Unlocking Africa's Agricultural Potential

Unlocking Africa's Agricultural Potential
Author: World Bank. Africa Regional Office. Sustainable Development Unit
Publisher:
Total Pages: 66
Release: 2013
Genre: Agricultural productivity
ISBN:

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Unlocking Africa's Agricultural Potential

Unlocking Africa's Agricultural Potential
Author: Weltbank
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

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Transforming agriculture in Africa is not simply about helping Africa; it is essential for ensuring global food security. But Africa s agriculture is also of critical importance when it comes to meeting the world s future needs for food and fiber. With the global population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, food security producing enough food of sufficient quality and making it accessible and affordable for consumers around the world is one of the most important policy objectives .The United Nations estimates that global food demand will double by 2050, with much of that growth driven by developing countries. The world will then need to feed 2.3 billion more people, and given the deep transformation of growth trajectories in low-income countries, these populations will be increasingly affluent and will demand more, different, and better food. But how will the world meet this additional demand? Given Africa s productive potential, it must be a key contributor to feeding the world in the future. But to fully realize that potential will require overcoming many obstacles through innovative and transformative approaches.

The Role of Agriculture in Development

The Role of Agriculture in Development
Author: Xinshen Diao
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0896291618

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Changes in the global environment have led some to question whether the conventional wisdom on the role of agriculture in economic development is still relevant to Africa today. This report critically examines the literature on this issue, taking both the conventional and skeptical views into account. It complements this review with case studies of five African countries. The findings indicate that agricultural growth will play an essential role in promoting overall economic growth and reducing poverty in most of Africa's agrarian-based economies. This holds true even for countries that have the potential for industrial growth driven by natural resources. The results also show that only smallholder food-staple and livestock production can generate broadbased agricultural growth. By demonstrating that Africa's agricultural and food subsector cannot be bypassed, this report contributes to an important ongoing debate in development studies.

Unlocking Africa's Business Potential

Unlocking Africa's Business Potential
Author: Landry Signe
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2020-04-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0815737394

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Africa welcomes business investment and offers some of the world's highest returns and impacts Africa has tremendous economic potential and offers rewarding opportunities for global businesses looking for new markets and long-term investments with favorable returns. Africa has been one of the world's fastest-growing regions over the past decade, and by 2030 will be home to nearly 1.7 billion people and an estimated $6.7 trillion worth of consumer and business spending. Increased political stability in recent years and improving regional integration are making market access easier, and business expansion will generate jobs for women and youth, who represent the vast majority of the population. Current economic growth and poverty-alleviation efforts mean that more than 43 percent of the continent's people will reach middle- or upper-class status by 2030. Unlocking Africa's Business Potential examines business opportunities in the eight sectors with the highest potential returns on private investment—the same sectors that will foster economic growth and diversification, job creation, and improved general welfare. These sectors include: consumer markets, agriculture and agriprocessing, information and communication technology, manufacturing, oil and gas, tourism, banking, and infrastructure and construction. The book's analysis of these sectors is based on case studies that identify specific opportunities for investment and growth, along with long-term market projections to inform decision-making. The book identifies potential risks to business and offers mitigation strategies. It also provides policymakers with solutions to attract new business investments, including how to remove barriers to business and accelerate development of the private sector.

Unlocking markets to smallholders

Unlocking markets to smallholders
Author: Herman D. van Schalkwyk
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2012-03-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9086861687

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This book assesses the institutional, technical and market constraints as well as opportunities for smallholders, notably, emerging farmers in disadvantaged areas such as the former homelands of South Africa. Emerging farmers are previously disadvantaged black people who started or will start their business with the support of special government programs. Public support programs have been developed as part of the Black Economic Empowerment strategy of the South African government. These programs aim to improve the performance of emerging farmers. This requires, first and foremost, upgrading the emerging farmers skills by providing access to knowledge about agricultural and entrepreneurial practices. To become or to remain good farmers they also need access to suitable agricultural land and sufficient water for irrigation and for feeding their cattle. Finally, for emerging farmers to be engaged in viable farming operations, various factors need to be in place such as marketing and service institutions to give credit for agricultural inputs and investments; input markets for farm machinery, farm implements, fertilizers and quality seeds; and accessible output markets for their end products. This book develops a policy framework and potential institutional responses to unlock the relevant markets for smallholders.

Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa

Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa
Author: Nin-Pratt, Alejandro
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2011
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896291820

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West and Central African nations face major obstacles to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of cutting poverty and hunger in half by 2015, not least among them the fragile state of their agriculture. Although most regional economies depend on agriculture for employment, national income, and export revenues, farm productivity tends to be low, owing to relatively little use of chemical fertilizers, improved seeds, and other modern technologies. Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa responds to this problem by identifying potential areas of growth in the agricultural and livestock sectors. Using data on the soil, water availability, and weather in different parts of West and Central Africa, the authors find significant gaps in different locations between the potential and actual yield of various agricultural products. They then use an economywide multimarket model to simulate the future economic effects of closing these yield gaps. In coastal nations, crops such as cassava, cereals, and yams have the greatest yield gaps, whereas, in the Sahel, livestock, rice, coarse grains and oilseeds (groundnuts) have more room for growth. Although identifying these yield gaps does not guarantee that they can be closed, it does provide a focus for development efforts in the region. The authors conclude, moreover, that if such efforts involve transnational cooperation in agricultural research, marketing, and other areas, they could produce significant benefits across West and Central Africa. This study's findings will be of interest to policymakers, researchers, and others concerned with African development.

Agricultural Development and Food Security in Africa

Agricultural Development and Food Security in Africa
Author: Renu Modi
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2013-08-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1780323743

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The subject of food security and land issues in Africa has become one of increased importance and contention over recent years. In particular, the focus has shifted to the role new global South donors - especially India, China and Brazil - are playing in shaping African agriculture through their increased involvement and investment in the continent. Approaching the topic through the framework of South-South co-operation, this highly original volume presents a critical analysis of the ways in which Chinese, Indian and Brazilian engagements in African agriculture are structured and implemented. Do these investments have the potential to create new opportunities to improve local living standards, transfer new technology and knowhow to African producers, and reverse the persistent productivity decline in African agriculture? Or will they simply aggravate the problem of food insecurity by accelerating the process of land alienation and displacement of local people from their land? Topical and comprehensive, Agricultural Development and Food Security in Africa offers fresh insight into a set of relationships that will shape both Africa and the world over the coming decades.