Agriculture in Africa

Africa has a very wide range of crops, given the country's diverse terrain, climate, and ecology

Most of the farming done in Africa is subsistence farming. The crops grown are just enough for farmers to feed their own families. There is a wide variety of crops and animals to maintain the family's needs and there is rarely any interaction, if any, in the marketplace.

Main staple crops:

    * maize and grains

    * rice and sugarcane

    * domestic fruits and vegetables

Export crops:

    * cotton

    * cocoa beans/coffee

    * sugar

Other:

    * livestock

    * forestry

    * fishing

Around 60% of African worker's are employed by the agricultural sector. In many underdeveloped countries in Africa, 90% of the population are small scale farmers and are dependent upon their farms for their income. Agriculture comprises more than a third of the GDP in two thirds of Africa's countries. It's nearly impossible to achieve economic development without agriculture in these areas. (wikipedia.org)

It is well known across the globe that the two biggest challenges Africa faces are hunger and poverty. The biggest focus of agriculture in Africa today is to develop agriculture to reduce poverty and create sustainability while achieving economic growth.

Developing Agriculture

According to Xinshen Diao in The Role of Agriculture in Development, it is suggested that while agriculture might be expected to be a key component of growth and development in Africa, it is not fulfilling its role in slashing poverty and transforming the economy like in many Asian or Latin American countries. "Most African countries have not yet met the criteria for a successful agricultural revolution, and factor-productivity in African agriculture lags far behind the rest of the world." (Diao)

Developing agriculture can:

• reduce poverty by creating income opportunities for both farm and non farm economies
• lower food prices for rural and urban customers
• increases food security 
• improves nutrition
• promotes productivity
• stimulate broader growth

Because Africa lacks the technology and productivity to get the most out of their larger farms, the focus has now turned to their most dominant part of the economy, small scale farms. It is vital to develop these areas to boost agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability. In Africa, small scale farms are actually more efficient than large farms in countries with a surplus of labor but a scarcity of land and capital, whereas labor is more costly in developed areas. (Diao)

By investing in these small scale farms, agriculture as a means of survival will quickly turn into agriculture as an opportunity to see small successes across the continent add up to sustained transformation, argues Namanga Ngongi in his post on the Poverty Matters Blog of The Guardian news. Building entrepreneurs and cultivating innovation out of the farmers in Africa will lead to opportunities that can change the lives of millions. (Ngongi)

Sustainability 

In Environmental Sustainability and Development, author Jules Pretty discusses the enormous food security challenges that Africa faces and deals with the question if sustainable agriculture is realistic for these countries.

Pretty focuses on emphasizing the productive values of natural, social, and human capital to take hold of the new opportunities that sustainable agriculture offers, arguing that these are all assets that Africa either has in abundance or can be regenerated at low financial cost.

After spreading this investigation through 45 different projects/initiatives across 17 different countries, over 730,000 households had substantially improved food production and household food security. There were also additional positive impacts on the natural, social, and human capital that would help to sustain these improvements in the future.

Spreading sustainable agriculture across Africa can deliver large increases in food production but it will, of course, not be easy. It will require substantial policy, institutional and professional reform. (Pretty)

This is a video of an African farmer in the rift valley of Kenya who is doing small things on his farm to be more environmentally friendly and benefit his crops. To view the full video, click on this link:  Sustainable Agriculture in Africa

This particular farmer owns a 5 acre farm that he uses to grow crops and rear animals.
His main goals are to:

• increase productivity for longer periods
• utilize soil for longer without damaging it
• and maximize products

The rift valley in Kenya deals with heavy rainfall in April and May.
The rain can be very destructive:

• washes away soil
• damages crops
• causes floods

Here are the ways this farmer makes his area more sustainable:

• builds trenches to create water diversion
• keeps animals in their own area to prevent damage to crops
• reuses plant material to cover soil and also used as fertilizer
• uses mixed cropping 
• utilizes grass to prevent an overflow of water
• builds contours to better his crops

This is another video of how Africa is moving toward self sufficient food production by training students within the environment to deal with it's unique agricultural challenges. To view the full video, click on this link: Investing in Africa's Agricultural Future

The African Center for Crop Improvement is at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban, So uth Africa. A group of PHD students who are doing trial runs of breeding programs in their own home environments.

The starting point for improving production is by using better crops:

• improved varieties
• adapted to droughts
• resistant to diseases and pests

By learning the training fundamentals of crop breeding in Africa, these students are able to do their research at home, in their own environment, and see the results first hand.

Ultimately, Africa will see its largest economic growth in the development of agriculture through sustainability. By promoting learning and innovation in these small communities, the people of Africa can create opportunities for advancement while establishing a sustainable environment to survive in. 

Sources

Diao, Xinshen. The Role of Agriculture in Development: Implications for Sub-Saharan Africa. International Food Policy Research Institute: 2007.

Ngongi, Namanga. "We Need to Change the Image of Agriculture in Africa." Poverty Matters Blog. The Guardian. 2 November 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/nov/01/africa-agriculture-image-change


Pretty, Jules. "Can Sustainable Agriculture Feed Africa? New Evidence on Progress, Processes, and Impacts." Environment, Development, and Sustainability. Volume 1, Issue 3. Springer Netherlands: 1999.

Tutton, Mark. "Study: Africa Can Feed Itself in a Generation." CNN.com. 9 December 2010. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/12/02/africa.food.study/ 

YouTube videos:
"Sustainable Agriculture in Africa" by Conservation Films
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucdsju8FYKw

"Investing in Africa's Agricultural Future" by Catalytica Global
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuQr-nnQndc