Down to earth: Agriculture and poverty reduction in Africa (original) (raw)

Agriculture, Poverty, and Policy Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

1995

All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First printing February 1995 Discussion Papers present restdts of country analysis or research that are circulated to encourage discussion and comment within the development conLmnunity. To present these results with the least possible delay, the typescript of this paper has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to formal printed texts, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this volume do not imply on the part of the World Bank Group any judgment on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

Poverty eradication and food security through agriculture in Africa: Rethinking objectives and entry points

Outlook on Agriculture, 2019

Agriculture in Africa is expected to meet the dual objectives of providing food and helping people to escape poverty. African agriculture is dominated by smallholdings and donors generally target their agricultural support at the smallholder sector. The expectation is that if the gap between actual and potential yields can be closed, smallholders will grow sufficient crops to feed their families, with a surplus to sell, thus meeting food security needs and bringing in an income to move them out of poverty. In practice, this is often not possible. While technologies already exist that can raise smallholder farmers’ yields 3 or 4 times, even under rainfed conditions, the small size of land available to them limits how much can be grown and the per capita income from agriculture is insufficient to allow people to move above the current World Bank-defined poverty line of US$1.90 per day. We link this finding with farmer typologies to further explain that there are large differences betw...

The Palgrave Handbook of Agricultural and Rural Development in Africa

The Palgrave Handbook of Agricultural and Rural Development in Africa, 2020

n brief, the book examines agricultural and rural development in Africa from theoretical, empirical and policy perspectives. It presents a robust discourse on the developmental concerns needed to be addressed in rural communities through agricultural transformation. It also emphasises on the significance of the agricultural sector as it is closely related to the issues of food sustainability, poverty reduction, employment creation, and the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. In addition to the introduction and the conclusion chapters, the book contains 26 other chapters structured in five sections. The contributing authors provide the interconnections among the different aspects covered in the text, relating to agricultural and rural development in Africa. Hence, the book broadly recommends multiple evidence-based policies to develop the rural areas in Africa through the transformation of the agricultural sector that can benefit the continent.

African Agriculture and the World Bank

Nordic Africa Institute, 2007

Agriculture’s dominant role in sub-saharan Africa’s local, national and regional economies and cultures throughout pre-colonial history has been foundational to 20th century colonial and post-colonial development. No other continent has been so closely identified with smallholder peasant farming. Nonetheless, smallholder farming has been eroding over the last three decades, perpetuating rural poverty and marginalizing remote rural areas. This article explores the current role of agriculture and rural development in African national economies and its potential for improving material standards of living and life chances.

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.