The Business of Agriculture

For decades, African governments have used varying policy instruments in an attempt to improve farming productivity. But most subsistence and small-scale farmers continue to use traditional tools and processes, resulting in poor yield improvements.

In a modern world, digital technology opens vast untapped potential for farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs to improve efficiency of food production and consumption in Africa. From precision farming to an efficient food supply chain, technology could bring major economic, social, and environmental benefits.

African entrepreneurs are interested in helping farmers to improve their yields and are beginning to deliver solutions to small-sized African farms at cost models that farmers can afford. This is being made possible by the rapid growth in access to farming technology as cloud computing, computing systems, connectivity, open-source software and other digital tools become increasingly affordable and accessible.

The economic outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa for 2016 gives room for cautious optimism. A 4.7% increase in GDP across the region in 2016 has been higher than expected. However, the World Bank warns that low commodity prices and high borrowing costs, combined with security issues in some areas, will continue to affect growth rates. To overcome a historic dependence on oil and mining revenues, African economies must continue to diversify into other sectors – particularly those that can provide jobs to a restless and growing young population.

The Singaporean minister of state for trade and industry has advised Uganda not to be excited by the potential prospects the oil industry seems to present.

According to Dr Koh Poh Koon, much as oil has the potential to turn around Uganda's economy, agriculture remains the country's strength because it is where Uganda has a natural comparative advantage.

Consumption of Untreated Animal Products Rising.

Farmers say they have to feed ARVs to pigs to keep them healthy and meet the area's growing appetite for cheap pork. But public health advocates argue that the practice breeds antibiotic-resistant germs in animals that can cause deadly harm to the consumers.

Poultry farmers in South Africa cried out against Economic racism.

Burkina Faso Bans Genetically Modified Cotton on quality ground.

Youth nancial inclusion is a complex and interwoven challenge, and lack of access to nance is one of many challenges preventing youth participation in agriculture. Poor inclusion is not only due to direct constraints, such as the lack of innovation

in the formal banking industry or the lack of youth nancial capabilities, but also to general constraints that simultaneously hamper youth participation in agriculture.

These general constraints include access to: 1) assets and social capital; 2) knowledge, information and adequate education; 3) the political process, and 4) input and output markets.

Africa has become a big player in international rice markets, accounting for 32% of global imports in 2006, at a record level of 9 million tonnes that year. Africa’s emergence as a big rice importer is explained by the fact that during the last decade rice has become the most rapidly growing food source in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, due to population growth (4% per annum), rising incomes and a shift in consumer preferences in favor of rice, especially in urban areas, the relative growth in demand for rice is faster in this region than anywhere in the world. This is occurring throughout the sub- regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

In recent years (2001–2005), rice production has been expanding at the rate of 6% per annum, with 70% of the production increase due mainly to land expansion and only 30% being attributed to an increase in productivity. Much of the expansion has been in the rainfed systems, particularly the two major ecosystems that make up 78% of rice land in West and Central Africa (WCA): the upland and rainfed lowland systems Nonetheless, demand for rice in WCA has far outstripped the local production.

A deeper look into African Development Bank strategy for Agricultural development in Africa with specific focus on the initiative to improve on the collection and analysis of relevant agricultural data for policy making and planning.