The Untold Stories of African Agriculture

Lessons from Ethiopia

Tsedeke Abate

• Publisher: CAB International
• Year: 2024
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• eBook ISBN:
  9781800626386
• Subtopic: Sustainable Development
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This landmark volume presents the results of a comprehensive and coherent in-depth assessment of Ethiopian agriculture and draws lessons from it to generate actionable recommendations that will inform policy decisions and priority setting for agricultural transformation across Africa.Policy makers in Africa are faced with the challenges of ensuring food and nutrition security and the economic wellbeing of their rapidly growing populations while at the same time maintaining the integrity of their natural resource base. Between 2000 and 2021, 74% of the growth in overall crop production on the continent was derived from increases in land area expansion, while increases in yield contributed only 26% of the growth. This unchecked expansion of land use puts the sustainability of the natural resource base under severe pressure.Even though some countries have made substantial increases in their farm productivity over the last two decades, the overall performance for Africa is far behind other regions. For the most part, in Africa, agriculture is not fulfilling its expected functions of food and nutrition security, increased export earnings, import substitution, and raw material supply for local industries.Attempts have been made to transform African agriculture over the years, but few countries have succeeded in achieving sustainable change. Using examples from Ethiopia this book identifies the major factors for success and the root causes of underperformance, and offers evidence-based recommendations for future decision making, policy change and the creation of growth.This book: · Draws on a unique set of case studies from Ethiopia described and told from a truly African perspective.· Emphasises to policy makers in Africa that development cannot be outsourced and there are no shortcuts; it is only through consistent effort and sustained support for their agricultural research and development that positive change can be brought about.· States that past agricultural development efforts by the international community have not properly included a strong African voice, and that therefore, all future academic research, policies and strategies dealing with the continent's agriculture and food security should be formulated by Africa's own leading thinkers and experts.· Is not a polemic; its arguments are knowledge and evidence based, building a compelling picture of how agricultural development can be sustained for the future.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Critical Issues in African Agriculture: A Synthesis Report
• 2 The Agricultural Resource Base
• 3 Factors that Transformed Cereals Productivity
• 4 A Compelling Case for Increased Investment in Enset and other Root and Tuber Crops Research and Development
• 5 Increased Productivity and Socioeconomic Benefits of Grain Legumes
• 6 The Rise of Oilseeds in Export Diversification and Earnings
• 7 The Rise and Decline of Vegetables in Export Diversification and Earnings
• 8 The Place of Fruit Crops in Improved Nutrition and Trade
• 9 Spices for Export Diversification
• 10 Coffee and Other Plantation and Industrial Crops: Opportunities for Enhancing Productivity and Unlocking their Full Potential
• 11 Towards Realizing the Potential of Apiculture for Honey Production and Crop Pollination
• 12 What Modern Science Can Offer to Accelerate Sustained Agricultural Productivity: The Role of Biotechnology
• 13 Protecting the Ethiopian Flora from the Ravages of Arthropod Pests
• 14 Priorities for Plant Pathology Research and Development
• 15 Economically Important Weeds and their Management
• 16 The Emerging Seed Systems
• 17 Ethiopia Has Yet to Meet the African Union Fertilizer Recommendation
• 18 Agricultural Pesticide Use: Current Status and Critical Issues
• 19 Status and Insights into the Future of Agricultural Mechanization
• 20 A Call for Increased Investment in Climate Change
• 21 Improved Water Use and Management for Enhanced Agricultural Productivity
• 22 Innovations in Agricultural Technology Transfer: Actors and Legacies
• 23 Agri-Curriculum: The Foundational Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Early Childhood Education and Beyond
• 24 The Changing Food Balance Sheet: What are the Policy Implications?
• 25 Agricultural Commodity Trade: What are the Major Issues?
• Index
• Back Cover