Constraints

The obstacles facing African agriculture are immense, at home and abroad. Internal factors are both political and natural, from fragile governments, economies and infrastructure, to a harsh and often inhospitable climate and environment. External burdens can take the shape of unfavorable trade conditions to low levels of foreign investment and aid.

African economies and agriculture have largely been declining since the 1960s. At current trends, UNDP/UNICEF estimate that Africa will be able to feed less than half its population by 2015, the deadline for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The consensus is that neglect of the agricultural sector is at the root of the problems, and that this encompasses so many factors that Africa needs a series of 'rainbow evolutions' rather than a single 'Green Revolution' to achieve success. Productivity must increase, regional markets are lacking, and stable macroeconomic and private investment climates are needed.

The challenges posed by the political landscape and the physical climate also often go hand in hand:

• A climate vulnerable to drought and instability, coupled with rain-fed rather than irrigated agriculture.
• A rural population far from ports and navigable rivers, leading to extremely high overland transport costs over poorly maintained roads.
• Widespread deforestation and biodiversity losses, soils that are gravely depleted of nutrients, coupled with a lack of financing for science and technology solutions.

Another type of constraint that hinders trade success is the lack of 'soft' market infrastructure. This includes regulatory frameworks and information to enable competitive markets, market information systems, and quality and safety standards.

Likewise, other key solutions necessitate improvements on several fronts; sustainable land and water management will contribute to increased food supply, but depend on improved agriculture research, academic and vocation training and information and knowledge systems.

External resources