Download or read book Going Beyond Demos to Transform African Agriculture written by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Norman Borlaug and his colleagues, when developing the Asian Green Revolution, did not have an organization behind them like the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Its founding 10 years ago was a smart thing to do. H. E. Kofi Annan sounded the call for a uniquely African Green Revolution on July 5, 2004, at a meeting of Heads of State in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Not long afterwards, AGRA was established. Given the complexity of the challenges involved, AGRA had to be invented from scratch because no such institution existed before.At its start, AGRA focused on four main components of what a Green Revolution needed most: seeds, soils, markets and policy. How to overcome nutrient depletion and soil compaction so common in most smallholder farms of sub-Saharan Africa is a major challenge in itself ¿ not something that the Asian Green Revolution had to face. African soils are now unhealthy and this has been directly related to unhealthy people. And largely because of that, cereal yields in sub-Saharan Africa hovered around 1 MT/ha, the lowest of any region of the world. AGRA has stimulated what is now an organic movement composed of farmers,farmer associations, NGOs, policymakers, scientists and advocates from the private and public sectors throughout Africa and beyond.AGRA¿s Soil Health Program (SHP) started with a bang at the Africa Fertilizer Summit held in Abuja in June, 2006. This gathering created awareness of the need for increased use of mineral fertilizers (from about 8 kg/ha to 50 kg/ha) as the key vehicle for overcoming soil fertility depletion. Commitments made at the Summit and follow-up actions resulted in the average fertilizer use in Africa increasing from 8 kg of actual NPK fertilizers per hectare at that time to the current level of 16 kg/ha, a good first step. Several of us soil scientists attending the Summit felt that, for the first time, people were listening to us.
Download or read book Africa s Agricultural Renaissance written by Ayodele Odusola and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-06-26 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the paradox between preponderance of hunger in a continent that is well endowed with fertile agricultural land, plenty of fresh water and a vibrant labor force. As some statistics show, close to 60% of arable land in the world is located in Africa which also has several rivers flowing in all seasons and plenty of underground water. The bulk of its labor force thrives on agriculture, yet the continent’s largest import item is food. 23 of 36 the most malnourished countries also belong in Africa. This has caused significant needless human suffering. This book goes beyond providing the traditional framework of supplying policy recommendations to delivering an applied, innovative framework upon which policymakers, the private sector and international institutions can take clear and deliberate action to stimulate Africa's agricultural sector, thus responding to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Download or read book Against All Odds written by Leon Hesser and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2019-09-24 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the journey of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and his mission to end poverty in Africa. Growing out of poverty and witnessing hardships of being poor, he set his life mission as giving hope to millions of the poor in rural Africa. A globally respected economist with decades of experience working in some of the worlds’ leading organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation and global agricultural research centers, Dr. Adesina’s work and passion continues to guide and shape global efforts on transforming Africa’s agriculture to create wealth for its farmers. As Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, he led bold reforms that cut out corruption and helped to lift over 15 million farmers out of poverty within four years. Awarded the World Food Prize in 2017 for his work, Dr. Adesina is relentless and selfless, donating his $250,000 prize to support Africa’s youth to become global hunger fighters. As President of the African Development Bank - Africa’s premier development finance institution - Dr. Adesina is driving the Bank’s $25 billion investment to help Africa turn agriculture into wealth and achieve food security. The book is a palpable story of this man’s determination to help Africa feed itself, Against All Odds, following the footpath of his mentor, Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, the man who fed the world.
Download or read book Perspectives on Agricultural Transformation written by Thomas S. Jayne and published by Nova Publishers. This book was released on 2002 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perspectives on Agricultural Transformation - A View From Africa
Download or read book Food for All in Africa written by Gordon Conway and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-15 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Africa requires a new agricultural transformation that is appropriate for Africa, that recognizes the continent's diverse environments and climates, and that takes into account its histories and cultures while benefiting rural smallholder farmers and their families. In this boldly optimistic book, Sir Gordon Conway, Ousmane Badiane, and Katrin Glatzel describe the key challenges faced by Africa's smallholder farmers and present the concepts and practices of Sustainable Intensification (SI) as opportunities to sustainably transform Africa's agriculture sector and the livelihoods of millions of smallholders. The way forward, they write, will be an agriculture sector deeply rooted within SI: producing more with less, using fertilizers and pesticides more prudently, adapting to climate change, improving natural capital, adopting new technologies, and building resilience at every stage of the agriculture value chain. Food for All in Africa envisions a virtuous circle generated through agricultural development rooted in SI that results in greater yields, healthier diets, improved livelihoods for farmers, and sustainable economic opportunities for the rural poor that in turn generate further investment. It describes the benefits of digital technologies for farmers and the challenges of transforming African agricultural policies and creating effective and inspiring leadership. Food for All in Africa demonstrates why we should take on the challenge and provides ideas and methods through which it can be met.
