“If you wrote a letter to God and asked him for the best soil and climate conditions for farming, this is what he’d send you. It is a paradise for growers.”
Miguel Bosch, Argentine agronomist who manages corporate soybean farm in northern Mozambique.
The global stigma about Africa portrays it as a starving continent, a region relying on continuous international aid. But this perception discredits both the people and our land. In the past 30 years, Africa’s agricultural production has increased by 160%, that’s far more than the global average of 100%. In fact, 18 Sub-Saharan African countries have reached the Millennium Development Goal of halving the population of people going hungry.
However, Africa as a whole remains a net importer of food despite the fact that it has 60% of the earth’s arable land.
“Africa was not always a net food importer because its agriculture contributed more than 60 per cent of GDP before the 1980s. Today, it is a net food importer after disinvesting in agriculture in favor of mining and fossil fuel-led industrialization”
Kanayo Nwanze, CGIAR Special Representative
According to the World Economic Forum, “Smallholder farmers contribute up to 80% of sub-Saharan Africa’s food supply…Africa has an estimated 33 million smallholder farms. Increasing their capabilities would increase Africa’s output and, more importantly, help solve Africa’s poverty and malnutrition.”
Africa’s population is expected to jump to 2 billion by 2050. By uplifting African farmers and their land, and connecting more people to the agribusiness practice, Africa will be able to provide for itself before reaching this crucial benchmark. Along the way, the regional economy will be better able to compete in a globalized market and step into its potential for agribusiness on the world stage.
The fact of the matter is, other countries have recognized Africa’s potential as an agribusiness hub and are moving quickly to stake their claim on the land, while driving out the current residents. We must work quickly to improve Africa’s agribusiness sector so that Africa can feed Africa.
