scholarly journals Introduction: Understanding the Challenges of the Agricultural Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abebe Shimeles ◽  
Audrey Verdier-Chouchane ◽  
Amadou Boly
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Prospects for sustainable intensification of soybean production in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-371
Author(s):  
Deepayan Debnath ◽  
◽  
Suresh Babu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Yield Gap ◽  
Livestock Industry ◽  
Soybean Yield ◽  
Soybean Production ◽  
Soy Meal ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Ssa Countries

There is a significant soybean yield gap in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Sustainable intensification of the agricultural sector to reduce such a yield gap is important. Increasing soybean productivity can meet the growing demand for food and feed when complemented with higher soy meal demand by the local livestock industry. This study performs an ex-ante economic analysis to determine the effect of higher soybean production on trade and land use within SSA countries. We find that increasing soybean yield by 50% can increase the total returns from soybean production by 186 million LC (local currency) in Ethiopia and 36 billion LC in Nigeria. We show that soybean yield growth alone is enough to boost soy oil production, as the crushing of the beans produces 18% oil and 79% meal. While increasing productivity may lead to freeing land to produce high-valued cash crops, investors will be reluctant to invest in the crushing facilities in the absence of soy meal demand by the livestock industry. Therefore, policymakers need to establish collaboration between development organisations, private companies, farmers and researchers to achieve this transformation and thereby raise agricultural productivity.

scholarly journals African agriculture in the context of COVID-19: Finding salvation in the devil

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 302-310
Author(s):  
Guy Blaise Nkamleu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Food System ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

The world is facing unprecedented challenges from COVID-19, which is disrupting lives and livelihoods. The pandemic could profoundly affect the African continent and wipe out hard-won development gains, as sub-Saharan Africa heads into its first recession in 25 years. Beyond the multispatial impact of the coronavirus in Africa, its effects on the agriculture and food system is of particular interest, as food security could be the most affected area and, at the same time, agriculture could be the sector that could help African economies recover quicker from the impact of COVID19. This paper supports the view that COVID-19, as devilish as it may be, offers an opportunity to revive interest in the agricultural sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed immense pressures on African countries to raise additional resources, and consequently Africa’s growing public debt is again coming back to the centre stage of the global debate. The conversation on African debt sustainability has begun to dominate the scene and will flood the debate in the near term. While the observed, growing calls for debt relief for African countries are legitimate, we support in this paper that one should not divert attention from the long-term solutions needed to strengthen Africa’s resilience. These long-term solutions lie where they always have: in agriculture. With COVID-19, shipping agricultural inputs and food products from other continents to Africa has become disrupted and is accelerating the trend towards shortening supply chains. This will leave a potential market for inputs and food produced on the continent. COVID-19, together with the launching of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), have aligned the stars in favour of a decisive transformation of the agriculture sector on the continent. Agriculturalists and development experts need to be aware of their responsibility at this time, as they need to advocate for the topic of agricultural development to return to the centre and the heart of the agenda of discussions on how to respond to the consequences of Covid-19 in Africa. In this sense, and unexpectedly, COVID-19 is an opportunity for the agricultural sector.

scholarly journals The Sub-Saharan Africa carbon balance, an overview

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2085-2123 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bombelli ◽  
M. Henry ◽  
S. Castaldi ◽  
S. Adu-Bredu ◽  
A. Arneth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cycle System ◽  
First Results ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. This study presents a summary overview of the carbon balance of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by synthesizing the available data from national communications to UNFCCC and first results from the project CarboAfrica (net ecosystem productivity and emissions from fires, deforestation and forest degradation, by field and model estimates). According to these preliminary estimates the overall carbon balance of SSA varies from 0.43 Pg C y−1 (using in situ measurements for savanna NEP) to a much higher sink of 2.53 Pg C y−1 (using model estimates for savanna NEP). UNFCCC estimates lead to a moderate carbon sink of 0.58 Pg C y−1. Excluding anthropogenic disturbance and intrinsic episodic events, the carbon uptake by forests (0.98 Pg C y−1) and savannas (from 1.38 to 3.48 Pg C y−1, depending on the used methodology) are the main components of the SSA sink effect. Fires (0.72 Pg C y−1), deforestation (0.25 Pg C y−1) and forest degradation (0.77 Pg C y−1) are the main contributors to the SSA carbon emissions, while the agricultural sector contributes only with 0.12 Pg C y−1. Notably, the impact of forest degradation is higher than that caused by deforestation, and the SSA forest net carbon balance is close to equilibrium. Savannas play a major role in shaping the SSA carbon balance, due to their large areal extent, their fire regime, and their strong interannual NEP variability, but they are also a major uncertainty in the overall budget. This paper shows that Africa plays a key role in the global carbon cycle system and probably could have a potential for carbon sequestration higher than expected, even if still highly uncertain. Further investigations are needed, particularly to better address the role of savannas and tropical forests. The current CarboAfrica network of carbon measurements could provide future unique data sets for better estimating the African carbon balance.