Download or read book Transforming African Agriculture written by Carl K. Eicher and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pamphlet on research needs in agricultural research to foster agricultural production increase in Africa - examines the economic recession and development aid; considers agricultural development since 1960; suggests a study of agricultural research policy, as well as research on obstacles to agricultural production, human resources, capital formation, and the economic policy of food security. References.
Download or read book The New Harvest written by Calestous Juma and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-08-03 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that Africa can feed itself in a generation and help contribute to global food security despite its history of persistent food shortages and the rising threat of climate change. To achieve this, the continent must harness scientific and technological advances, invest in infrastructure, foster higher technical training, and create regional markets. It must also foster a new crop of entrepreneurial leaders dedicated to the continent's economic improvement. This new edition provides ideas on how to place agriculture at the center of the continent's long-term economic transformation. It demonstrates how policy coordination can help realize agriculture's full potential as a motherboard for other economic activities. Incorporating lessons from academia, government, civil society, and private industry, The New Harvest outlines how African countries can work together at regional levels to generate new knowledge and resources, harness technological advancement, encourage entrepreneurship, increase agricultural output, create markets, and improve overall economic performance.
Download or read book Africa s Changing Agricultural Development Strategies written by Christopher L. Delgado and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 1995 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Similarities and dominant paradigms; Chronology and elements of the dominant paradigms of agricultural development; Insights for paradigms of African Agricultural Development.
Download or read book Agricultural Transformation in Africa written by Gbadebo O. A. Odularu and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers new insights into the ongoing agricultural transformation in Africa. Presenting case studies, macro-level simulations, and relevant surveys, it analyzes food crops and agri-food policy challenges and their implications in various African countries. In addition, it discusses how current African agri-food policies could be improved to achieve the continental vision of sustainable development in light of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The respective contributions address topics such as drivers of technical efficiency among smallholder maize farmers; farm management practices; agri-food infrastructure policies; food security; agricultural growth; and financing for and investment in agricultural production. Accordingly, the book appeals to scholars of economics and agricultural studies and to anyone interested in the agricultural transformation of Africa.
Download or read book Increasing Production from the Land written by Andrew Coulson and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African agriculture faces major challenges with growing population pressure and the impact of climate change. Until now food production overall has broadly kept pace with demand. To maintain this impressive achievement, production from the land needs to be intensified, soil fertility must be enhanced, forests and water resources must be conserved, and land use practices must be sustainable over the long term. This book shows what needs to be done, and points to how best to achieve this. The book starts with a brief guide to what plants and animals need to grow well, how farmers currently use the land, and the research that is being conducted on new agricultural technologies. A comparison is made of productivity on small and large farms, which demonstrates that, contrary to some suggestions, small farmers, properly serviced, can be as productive or even more productive than larger farms. Subsequent chapters discuss issues of land tenure, pastoralism, training, the importance of women farmers, access to finance, markets, value chains, and contract farming as a partnership between small-scale producers, processors and traders in agricultural products. The final section of the book discusses whether a new green revolution is feasible or desirable for Africa. The potential risks and benefits of dependence on purchased agrochemicals, genetically modified varieties, and multinational seed and chemical companies are examined. A series of twelve broad policy proposals for achieving a sustainable agriculture sector is presented for consideration. Fifteen case studies illustrate the issues discussed in the book. Most of the examples are from East Africa, particularly Tanzania, but the principles addressed are relevant across the African continent. Each chapter of the book includes references and suggestions for further reading, most of them freely available to anyone with internet access. A set of essay questions exploring the issues covered in each chapter is included, to provide practical help for students of agriculture and their teachers.
