Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1995-1997
2002-2004
Kg/ha
No data
<30
30−60
>60
Water bodies
About 75% of the farmland in sub-Saharan Africa is severely degraded by
soil nutrient mining. Africa loses $4 billion worth of soil nutrients every year.
FIGURE 3.9 Nutrient mining in agricultural lands of Africa (1995-1997 and 2002-2004).
(From Henao, J., and C.A. Baanante. 2006. Agricultural production and soil nutrient mining
in Africa: Implications for resource conservation and policy development. Tech. Bull. T-72,
International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, AL.)
million, about 63% live in rural areas. The urbanization trend common to all devel-
oping countries is progressing more slowly in SSA, and as a result, the tipping point
for SSA's transition from a rural to urban majority is predicted around 2050 (IFAD
2011). SSA's population is in the unfortunate position of being the poorest among the
developing regions and is seeing its number of poor increasing while other regions
have reduced the absolute number of poor despite experiencing population growth.
National economies in SSA are primarily dependent on oil, minerals, and agricul-
ture, with the rural economy being more strongly based on agriculture than in other
regions. Smallholder farms make up 80% of all farms in SSA and contribute up to
90% of production (Wiggins 2009). Owing to male urban migration, a large percent-
age of the smallholders are women who are not only heavily engaged in the produc-
tion and processing of staple crops but are also the primary producers of vegetables
and fruits grown to generate income at local markets.
Agriculture's contribution to SSA's gross domestic product (GDP) has been rela-
tively strong for the last three decades, and in 2005 agriculture generated 27% of
the GDP and employed 62% of the population (Staatz and Dembele 2007). Overall,
total agricultural production increases have kept pace with population growth
(FAOSTAT 2010; IFAD 2011), while cereal production per unit of land area has
declined and imports of staple crops have increased. Unlike South Asia where pro-
duction increases are based on agricultural intensification, SSA's increases are due to
increases in cultivated land area or extensification (Figure 3.10). Smallholders who
practice extensification to maintain production are, in reality, mining the soil of its
nutrients and natural fertility and, in the absence of appropriate fallows, are laying
the foundation for land degradation. If smallholders are to benefit from the increased
Search WWH ::




Custom Search