Context and approach

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2008

Agricultural development lies at the heart of poverty reduction and increased food security of most developing nations. Sub-Saharan Africa (hereafter referred to as Africa) is, however, the only region in the world where per capita agricultural productivity has remained stagnant over the past 40 years. In Asia and Latin America, the use of tailored techniques and technologies has transformed agricultural practice and its productivity, leading to what has been called the "green revolution." The dissemination of uniquely African green revolution technologies has not occurred on the continent. This chapter will argue that the same results in increased productivity and food security can be achieved in Africa if the appropriate investments are made in key interventions: soil fertility improvement, improved seeds, water management, market access, extension services, access to credit, and improvements in weather forecasting. Where these have happened, even partially, the outcome has been remarkable. However, bringing them to scale in ways that sustainably increase agricultural productivity and alleviate poverty requires increased investments and innovative institutional arrangements. Fortunately, several research and development projects on the continent, including the Millennium Villages Project, are providing valuable insights. Finally, this chapter outlines the key remaining challenges.

2016

Despite strong per capita income growth, the structure of sub-Saharan Africa’s economies has not changed markedly in recent decades. In spite of a rapidly growing labour force and urbanizing populations, employment growth in rural areas in general and in non-farm sectors in particular has been slow, and poverty levels in those areas remain relatively higher than in urban areas. So, the key question is: how to catalyse economic transformations that foster inclusive and sustainable development? This is where the role of agriculture is key, given that the overwhelming majority of the population across the continent depends on it as a livelihood source. The case for increasing agricultural productivity to accelerate transformation, investment and industrialization is strongly supported by well-established conceptual frameworks and historical empirical evidence. Though recent gains have been encouraging, agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa still lags behind other regions. The relatively low productivity has led to a loss of competitiveness in agricultural exports and the declining share of the region’s participation in global agricultural trade. Nonetheless, the potential of building on recent gains and developing an agribusiness sector that is responsive to and benefits from the work of smallholder farmers is enormous. This requires the prioritization of two main areas for policy and investment: (i) supporting the emergence of a modern agro‑industrial sector; and (ii) developing the potential of smallholders to engage in high-value activities across agricultural value chains.

Global Social Challenges Journal

The 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) awakened the world to the critical need for food systems transformation. Several commitments were made during the summit, with the UN Secretary-General reiterating the need to support national mechanisms that develop and implement national pathways to 2030 that are inclusive and consistent with countries’ climate commitments, building upon the national food systems dialogues. Much of the discussion in the post-summit era has mostly been high level and focused on how countries can be supported to transform pathways into strategies and to design and operationalise investment plans aimed at fostering sustainable and inclusive food systems transformation. However, what has been missing in these discussions is what the envisaged transformation means for the smallholder farmer, and what it takes for smallholder farmers to embrace the transformative agenda and transition to more sustainable methods of production. In this article, reference is made to...

The Palgrave Handbook of Agricultural and Rural Development in Africa, 2020

n brief, the book examines agricultural and rural development in Africa from theoretical, empirical and policy perspectives. It presents a robust discourse on the developmental concerns needed to be addressed in rural communities through agricultural transformation. It also emphasises on the significance of the agricultural sector as it is closely related to the issues of food sustainability, poverty reduction, employment creation, and the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. In addition to the introduction and the conclusion chapters, the book contains 26 other chapters structured in five sections. The contributing authors provide the interconnections among the different aspects covered in the text, relating to agricultural and rural development in Africa. Hence, the book broadly recommends multiple evidence-based policies to develop the rural areas in Africa through the transformation of the agricultural sector that can benefit the continent.

