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African Agriculture

National efforts to address food security should integrate nutrition interventions into their broader development initiatives. Incorporating nutrition concerns into agricultural production and processing, for example, is one way of improving knowledge of nutrition among the wider public. In the long term, these interventions are critical to ensuring that addressing hunger and health also means addressing nutrition (Hunger Report 2006, Page 91) Cross Reference: Food Security, Development Aid
African agriculture and rural development face many constraints that must be reduced or removed to effect change and growth, especially in ways that will benefit poor and hungry people. A lot of these changes largely—though not exclusively—depend on work that Africans must do for themselves (Hunger Report 2003, Page 89).
Key trade issues should be protecting African countries' ability to diversify their agriculture from primary agricultural commodities, negotiating for better markets or raw and value-added agricultural products, and getting compensatory programs for low-income food-importing African countries that might be hurt by industrialized countries' agricultural liberalization (Hunger Report 2003, Page 87). Cross Reference: Trade
Africa: Farm and rural nonfarm activities are synergistic. Therefore, the broad development of institutions, infrastructure and facilities in rural areas must be seen in light of how they affect agricultural production and competitiveness. Countries also must invest in their people by supporting employment training, education and health care, and creating institutions and policies that make ending hunger and poverty an explicit and measurable goal. In this regard, strategies for improving agriculture must be cognizant of the broader rural development objectives and careful assessments done to ensure addressing one constraint does not create harm for the other, especially relating to environmental sustainability…Thoughtful, innovative ways of tapping into, and intelligently using, local information and experience about local soil conditions, drought cycles, pests and diseases should be sought when formulating region-specific agricultural innovations and support services (Hunger Report 2003, Page 87). Cross Reference: Rural Development, Employment, Health Care
Because agriculture is the foundation of rural African economies and provides the main income for most poor Africans, efforts to strengthen rural economies must emphasize agricultural development. Policies must ensure that small farmers have access to markets, technologies, credit and farm inputs in a global economy (Hunger Report 2003, Page 85). Cross Reference: Economy
Current efforts to integrate research institutions into regional networks should be supported and strengthened to promote technology sharing, capacity building and efficient allocation of scarce resources. Renewed interest in African agriculture by the World Bank, USAID, European Union and others, should translate into additional funding that allows African scientists and policymakers to explore new technological innovations for increasing food production and quality, such as organic farming and agricultural biotechnology (Hunger Report 2003, Page 83). Cross Reference: Development Aid to Africa and Biotechnology
For African agriculture to succeed in improving the lives of rural poor people, agricultural technologies and ideas not only must accelerate food production, but also pursue more efficient and sustainable use of Africa's natural resources (Hunger Report 2003, Page 83).
Because agricultural research is the engine of agricultural growth, it must be put back on the agenda of African political leaders and international donor agencies. African countries must secure research investments in three core agricultural institutions: research, agricultural extension and higher education. These three core institutions constitute what I call the agricultural knowledge triangle. For agriculture to succeed in Africa, its leaders must focus on creating and supporting science and technological institutions that improve the welfare of all people (Hunger Report 2003, Side Bar: Page 82)
Clearly, for agricultural development to succeed, farmers must have access to better credit so they can invest in their operations. The private sector should be encouraged to partner with governments to devise cost-effective means of disbursing to, and collecting money from, small farmers (Hunger Report 2003, Page 77).
Any effort to development agriculture and improve household food security must include a focus on women. Most African farmers are women, and female-headed households are prone to hunger and poverty. African women generate two-thirds of Africa's agricultural production, and participate in trade and processing (Hunger Report 2003, Page 77). Cross Reference: Gender Equality, Food Security and Trade
To improve agricultural productivity, countries need to improve infrastructure and reduce rural-urban migrations by creating more rural employment and boosting incomes from labor earnings; especially among poor farm households (Hunger Report 2003, Page 77).
For long-term agricultural growth to succeed in Africa, farmers need secure land ownership and user rights to increase land investments, protect the land's natural resources and promote its long-term sustainable use (Hunger Report 2003, Page 76)
While increasing global agricultural trade is important to Africa's future, agriculture itself also must be supported and developed. African poor farmers need: better access to resources, such as land, credit, extension and market information; better roads, communication networks and other infrastructure; superior agricultural production and processing technologies; and more stable economic and political environments (Hunger Report 2003, Page 73). Cross Reference: Economy
Any assessment of biotechnology's potential and risks in Africa must take into account the continent's specific and varied needs, conditions and circumstances. It is imperative that Africans make their own decisions about whether to adopt specific agricultural biotechnology (Hunger Report 2002, Page 81) Cross Reference: Biotechnology

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