AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRACTICES DIFFER FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY IN AFRICAN CONTINENT. DISCUSS WITH RELEVANT EXAMPLES.
AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA
Introduction
According to Dinar et al., (2012) agricultural activities form the backbone of the African continent’s economy. With more than 60% of its 1.2 billion people living in rural areas, Africa’s economy is inherently dependent on agriculture. More than 32% of the continent’s gross domestic product comes from the sector. The agricultural activities in different countries are sources of employment to the people, sources of income for the government in form of foreign exchange. Agriculture in Africa is underdeveloped, typical of most third world countries. Much of the agricultural activities in Africa is concentrated in the sub-Saharan Africa especially crop growing. This paper will explore the underdeveloped status of agriculture in Africa pointing out its causes and consequences. The paper will also examine the various agricultural practices in African countries, the different crops grown in some selected countries in the continent.
An overview of agricultural development in Africa
As already stated above, agriculture is the main drive of the African economy. However many countries have not put the required emphasis on the sustainability and flourishing of agriculture in Africa. This has made the African continent to remain poor and unable to feed herself. Famine and food insecurity is the order of the day for most of the African countries. Despite agriculture being so important and essential to the African economy, it remains far from developed world standards. Dinar et al., (2012) contends that in Africa, agriculture accounts for two thirds of livelihoods and food accounts for two thirds of the household budgets of poor people. It makes up a very important part of the lives of African people, but in spite of it, it apparently receives very little attention from the governments.
The low productivity levels of agriculture in Africa have resulted in a worrisome scenario: it does not meet the growing demand for food from urban centers. The region is increasingly dependent on food imports. For a continent with such a vast area, a booming young population and tropical climate, it is surprising that Africa is not a net exporter of agricultural products. In the 1970s, Africa provided 8% of the world’s total agricultural exports. Today this number has dropped to a negligible 2% (Jama & Pizarro, 2008). Africa spent US$35bn on food imports (excluding fish) in 2011, only 5% of it related to trading within the continent. An increase in productivity, matched with the right set of policies and investment, could revert this situation. Africa could replace these imports with their own produce, which would in turn reduce poverty, enhance food and nutrition security, and provide sustainable growth to the respective societies (Thompson, 2012).
A broader economic transformation is necessary to shift the current paradigm facing agriculture in Africa. In most of the cases, urbanization and economic growth have resulted in new opportunities for local agricultural producers. However, in Africa, this share of the market mainly belongs to foreign companies. Imports of food staples have been rising sharply, and domestic agriculture has so far failed to increase supply in response. Raising productivity in agriculture is vital to transformative growth, not just because it has the potential to expand markets by displacing imports, but also because agricultural growth is twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in non-agricultural sectors.
Reasons for underdevelopment of agriculture in Africa
Dependence on rain fed agriculture: Over 90% of agriculture in Africa depends on rainfall, with no artificial irrigation aid. The techniques used to cultivate the soil are still far behind from what has been adopted in Asia and Americas, lacking not only irrigation, but also fertilizers, pesticides and access to high-yield seeds. Most of the African countries depend on rainfall for agriculture which is not always available and reliable. This leads to crop failure or low crop yields. The changing and unpredictable raining seasons has greatly affected farmer’s ability to plan their farming activities. Areas which received adequate rainfall now receive insufficient rainfall reducing the land that can support agriculture. This brings the need for more exploitation on irrigation farming especially in arid and semi- arid lands. Only 5% of the cultivated land in Africa makes use of irrigation, with most of the farmers depending on rainfall. In comparison in Asia, 38% of the arable land is under irrigation.
Lack of modern technology: most of the farmers in Africa use traditional cultivation methods which leads to low productivity. Mechanized agriculture is not very effective in Africa. Farm mechanization greatly helps the farming community in developing overall economic growth.
Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases cause a lot of losses to the farmers in Africa. This is due to the lack of information by the farmers on how to control these pests and diseases that invade their farms. Post-harvest losses is caused by poor handling and storage facilities. Extension services can be instrumental in helping reducing pre and post-harvest losses of food.
Deterioration of the soil nutrients
The over rising population has contributed to the subdivision of land to uneconomically small units. In addition, the reduction of fallow periods and continuous cultivation has led to rapid depletion of soil nutrients, declining yields and environmental degradation. Farmers need the information on proper farming practices such as crop rotation and intercropping, aimed at restoring the soil nutrients.
High cost of fertilizers
Farmers in Africa face some of the world’s highest fertilizer prices, and not just in landlocked countries where transport costs are higher, like Burundi and Uganda. Farmers in Nigeria and Senegal pay three times more than their counterparts in Brazil and India. Some countries, like Ghana and Malawi, have thrown money at fertilizer subsidies in flush years only to cut back when budgets tighten (Thompson, 2012).