scholarly journals RCP 8.5 Ghana. High-end climate change impacts on crop production

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Tramberend ◽  
Günther Fischer ◽  
Harrij van Velthuizen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

<p>Climate change threatens vulnerable communities in sub-Saharan Africa who face significant challenges for adaptation. Agriculture provides the livelihood for the majority of population. High-resolution assessments of the effects of climate change on crop production are urgently needed for targeted adaptation planning. In Ghana, next to food needs, agriculture plays an important role on international cocoa markets. To this end, we develop and apply a National Agro-Ecological Zoning system (NAEZ Ghana) to analyze the impacts of high-end (RCP8.5) global warming on agricultural production potentials until the end of this century. NAEZ Ghana uses an ensemble of the CORDEX Africa Regional Climate Model, a regional soil map, to assess development trends of crop production potentials for 19 main crops. Results highlight differential impacts across the country. Especially due to the significant increase in the number of days exceeding high-temperature thresholds, rain-fed production of several food and export crops could be reduced significantly compared to the historical 30-year average (1981-2010). Plantain production, an important food crop, could achieve under climate change less than half of its current potential already in the 2050s and less than 10% by the 2080s. Suitable areas for cocoa production decrease strongly resulting in only one third of production potential compared to today. Other crops with detrimental effects of climate change include oil palm, sugarcane, coffee, and rubber. Production of maize, sorghum, and millet cope well with a future warmer climate. The NAEZ Ghana database provides valuable high-resolution information to support agricultural sector development planning and climate change adaptation strategies. The expansion of irrigation development will play a central role in some areas. This requires further research on Ghana’s linkages between food, water, and energy, taking into account climate and socio-economic changes.</p>

scholarly journals Is the agricultural sector cursed too? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 105250
Author(s):  
Elizavetta Dorinet ◽  
Pierre-André Jouvet ◽  
Julien Wolfersberger
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Harnessing benefits from improved livestock water productivity in crop–livestock systems of sub-Saharan Africa: synthesis

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tilahun Amede ◽  
Katrien Descheemaeker ◽  
Don Peden ◽  
Andre van Rooyen
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Feed Water ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Veterinary Services ◽  
Sub Saharan

The threat of water scarcity in sub-Saharan Africa is real, due to the expanding agricultural needs, climate variability and inappropriate land use. Livestock keeping is the fastest growing agricultural sector, partly because of increasing and changing demands for adequate, quality and diverse food for people, driven by growing incomes and demographic transitions. Besides the economic benefits, rising livestock production could also deplete water and aggravate water scarcity at local and global scales. The insufficient understanding of livestock–water interactions also led to low livestock productivity, impeded sound decision on resources management and undermined achieving positive returns on investments in agricultural water across sub-Saharan Africa. Innovative and integrated measures are required to improve water productivity and reverse the growing trends of water scarcity. Livestock water productivity (LWP), which is defined as the ratio of livestock outputs to the amount of water depleted, could be improved through: (i) raising the efficiency of the water inputs by integrating livestock with crop, water and landscape management policies and practices. Improving feed water productivity by maximising transpiration and minimising evaporation and other losses is critical; (ii) increasing livestock outputs through improved feed management, veterinary services and introducing system-compatible breeds; and (iii) because livestock innovation is a social process, it is not possible to gain LWP improvements unless close attention is paid to policies, institutions and their associated processes. Policies targeting infrastructure development would help livestock keepers secure access to markets, veterinary services and knowledge. This paper extracts highlights from various papers presented in the special issue of The Rangeland Journal on technologies and practices that would enable improving water productivity at various scales and the premises required to reverse the negative trends of water depletion and land degradation.

scholarly journals Agricultural Migrants’ Health and Ability to Access Care: A Case Study in Southern Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12615
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lamberti-Castronuovo ◽  
Jeremy A. Pine ◽  
Giorgio Brogiato ◽  
Hans-Friedemann Kinkel
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
National Health System ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Right

Although a large amount of research exists about migration into the European Union (EU) and the role of migrants in European society, relatively little information is available on the health status of migrants after arriving in the EU. This is particularly true in the case of the most marginalised migrants, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, who work as itinerant laborers harvesting fruits and vegetables in southern Italy. This study analyzes demographic and health data gathered by a non-government organization-run primary healthcare clinic in order to understand the challenges these migrants face when trying to maintain their health. Results show that their health suffers greatly due to substandard living and working conditions, partially due to the fact that these individuals experience many barriers when trying to access care from the national health system. The health status of this population cannot improve without broad reforms to the welfare system and the agricultural sector. Government action is needed to ensure that such individuals are not denied their basic human rights and freedoms, including the right to health.

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