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.
