Climate variations determine the performance of the agricultural sector Despite available water resources, a very small proportion of land is under irrigation. The variability of precipitation in time and space in all areas receiving less than 1 200 mm of rain annually leads to high yield variability. With no water management (only 6% of cultivated land is irrigated, most of which is in five countries: South Africa, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco and Sudan), yields are determined by climatic conditions. This uncertainty influences the strategies adopted by farmers, who are reluctant to invest in in- tensive agriculture.
Changes in the various subsectors
The performances of African agriculture vary among the different subsectors. They are determined by different government incen- tives, a range of technical constraints, the dynamics of heteroge- neous markets and the level of organisation of each subsector, which varies from one product to another. Of course, an in-depth analysis of the main agricultural subsectors across the continent is outside the scope of this document. Nonetheless, in order to analyse the main dynamics working across the continent, it is useful to
ŠIssala-NEPAD
with a combination of increased labour productivity, higher yields and an expansion of the land area under cultivation. Finally, the performance of the agricultural sectors in East and Central Africa has been particularly disappointing, stymied by conflict, political instability and recurring poor climatic conditions.
This variability across the continent does not change the gen- eral trend: despite growth, agricultural production has been un- able to meet the higher and more diversified food requirements of the population. In fact, in many countries and regional blocs, population growth has exceeded growth in agricultural produc- tion. Thus, food deficits have increased in countries that have tra- ditionally been importers of food (North Africa and countries that export mining products), while countries that have traditionally been self-sufficient have struggled to maintain this status. From being self-sufficient for cereals in the 1960’s, Africa has become a net importer.
Chapter 1 | Agriculture and Economic Climate
case in Africa, where there has been very little improvement in production factors (labour and land), except in North Africa and, to a lesser extent, in West Afri- ca. Agricultural growth in Africa is generally achieved by cultivat- ing more land and by mobilising a larger agricultural labour force, but there has been very little improvement in yields and barely any change in production techniques. These general dynamics vary considerably from one region to another, both across the continent and within the different regions, according to several factors. North Africa, for example, stands out with a model that is similar to the one seen in Asia: very little land is still available, but sustained agricultural growth is fostered by intensive agri- culture. West Africa, on the other hand, experienced a period of sustained growth that surpassed that of many Asian countries,
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The Agri Handbook 2015
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