Download or read book Rethinking African Agriculture written by Goran Hyden and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-07-20 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rethinking African Agriculture argues that rural communities in Africa are still shaped by non-agrarian factors both in livelihood strategy and social formation. This volume renews and deepens the research on the African peasantry by offering a fresh perspective drawn from the hitherto largely unknown Japanese research on the subject. The ethnographic fieldwork focuses not only on the micro environment of the producers but also the broader historical context in which they live and work. The contributors argue that, in comparison with other regions of the world, Africa has never passed through an agrarian revolution that would effectively change the mode of production from within. Modernization efforts from the outside have fallen far short of the ambition to transform agriculture in Africa. Rural Africa is still largely a natural society characterized by "non-agrarian" features as evident in people’s livelihood, social organization, and farming systems. This book will be of interest to social scientists and anthropologists focusing on African development, agriculture and agrarian societies,
Download or read book Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa written by Jeehye Kim and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020-07-16 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study—which includes a pilot intervention in Kenya—aims to further the state of knowledge about the emerging trend of disruptive agricultural technologies (DATs) in Africa, with a focus on supply-side dynamics. The first part of the study is a stocktaking analysis to assess the number, scope, trend, and characteristics of scalable disruptive technology innovators in agriculture in Africa. From a database of 434 existing DAT operations, the analysis identified 194 as scalable. The second part of the study is a comparative case study of Africa’s two most successful DAT ecosystems in Kenya and Nigeria, which together account for half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s active DATs. The objective of these two case studies is to understand the successes, challenges, and opportunities faced by each country in fostering a conducive innovation ecosystem for scaling up DATs. The case study analysis focuses on six dimensions of the innovation ecosystem in Kenya and Nigeria: finance, regulatory environment, culture, density, human capital, and infrastructure. The third part of the study is based on the interactions and learnings from a pilot event to boost the innovation ecosystem in Kenya. The Disruptive Agricultural Technology Innovation Knowledge and Challenge Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together more than 300 key stakeholders from large technology companies, agribusiness companies, and public agencies; government representatives and experts from research and academic institutions; and representatives from financial institutions, foundations, donors, and venture capitalists. Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa concludes by establishing that DATs are demonstrating early indications of a positive impact in addressing food system constraints. It offers potential entry points and policy recommendations to facilitate the broader adoption of DATs and improve the overall food system.
Download or read book Adapting to Climate Uncertainty in African Agriculture written by Stephen Whitfield and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-20 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Future climatic and agro-ecological changes in Africa are uncertain and associated with high degrees of spatial and temporal variability and this change is differently simulated within divergent climate-crop models and in controlled crop breeding stations. Furthermore, uncertainty emerges in local contexts, not just in response to climatic systems, but to social, economic, and political systems, and often with implications for the appropriateness and adoption of technologies or the success of alternative cropping systems. This book examines the challenges of adaptation in smallholder farming in Africa, analysing the social, economic, political and climatic uncertainties that impact on agriculture in the region and the range of solutions proposed. Drawing on case studies of genetically modified crops, conservation agriculture, and other 'climate smart' solutions in eastern and southern Africa, the book identifies how uncertainties are framed 'from above' as well experienced 'from below', by farmers themselves. It provides a compelling insight into why ideas about adaptation emerge, from whom, and with what implications. This book offers a unique perspective and will be highly relevant to students of climate change adaptation, food security and poverty alleviation, as well as policy-makers and field practitioners in international development and agronomy.
Download or read book An African Green Revolution written by Keijiro Otsuka and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-22 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the usefulness of the Asian model of agricultural development for Africa, where, even before the recent world food crisis, half the population lived on less than on dollar a day, and a staggering one in three people and one third of all children were undernourished. Africa has abundant natural resources; agriculture provides most of its jobs, a third of national income and a larger portion of total export earnings. However the levels of land and labor productivity rank among the worst in the world. The book explains Africa’s productivity gap and proposes ways to close it, by examining recent experience in Africa and by drawing on lessons from Asia.
Download or read book Ghana s Economic and Agricultural Transformation written by Xinshen Diao and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using Ghana as a case study, this work integrates economic and political analysis to explore the challenges and opportunities of Africa's growth and transformation.
Download or read book Innovation In African Agriculture written by Arthur J Dommen and published by Westview Press. This book was released on 1988-06-06 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Soil Fertility Management in Sub Saharan Africa written by W. Graeme Donovan and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World Bank Technical Paper No. 408. This report is a critical review of the technical, economic, and institutional constraints on improving soil fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the actions recommended to address them. Action plans prepared for Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Mali examine the demand for and supply of mineral fertilizers, the exploitation of local mineral resources, the prevention of soil erosion and increasing soil-water retention, and soil fertility management using organic technologies and management practices.