2012

10-part Global Development Network (GDN) Agriculture Policy Series for its project, ‘Supporting Policy Research to Inform Agricultural Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia’. It is based on a longer synthesis paper, Long-term challenges to food security and rural livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa, which draws on extensive published and unpublished research. The full paper can be downloaded at: www.agripolicyoutreach.org

Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering, 2020

After decades of well-intentioned and professional research for development, agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is still dominated by low-input, subsistence food crop production on small, rainfed land holdings using hand labor. What are the drivers and constraints to development in African agriculture, and how can the region intensify farming in economical and environmentally sustainable ways to satisfy its rapidly rising and shifting food demands? Looking at the evolution of global agriculture over the past 60 years , one cannot miss the striking differences between continents, regions and countries. Agriculture in developed countries followed the path begun during the industrial revolution in England more than 250 years ago, benefiting from agrochemicals and mechanization. Emerging countries in Asia and Latin America efficiently caught up during the Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century . Worldwide, farm output has met the growing demand for food from rapidly expanding populations (Fig. )) and, more recently, for animal products in developed and emerging economies. This did not happen without unintended effects on social equity or the environment and natural resources. Still, although for many the challenge is to produce more and better food with fewer resources, one region-sub-Saharan Africa-has not shifted gears in productivity or escaped subsistence farming. It urgently needs to do so . Agriculture intensification indicators such as yield, mechanization, and agriculture land use since 1960 show sub-Saharan Africa lagging far behind the rest of the world (Fig. ). With few exceptions, there has been little positive transformation and few signs of needed intensification. In contrast, African rural landscapes are most often poverty traps for unlucky inhabitants, who depend almost exclusively on low-yield agriculture for food security and livelihoods. Africa has generally addressed increasing food demand by putting more land under low-input, labor-intensive farming (Fig. )). While providing some livelihood options, this has not set the continent on a positive development pathway, triggered development of secondary and tertiary sectors to process and sell farm products, nor led to fewer people in rural areas (Fig. ). Farmland expansion has led to less productive and marginal land, causing deforestation, loss of wildlife habitats and an overall erosion of once plentiful land resources. African agriculture is actually in a downward spiral, ever more vulnerable to climate change, degrading soils, erratic rainfall, droughts, destructive pests and crop diseases. Barring immediate large and well-conceived development investments, the region will suffer severe crises from agriculture system failures in coming decades.

International Journal of Science and Research Archive

This research offers an in-depth examination of the factors contributing to food insecurity in developing regions, focusing on Africa. It presents a multifaceted approach to address these challenges. The study investigates the effects of gender disparities, natural disasters, climate change, and the transition from agriculture to oil production on food security. Additionally, the research underscores the crucial role of governments in delivering essential infrastructure, education, and effective monitoring systems to enforce environmental regulations. The significance of social networks, farmer collaboration, and innovative strategies such as crop rotation, mechanized farming systems, and agro-biotechnology in enhancing agricultural output and achieving food security is also highlighted. By integrating these various elements, the research provides a novel and comprehensive perspective on addressing food insecurity, emphasizing the need for cooperation among governments, the agricult...

