Africa should focus on agricultural productivity

The escalating global food crisis is threatening to destroy most of the advancements made in poverty reduction over the past decade. Based on even the most conservative estimates of food price increases across the globe, at least 100-million people will be pushed back into absolute poverty, defined as living on less than $1 a day, says Stéphane Oertel, the World Economic Forum’s associate director for Africa and a Global Leadership Fellow. “Demand for food is likely to continue to grow, both globally and within Africa, where food imports are expected to more than double by 2030. At the same time, Africa’s supply base offers significant room to expand from its position of hosting the world’s lowest ratio of arable to total land use. Beyond increasing land use, though, the focus should first and foremost be on increasing agricultural productivity in the continent,” said Oertel. Excluding South Africa, agriculture remains the largest economic sector, accounting for close to a third of sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product, according to Oertel, and at the same time, the agricultural sector consistently under-performs, with food production per capita having stagnated – and even decreased slightly – since the 1960s. “The priority for African governments should be to sensibly confront the various complex and context-specific problems pertaining to land distribution and ownership. Once farmers own their land, they are far more likely to invest in it, thus boosting agricultural productivity. Yet despite this reality, some governments have been loathe to give up control, and go on perpetuating both inefficient and ineffective schemes to support farmers.”