Transforming Africa’s economic development requires a shift away from its characteristic dependence on commodities and limited domestic production. Broader participation in economic growth is needed to stem rural flight and promote inclusive job creation among youth and women. Agriculture is a proven platform for economic transformation and can be achieved in African countries through policies addressing bottlenecks and constraints to the expansion of agriculture in the economy.
Africa is rich in both natural and human resources, yet nearly 200 million of its people are undernourished because of inadequate food supplies. Comprehensive strategies are needed across the continent to harness the power of science and technology (S&T) in ways that boost agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability -- ultimately ensuring that all Africans have access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs. This report addresses the question of how science and technology can be mobilized to make that promise a reality.
This book is about the journey of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and his mission to end poverty in Africa. Growing out of poverty and witnessing hardships of being poor, he set his life mission as giving hope to millions of the poor in rural Africa. A globally respected economist with decades of experience working in some of the worlds’ leading organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation and global agricultural research centers, Dr. Adesina’s work and passion continues to guide and shape global efforts on transforming Africa’s agriculture to create wealth for its farmers. As Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, he led bold reforms that cut out corruption and helped to lift over 15 million farmers out of poverty within four years. Awarded the World Food Prize in 2017 for his work, Dr. Adesina is relentless and selfless, donating his $250,000 prize to support Africa’s youth to become global hunger fighters. As President of the African Development Bank - Africa’s premier development finance institution - Dr. Adesina is driving the Bank’s $25 billion investment to help Africa turn agriculture into wealth and achieve food security. The book is a palpable story of this man’s determination to help Africa feed itself, Against All Odds, following the footpath of his mentor, Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, the man who fed the world.
Pamphlet on research needs in agricultural research to foster agricultural production increase in Africa - examines the economic recession and development aid; considers agricultural development since 1960; suggests a study of agricultural research policy, as well as research on obstacles to agricultural production, human resources, capital formation, and the economic policy of food security. References.
The book includes presentations made to the Inter University Center's (IUC) conference on «Agricultural Transformation in Africa during the 1990's - Present Performance and Future Trends», June 1991 in Dubrovnik. With agriculture becoming a major issue of development studies, the contributors tried to develop a comprehensive and inter-disciplinary approach to analyse trends, causes, and the development potential of structural changes and agricultural transformation policies in Africa.
Research paper, agricultural development, role in economic development, structural change in the agricultural sector - theoretical aspects, decision making, agricultural production production factors, farm households, agricultural technology issues, agricultural policies for speeding up modernization, etc. Graph, references, tables.
The world's demand for food is expected to double within the next 50 years, while the natural resources that sustain agriculture will become increasingly scarce, degraded, and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In many poor countries, agriculture accounts for at least 40 percent of GDP and 80 percent of employment. At the same time, about 70 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas and most depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. 'World Development Report 2008' seeks to assess where, when, and how agriculture can be an effective instrument for economic development, especially development that favors the poor. It examines several broad questions: How has agriculture changed in developing countries in the past 20 years? What are the important new challenges and opportunities for agriculture? Which new sources of agricultural growth can be captured cost effectively in particular in poor countries with large agricultural sectors as in Africa? How can agricultural growth be made more effective for poverty reduction? How can governments facilitate the transition of large populations out of agriculture, without simply transferring the burden of rural poverty to urban areas? How can the natural resource endowment for agriculture be protected? How can agriculture's negative environmental effects be contained? This year's report marks the 30th year the World Bank has been publishing the 'World Development Report'.
At a time when Africa's food security stands threatened, Realizing Africa's Rice Promise provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art research and recommendations for dealing with future challenges. With contributions from the key scientists working on rice in Africa, this volume addresses policy, genetic diversity and improvement, sustainable productivity enhancement, innovations and value chains. The book is useful for researchers, policy makers, agricultural ministries, donors, regional and sub-regional organizations, non-governmental development organizations and universities.