2021

and proposed investment and policy actions I) Systemic actions and investments for sustainable agricultural development II) Specific production-enhancing actions and investments III) Institutional frameworks: Governance, market access, trade and continental and international cooperation Ten Top priorities that boost agricultural growth and meet food systems needs 4 Sustainable expansion and intensification of agricultural production 4.1 Crop-related innovations 4.1.1 Production inputs 4.1.2 Mechanization along the value chain 4.1.3 Irrigation 4.1.4 Reducing food losses 4.1.5 Land use change, sustainable land management and climate resilience 4.2 Animal husbandry 4.2.1 Production systems 4.2.2 Production and consumption trends 4.2.3 Improving productivity of animal husbandry practices in Africa 4.3 Capture fisheries and aquaculture 4.3.1 Ocean and inland fisheries 4.3.2 Aquaculture 4.4 (Agro-)Forestry 4.4.1 Challenges to the African forest sector 4.4.2 Towards enhancing the contribution of African forests to food security 4.4.3 Agroforestry: The best of two worlds? 4.4.4 Barriers to agroforestry adoption 4.4.5 Priority areas for action to expand agroforestry 5 Systemic investments for sustainability 5.1 Skill development and agricultural extension 5.1.1 Skills development for value chain actors in African agriculture 5.1.2 Agricultural extension provision for agri-food value chain actors 5.2 Youth engagement 5.3 Digitalization 5.4 Research investments in partnership 4 PARI-Program of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation 5.4.1 Research and development investments 5.4.2 The case for collaboration and partnership 5.4.3 Pre-existing research partnerships 5.5 Rural and agricultural finance 5.5.1 The current status of rural and agricultural finance in Africa 5.5.2 Innovations and emerging trends 5.5.3 Priority areas for action to improve access to rural and agricultural finance 5.6 Energy 5.7 Inclusive markets 5.7.1 The benefits and challenges of agricultural commercialization 5.7.2 Linking smallholders with markets through collective action 5.7.3 Linking smallholders with markets and processing 5.7.4 Innovations for small businesses in rural areas 5.7.5 The role of expanding food-retailing in Africa 6 Investments in governance 6.1 Agricultural and food security policies 6.2 Farmers' organisations 6.2.1 The role of farmers' organisations in Africa 6.2.2 The state of farmers' organisations in Africa 6.2.3 Governance challenges of farmers' organizations 6.3 Land and water rights 6.4 Gender Equality 6.4.1 The agricultural gender gap 6.4.2 Gender equality and food security 7 Development assistance, investment and international cooperation 7.1 Development Assistance for agriculture 7.2 Domestic and foreign private sector investment in the food and agriculture sector 7.2.1 Under-capitalized African Agriculture 7.2.2 Foreign direct investment 7.3 Regional and international trade 7.3.1 The gains from trade for Africa 7.3.2 Africa's current trade position and international competitiveness 7.3.3 Intra-African trade and food security, including AfCTA 7.3.4 Africa's international trade 7.4 Policy processes and initiatives in Africa and at the international level 7.4.1 Ongoing initiatives in Africa 7.4.2 Some significant international processes 7.4.3 Towards effective development partnerships in agriculture 8 References 7

Food Policy, 2016

Food security remains a top development priority and global concern. It is enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Sustainable Development Goal two. Food security is also a core component of the human development and capability paradigm, since food access and entitlements are critical for reinforcing essential human capabilities. In introducing this special issue, this paper argues that agriculture is central to improving food security and reducing poverty in Africa. It suggests that realizing the potential of agriculture in Africa requires rapid increases in land productivity and increases in agricultural yields. A science-based approach that integrates gender and sustainability is critical to meet this goal, through the design and implementation of policies that improve the availability farm inputs and farm technology. The paper concludes by introducing the papers in this special issue.

Agriculture and Structural Transformation in Africa: A Peasant Path, 2015

Despite recent economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), structural transformation remains elusive, with limited employment creation, weak inter-sectoral linkages, and persistently low agricultural productivity. The region's agrarian crisis is marked by food insecurity, volatile prices, and depressed rural incomes, stemming from inadequate investment in agriculture and an enduring reliance on exporting raw materials. Structural adjustment policies and neoliberal reforms have further exacerbated these challenges by weakening state support for agriculture, reinforcing de-industrialization, and marginalizing small-scale family farms. This paper argues that sustainable structural transformation in SSA requires a paradigm shift towards inclusive agrarian reform, prioritizing food sovereignty, agro-industrial linkages, and rural development. Strengthening smallholder agriculture through increased public investment, regulated input and output markets, and enhanced rural infrastructure is essential to improving productivity, generating employment, and fostering economic diversification. A reorientation towards domestic and regional markets, coupled with cooperative producer structures and strategic public-private partnerships, is critical for achieving food security, reducing dependence on imports, and driving an equitable transition. Regional cooperation and policy coordination are also necessary to support intra-African trade, enhance agricultural value chains, and advocate for fairer global trade regulations. This paper underscores the need for interventionist policies that support smallholder farmers, rebalance rural-urban economic dynamics, and integrate agriculture within broader industrial strategies. By redirecting national resources towards agro-ecological intensification and inclusive economic policies, SSA can move towards a more sustainable and socially just agrarian transformation.