At Last, Evidence that African Agriculture is Powering Economic Transformation

Thomas Jayne<jayne@msu.edu> -

Updated from an original article written by Thomas Jayne.

The evidence is now in and the verdict is that Africa´s agriculture is powering economic transformation in the region. African agriculture has shown remarkable improvement compared to its precarious state 15 years ago. However...

By Thomas Jayne, University Foundation Professor, Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University


jayne_The_Good_EarthThe evidence is now in and the verdict is that Africa´s agriculture is powering economic transformation in the region. African agriculture has shown remarkable improvement compared to its precarious state 15 years ago.

However, progress is uneven across the region. Governments that have invested in their agricultural sectors, such as in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burkina Faso, are reaping the benefits – stronger economic growth, declining poverty rates, better nutritional status and a more rapid shift of the labour force out of farming.

But there is still much to do. This is especially true for countries that have not adequately promoted their smallholder farmers. And this is not rocket science. The actions that governments need to take are well understood and backed by strong evidence. Implementation is now the priority.

Read the entire The Conversation article

Download the entire report: 2016 African Agriculture Status Report (AASR) http://agra.org/aasr2016/

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