Narratives of Agricultural Policy in Africa: What Role for Ministries of Agriculture in the 21st Century? (original) (raw)

From Rhetoric To Policy Action: An Analysis of Agricultural Policy Reform in Six African Countries

2013

Agricultural conditions and means of achieving food security are long overdue. Despite the claims that the food crisis of 2007/8 was a temporary shock, data released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other independent sources suggest that food prices will increase steadily over the next decade, despite occasional fluctuations (Evans, 2009). The number of the world's food insecure is growing. Latest estimates indicate that approximately one billion people are food insecure or one in seven go to bed to hungry every day (FAO, 2009, Action Aid, 2010: 7). The majority of these poor households are based in Africa's countryside

Policy support to African Agriculture: New trends or business as usual

2017

African governments have widely acknowledged the important role that the agricultural sector plays to reduce poverty and improve food security. Nonetheless, governments’ stated policy objectives, the policy measures implemented to achieve these objectives and the effects they generate are often not in line. As a result, there are still many ambiguous and inadequately targeted trade and domestic agricultural policies in place aiming to protect certain interest groups, or directed to achieve certain policy goals that come at a cost for specific (non-targeted) groups within the country’s or region’s population. Based on an updated dataset covering the period 2005-2015 for fifteen African countries assembled in the context of the Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) Project implemented by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), this paper proposes...

Agriculture in Africa – Telling myths from facts: A synthesis

Food Policy

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Reforming agricultural policy: lessons from four countries

2006

The Future Agricultures Consortium aims to encourage critical debate and policy dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa. The consortium is a partnership between research-based organisations in Africa and the UK, with work currently focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi.

Understanding agricultural policy in Africa: The contributions of Robert Bates

World Development, 1993

Bates's writings on the determinants of agricultural policy in Africa employ rational choice and dialectical approaches to political economy. This paper discusses some of the strengths and weaknesses of each, and proposes an alternative dynamic approach to understandine both the limitations and the sources of agricultural policy, with particular reference to Kenya.

African Agriculture and its Relation to Development by Siyaduma Biniza

This is a paper written about the extent to which the economic and social context of agriculture in Africa holds back development. The approach is focused on the economic context and political economic of agricultural policy-making in Africa. Therefore, the paper is an analytical overview of the dominant forces in the agricultural sector on the continent. Thus this analysis concludes that although the developmental outcomes of agriculture are precarious and dialectical; effective government direction and collaborative governance between private and public sectors is necessary to redress the characteristic uneven development and inequality.

Towards a common agricultural policy in Africa?

Agricultural Economics, 2018

The paper analyses the structure and level of international cooperation among African states in the area of agriculture and rural development. It focuses on the AU and its eight Regional Economic Communities. The international cooperation schemes between the World Bank, EU, FAO and African countries in agricultural policy are reviewed. The paper concludes that, despite numerous cross-border initiatives, governance of agricultural policies in the pan-African context remains fragmented. Policy-making and cooperation schemes need to be stepped up to address continent-wide challenges in the sector. There is an urgent need for the AU and the EU to intensify their cooperation in agricultural policies and development. The AU in collaboration with its regional bodies should establish a common agricultural policy for the continent. Such initiatives need to be Africa-driven and adapted to African needs. The EU should only provide technical know-how and institutional support if welcomed by African partners. Collective action towards rural areas via greater coordination of African agricultural policies and actions would help to develop the missing institutional framework needed for agricultural development in the continent. Fostering economic growth through agricultural development and reforms may also lead to a reduction of migration as witnessed by the EU in the sixties.

Agriculture in Developing Countries and the Role of Government: Economic Perspectives

2015

Agriculture in Developing countries and the Role of Government: From an Economic Perspective Agriculture has been a critical driver of well-being for centuries, ensuring food security and catalyzing productivity needed for economic prosperity (Robin, 2011). According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, sixty-five percent of African relies on agriculture as a primary source of livelihood, where small-scale famers are responsible for ninety percent of agricultural production (IFPRI, 2009). Across the African continent, there has been a renewed commitment from governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to move agriculture from a development challenge to a business opportunity. As a result, countries such as Nigeria are moving to once again become a net exporter rather than importer of agricultural commodities (Robin, 2011). However, despite these developments, many smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of Africa's agriculture sector, re...

Agricultural policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: understanding CAADP and APRM policy processes

2009

The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) is a multidisciplinary research, consultancy and training institute for Germany's bilateral and for multilateral development cooperation. On the basis of independent research, it acts as consultant to public institutions in Germany and abroad on current issues of cooperation between developed and developing countries. Through its 9-months training course, the German Development Institute prepares German and European University graduates for a career in the field of development policy.