Piotr Cieplak asks whether a raft of new land legislation in South Africa is evidence of renewed vigour from the ANC and whether greater financial commitment will follow.
Two thirds of Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and the sector accounts for 30-40% of the continent’s GDP. Flowers, fruit and vegetables from Africa are increasingly present on the shelves of European supermarkets. Smallholder farmers have been able to service...
Martha Byanyima chronicles the history and development of agricultural standards in Africa and argues that they provide an opportunity to increase the continent’s presence in global trade.
Self-sufficiency in food production is the new mantra of donors and policymakers in Africa. But farmers, large and small, can be much more ambitious. Agriculture is the continent’s most neglected – and important – potential competitive advantage. It is Africa’s best answer to...
In this highly personal and keenly argued commentary, James Gikunju Muuru makes the first detailed response by an African smallholder to the controversy over ‘food miles’. His account describes the serial feats of coordination, discipline, productivity and manual...
Predictions of a Green Revolution in Africa are overstated. Investment in African agriculture has been neglected by governments and donors. The proportion of aid allocated to agriculture fell from 17% in 1980 to 3% in 2005.1 Population growth and declining productivity among...
