Africa’s new harvest: Preparing Africa’s agriculture and related sectors to feed and grow the economy
Agriculture plays a key role in Africa’s economy accounting for about a third of the African Continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is a source of livelihoods for about half of the population and feeds hundreds of millions of people on the continent and beyond every day. According to the African Development Bank, the low productivity of Africa’s agricultural sector makes it uncompetitive, with major producer agro-ecologies having high rates of poverty, subjecting 232 million people to undernourishment. Previous studies show that, gross domestic product (GDP) growth originating from agriculture productivity improvement, catalyses up to 40% more income growth among the poorest and is three times larger than growth originating from the rest the economy. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 12), increasing agricultural productivity is essential. Agricultural growth is a foundation for equitable and sustainable growth, because as it also supports food systems that produce nutritious, safe and affordable food. Additionally, considering that the agriculture employs over 60% of rural African populations, including smallholder farmers, it must expand in order to create jobs and unlock opportunity for millions of Africans. Growth however must be sustainable and well-integrated into the broader economy and major agrifood systems