Poor access to quality seeds
Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are unable to get full information and access to good seeds. The circulation of fake seeds is a major problem in Kenya, which hinders the transformation of the agricultural sector. Africa needs a well-functioning, market-driven seed system and research scientists working with small scale farmers to improve their seeds. The increasing degree of climate change also aggravates the situation. Aiming for improved seed varieties will help crops resist or withstand droughts and flooding, challenges that are becoming alarmingly common. However AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) has made some significant achievements. AGRA, which was founded in 2006, has been helping millions of farmers in Africa. AGRA has supported more than 400 projects, including efforts to develop and deliver better seeds, increase farm yields, improve soil fertility, upgrade storage facilities, improve market information systems, strengthen farmers’ associations, expand access to credit for farmers and small suppliers, and advocate for national policies that benefit smallholder farmers (Thompson, 2012).
Lack of subsidies
Although Africa has one of the lowest cost of production of agricultural commodities in the world, it loses competitiveness in the international market as wealthier countries subsidize their famers, sometimes to the extent that the selling price of crops is lower than the production cost. That is the reality of cotton farmers in West Africa. The United States, the world’s largest cotton producer, paid its cotton farmers $32.9bn to grow their crops between 1995 and 2012. US farmers are subsidized so they produce more cotton than they would otherwise, lowering the global price.
The potential of Africa
Africa’s agricultural development potential is much far from the reality (Holt-Giménez, 2008). Africa continues to punch below her weight in terms of agricultural development. Africa has the land, water and people needed to be an efficient agricultural producer – and to feed an expanding urban population. The Guinea Savannah, a vast area that spreads across 25 countries, has the potential to turn several African nations into global players in bulk commodity production. In addition, countries such as Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Tanzania, have large breadbasket areas that could feed regional populations, displace imports and generate exports. This potential is yet far from being fully explored, but some milestones have been reached. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rwanda’s farmers produced 792,000 tons of grain in 2014 – more than three times as much as in 2000. Production of maize, a vital crop in east Africa, jumped sevenfold. Cereal production tripled in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2014. The value of crops grown in Cameroon, Ghana and Zambia has risen by at least 50% in the past decade. To reduce poverty and boost economic growth, Africa will have to develop a vibrant and prosperous agricultural sector (Holt-Giménez, 2008).
AGRICULTURE PRACTICES IN AFRICA
Agricultural practices vary from country to country across the African continent. Agricultural practices in Africa vary from crop farming to pastoralism, horticulture and floriculture. Some of the crops grown in Africa include corn, sorghum, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, and cotton. The following are some of the major crops grown in the African continent and the specific countries where they are grown.
Coffee growing in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is Africa’s leading producer and exporter of Arabica coffee and the world’s seventh largest producer of coffee. Ethiopia accounts for around 3% of the global coffee market. Coffee is an important crop to the economy of Ethiopia contributing about 60% of foreign income. Half of the coffee is consumed by Ethiopians. The major markets for Ethiopian coffee are the EU (about half of exports), East Asia (about a quarter) and North America. The total area used for coffee cultivation is estimated to be about 4,000 km2. The major growing areas of coffee in Ethiopia are Sidama, Genika, and Harar in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia (Labouisse et al., 2008).
Tea growing in Kenya
Kenya is a country found in the eastern part of the African continent. Tea is a major cash crop that is grown in Kenya. Kenyan tea has been the leading major foreign exchange earner for the country. Most tea produced in Kenya is black tea, with green and yellow ta produced on order by major tea producers. Tea farming in Kenya is mainly practiced in the cooler and wetter parts of the country such as central Kenya and parts of the rift valley. Kenya is ranked first before china and India in tea production. Kenyan tea is also one of the top foreign exchange earners, alongside tourism, horticulture, and Kenyan coffee (Jama & Pizarro, 2008).
The conditions necessary for the growth of the crop include cool and wet climate, volcanic and acidic soils, well distributed rainfall ranging between 1200 mm to 1500 mm per annum. About 60 percent of the tea in Kenya is produced by small-scale farmers. These farmers then sell their produce through the Kenya Tea Development Authority, the body in charge of collecting and processing the tea leaves, who in turn sell it to the outside market through the auction process or by direct sales and other private factory offers. The remaining 40 percent of Kenyan tea is grown on large, privately-owned farms. The owners of these farms process and then sell their tea through the Mombasa Tea Auction, the second largest tea auction in the world.
Cocoa growing in Ghana
Ghana, one of the countries in West Africa is known for the production of cocoa. It is the chief agricultural export of Ghana. Behind Ivory Coast, Ghana is the second largest cocoa exporter in the world. Cocoa production occurs in the country’s forested areas of Ashanti, central Region, Eastern Region, Western Region and the Volta Region where rainfall ranges between 1000 mm to 1500 mm per annum. All cocoa, except that which is smuggled out of the country, is sold at fixed prices to the Cocoa Marketing Board (Kolavalli & Vigneri, 2011). Although most cocoa production is carried out by peasant farmers on plots of less than three hectares, a small number of farmers appear to dominate the trade. Cocoa in Ghana accounts for 30% of the total export earnings and provides income for about six million people.
Oil palm growing in Nigeria
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country is one of the many West African countries which produce oil palm. Other countries which produce oil palm are those found on the equatorial zone such as Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Nigeria palm oil production currently accounts for 7% of total global output (Kolavalli & Vigneri, 2011).
