Food production in Africa is growing. The World Bank estimates that African agriculture and agribusiness could be worth $1 trillion by 2030. But there is still a lot about food and agriculture in Africa that needs to be better understood in order to make this happen.
A recent study from the World Bank looked at six African countries, surveying 22,000 households, to better understand the reality of farming and food production at the microlevel. These were used to contrast with myths that have risen from common beliefs and research done on national levels in Africa. Below are ten commonly perceived ideas about food production in Africa and reality of farming practices today.
1. Modern Farming Practices Are Not Commonly Used in Africa - FALSE
The myth here is that African farmers’ use of “modern input” in agriculture production is very low. Modern input means the use of improved seeds, inorganic fertilizers and other types of pesticides, irrigation, and machinery like tractors and other modern farming equipment. Chemical use was not as low as researchers thought and was used more often on larger land plots. While owning a tractor is not common, communities often share or rent modern equipment. What is really interesting is that maize (or corn) utilizes modern input more than any other crop.
2. Poor Infrastructure Is a Big Problem for Farmers - TRUE
Bad roads, unreliable electricity, lack of credit access, corruption, and other issues related to stable infrastructure in Africa are keeping farmers from access to markets, land, and labor. The ability to sell produce at markets and the dependability of markets is often out of control of the household head for African farms.
3. Agriculture in Africa Is the Biggest Business But the Least Productive - TRUE
How much less productive is agriculture compared to other sectors in Africa? Non-agricultural labor productivity is believed to be six times higher than agricultural labor productivity. But the study proved it is not quite that much- when looking at rural farms the differences are smaller than national averages. So yes, agriculture is not as productive as some other jobs, but the gap is smaller than previously thought.
4. Agriculture Is Booming in Africa! - TRUE
Woman showing her vegetable produce in Uganda
This one may not seem surprising. I recently was chatting with a taxi driver on the way to the airport and he had me guess where he was from. My clues - best coffee in the world and famous runners. I was right when I guessed Ethiopia, which is just one of many African countries increasing production on international and local levels.
Population increase and better access to markets via technology and improved infrastructure are intensifying African agriculture production. African farmers are planting more, but yields and efficiency in produce are still lower than they could be.
5. Food Price Varies Greatly by Season - TRUE
Foods are more expensive when they are not in season around the world, and especially in Africa. Price fluctuations are 2-3 times higher in Africa for maize and rice than the international average between seasons. Perishable foods like tomatoes or cassava also cost more when out of season. As a result, African households eat lower costing foods and less fresh foods in the pre-harvest season. This is especially true for poor households. This is really interesting because studies on poverty can be different if they are done in certain seasons.
6. The Amount of Produce Lost in Africa is Large - FALSE
Belief that a large amount of produce is lost between production on the farm and going to the market is not as much as commonly believed. Factors that affect lost produce are more related to weather conditions like heat and humidity. Increased education is also linked to lower loss of produce, and farms controlled by women are likely to have lower losses too.
7. Men Do Most of the Work - FALSE
Women are heavily relied on in the agriculture department in rural Africa. In Sub-saharan African farming communities women do between 50-80% of the bulk work of agriculture production. Gender has long played a role in farming practices in Africa, with women being largely involved, and this holds true today. Because agriculture and farming practices are formed around gender, there are structural differences between male and female headed farms.
8. Female Farmers Are More Productive - FALSE
While the bulk of farmers in rural Africa are women, women are actually less productive farmers in Africa. The main reason for this is due to social infrastructure. Men in rural farming communities in Africa are more respected and are able to hire more skilled laborers, while this is not as true for women in rural Africa. Women split time between childcare and farming while men are less likely to take on childcare responsibilities which gives them less time to tend crop plots. Community childcare would help women farmers in rural Africa increase productivity.
9. Young People Do Not Want to Be Farmers - TRUE
Farming is now done by the elderly, but do young people want to take over? The general consensus from young people in Africa is that farming is a dead end career- African youths do not want to labor on farms. However, there are lots of opportunities for young people in Africa to get involved in farming and agribusiness in other ways,such as marketing and promoting produce, expanding gap in international markets, and creating better infrastructure between production and sale in markets.
10. African Farmers Are Not Investing in Other Areas - FALSE
African farmers are investing their incomes in other places. Agriculture still remains the main form of livelihood for rural Africans but incomes from other sectors are increasing. Income from non-farm wage employment averages 8% in African countries, compared with 21% elsewhere. So while lower, investing in other areas is on the rise. Yet, wealthier families diversify their incomes more than African families with lower incomes.
Now that these myths have been exposed, what can be done to improve food production, livelihoods, and agriculture in Africa? Education on the best farming practices, promotion of gender equality in the agricultural sector, and better infrastructure are among the many ways Africa can keep boosting food production.