Building a resilient and sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
This book (PDF) by Springer is a collection of papers related to a better understanding of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and to the best policy options for enhancing its resilience and sustainability. It offers technical analyses, policy recommendations and an overview of success stories for agricultural sustainability. The first part of the book looks into issues of productivity, sometimes by gender, with a specific focus on modern inputs, including machinery, fertilizers and improved seed varieties. It also demonstrates that some crop adoption can reduce farmers’ income if not adequately planned or completed with other measures. The second part analyses climate change challenges in agriculture and its vulnerability to drought and declining soil fertility. Authors deal with soil and water conservation techniques, land tenure issues and weather index insurance. In the third part, authors consider the promotion of agro-industrialization. They review the contribution of agricultural activities to the development of the manufacturing sector, focus on the creation of special economic zones (SEZs) to transform agriculture and examine Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) integration in global value chains. Each paper provides insights for improved policy making and defines relevant strategic priorities on Africa’s sustainable transformation process. The book demonstrates the rationale of developing a competitive, inclusive and sustainable agribusiness sector for Africa’s food security and structural transformation. Policy recommendations are divided into five sections. One section is on improving policies and institutions in the agricultural sector. Property rights should be defined to ensure security of land tenure and enable land to be used as collateral. Land registration and legal recognition of customary rights and administrative issues are needed to promote more equitable land access and rights. Farmer support organizations are essential in acquiring, applying and disseminating knowledge and skills to farmers. Women empowerment is needed, as well as the implementation of gender-sensitive policy.