Agriculture Cannot Save Africa

We've been lied to. Yes, and it's very easy for us to believe.

Why is it so?

It's very simple: it's a lie we find easy to believe because it's part of us—our way of life, passed on from generation to generation.

And we believe we have the resources—we are blessed with fertile land and favorable climate.

So they told us agriculture should be our focus, that we have the potential to walk out of poverty through agriculture.

But it's a big, fat lie.

Agriculture won't save us.

Here's why:

The agriculture sector in Africa already contributes 35% of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employs more than half of the working population. This is significantly higher than the global average, where agriculture contributes only about 4% to GDP.

In countries like Niger, Chad, and Ethiopia, agriculture contributes 47.8%, 25.1%, and 35.8% respectively.

Meanwhile, in countries like Canada, Japan, and Switzerland, agriculture contributes 7%, 1.02%, and less than 1% respectively.

The industry and services sectors contribute over 90% to the GDP of developed countries.

What are the implications of these figures, and why won't agriculture save Africa?

Despite its crucial role in the African economy, most farming systems are not sustainable. Forty percent of the continent is below the poverty line, and 70% of this population practices agriculture. This clearly shows that agriculture alone cannot lift us out of poverty.

African countries do not have the capacity to support the agricultural sector and make it competitive in the global market. This is because we are overly dependent on agriculture, the only sector that is growing, with no way to make it more competitive.

Can you see it now? Wait.

Imagine Switzerland, where agriculture contributes less than 1% to GDP. If they wanted to increase their agricultural sector by 100%, it would be easy because they have developed other sectors. Using resources from 99% of the GDP to improve the 1% sector would be simple.

The reverse is true for Africa. Despite the growth in our agricultural sector, it's still insufficient, and we cannot compete in the international market.

To grow our agricultural sector and make it competitive, we need to develop other sectors of our economy.

Only then will we have the resources to develop high-yield crops, increase the use of fertilizers, make better use of information technology, and step up integration into Agricultural Value Chains (AVCs). #agriculture, #climate #reslilientagriculture