The Nigerian oil palm belt covers twenty-four states, including all nine states of the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta’s 9 states account for about 57% of total Nigerian palm oil production. 80% of production comes from dispersed smallholders who harvest semi-wild plants and use manual processing techniques. The major oil palm producing states include: Enugu, Imo, Ondo, Edo, Cross River, Delta, Akwa, Ibom, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Anambra, Oyo, Abia, Edo and Ogun States. It has numerous benefits as almost all the parts can be used in various applications, but its cultivation takes quite a lot of hard-work, dedication, and resources (Pretty 1999).
Maize production
Maize is a world food staple. In Africa maize is produced virtually by all the countries with South Africa being the leading producer of the crop in Africa. Other leading producers of maize in Africa are Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya. In sub-Saharan Africa, maize is the most widely grown crop and is a staple food for an estimated 50% of the population. Out of 53 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, 46 grow maize – only Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, St. Helena, Seychelles, Western Sahara, Mayotte and British Indian Ocean Territories do not grow it (Jama & Pizarro, 2008).
Sugarcane growing in Sudan
Sudan is the third sugar producer in Africa after South Africa and Egypt. Around 1 Million Tons of sugar per year is produced out of which about 0.2 million Tons per year is exported. However, the country is deficient in sugar as the annual consumption in Sudan reaches 1.6 million tons per year. In general there is great potential in both sugar and ethanol production. Exports of ethanol have already taken place since 2009. Much of the cane in Sudan is grown under irrigation in the blue and white Nile. Sugar cane is a major crop used in several industries. Apart from basic production of sugar and ethanol, production but also processed into juice, molasses, animal feed, paper and panel boards (Kolavalli & Vigneri, 2011).
Irrigation agriculture in Egypt
Egypt is one of the driest countries not only in Africa but also in the world because it is found in the midst of the great Sahara desert. About 96 percent of Egypt’s total area is desert. It is one of the non-sub-Saharan countries whose agriculture has flourished. Despite its unfavorable climate for agriculture, Egypt serves as a prime example of the major leading crop producer. Agriculture remains an important sector of the Egyptian economy. It contributes nearly one-seventh of the GDP employs roughly one-fourth of the labor force and provides the country through agricultural exports with an important part of its foreign exchange among other principal field crops are corn (maize), rice, wheat, sorghum, and fava (broad) beans. Egyptian agriculture is primarily pegged on irrigation from the waters of River Nile. The Egyptians mainly use basin irrigation to grow crops such as vegetables, fruits, grains, barley, onions, and garlic (Kolavalli & Vigneri, 2011).
Pastoralism in Africa
Nomadic pastoralism in the African continent forms part of a critical agricultural activity for some of the African communities. In Africa, nomadic pastoralism is mainly practiced in the Sahel region where most of the pastoralists are found. The herded livestock include cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, yaks, ilamas and camels. Almost 2% of the countries in North Africa are pastoralists except Libya and Mauritania. It is mainly practiced by the Fulani people in Sahel and West Africa who are the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world. Some of the significant countries where these people are found include Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Guinea, Cameroon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Togo. Other nomadic pastoralists include the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, Nuer of Sudan, Karamojong of Uganda and the Somali and Oromo of Somalia and the horn of Africa the problems associated with pastoralists in Africa include cattle rustling, inter-border conflicts, drought, overgrazing and overstocking and desertification. However they contribute to the economy of Africa as their activities help them to earn a living and utilize properly the land which would otherwise be idle (Munyua, & Jensen, 2009).
Conclusion
In conclusion, from the above cited explanation, we can conclude that agricultural development in Africa is far from the world standards. Generally, agriculture is underdeveloped in most of the African countries. Some of the reasons attributed to the underdeveloped state of agriculture in Africa include reliance on rain fed agriculture, lack of modern technology, poor access to quality seeds, pests and diseases, and drought. These factors have led to food insecurity in Africa and the inability of the continent to feed herself. Since agriculture is the backbone of the African economy, efforts have been made to revitalize agriculture by formation of NEPAD and AGRA. These aim at improving the yields of farmers by supplying seeds and fertilizers to promote agricultural development. The agricultural practices differ from country to country in Africa. Some of the significant crops grown in Africa include cocoa and oil palm in West Africa, sugarcane in Sudan, tea in Kenya, and coffee in Ethiopia. Maize is however grown in almost all the countries in Africa. Nomadic pastoralism is another agricultural activity practiced mainly in the Sahel region alongside other regions like east Africa and the horn of Africa.
In order for Africa to liberate herself from the chains of poverty and dependence on donor funding, she has to unleash her potential by putting more emphasis on agricultural development. The governments of the respective countries should emphasize of improving the state of agriculture to ensure food security which is the first step to development. Africa has the potential to feed herself only if the resources are used wisely and intensively. Africa has all the necessary resources: the land, water and people needed to be an efficient agricultural producer and to feed her expanding urban population. Africa is capable of producing enough food for her people and have surplus for exports and reduce the expense on imports. Pretty (1999) opines that adopting sustainable agriculture can help solve this problem.
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