21/06/2018
The Project “Agriculture in Africa: Telling facts from Myths” explores some facts about Agriculture in Africa that many experts and policy makers consider self-evident truths. But the rural landscape of the continent has evolved, as has the African farmer. In the current context, are these conventions about Africa’s agriculture still valid?
Here are some of the answered questions from worldbank.org :
Is African agriculture intensifying?
The Boserup-Ruthenberg theory has long been used to explain determinants of agricultural growth. The analysis shows that patterns of intensification observed across countries are not entirely consistent with the theory.
Is Post Harvest loss large?
On average, smallholder maize farmers in Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania do not find post-harvest loss to be high. Only about one fifth of households report a loss, and among those who report a loss, losses are around 20 percent on average, resulting in a total reported loss of the national maize harvest between 1.4 and 5.9 %.
Are African farmers diversifying their incomes?
African households have higher farm-related income than in other regions (63% versus 33%), but not when their level of development is taken into account.
Are Non-Farm enterprises operating in survival mode?
The evidence shows that rural enterprises are “small businesses in a big continent” where large distances, rural isolation, low population density, and farming risks limit productivity and growth.
