government officials meet in Rome today for talks about hunger and famine at the latest U.N. boondoggle- the World Summit on Food Security. However, for the leaders present the real causes of these problems are to be found much closer to home- in their domestic trade policies- than in the charming cafes and cobbled streets of the Italian capital.

A report released yesterday, “Fixing Famine: How Technologies & Incentives Can Help Feed Africa,” details some of the many barriers to trading that African agricultural exporters face. These trade barriers exacerbate Africa’s already-weak agricultural system and are one of the principal causes of the regular, but entirely preventable, bouts of famine that afflict the continent.

High tariffs, export taxes, prolonged customs procedures, and delayed shipping times make it costly and difficult for producers to get their goods to market. African exporters face, on average, the longest export delays in the world, with it taking anything up to 75 days to process a container through the customs of Chad. This is crippling for agricultural exporters, for whom the prospect of their time sensitive goods rotting in customs terminals, prevents them from expanding to reach external markets. This lack of expansion undermines the potential for future investments in enhancing agricultural productivity by restricting producers to smaller scale activities.

As a consequence localised food shortages are worsened by the inability of producers in one region to meet a famine affected regions’ demands. The reduction of these barriers to trading needs to be a priority for African governments looking to stave off food insecurities and allow their agricultural sectors to develop. The answers lie at home, not in Rome.