Transforming agriculture in Africa

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the barriers to agricultural transformation in Africa, focusing on the critical link between formal land ownership, access to credit, and food security.

• Agricultural productivity in Africa is hindered by a lack of access to credit, which is primarily caused by the failure to make land a bankable asset through formal property rights. A vast majority of rural land is undocumented, with an estimated 90% of rural land in Africa not being formally documented and less than 20% of occupied land in sub-Saharan Africa being registered.
• The lack of formal land titles leaves land vulnerable to expropriation and 'land grabbing' by powerful interests. In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 60% of national land is held under customary or traditional ownership, and only 4% of African countries have mapped and titled private land in their capital cities.
• African agriculture is characterized by low technological advancement, including limited irrigation, low mechanization, and minimal fertilizer use, all of which are dependent on credit access. There is also limited adoption of genetically modified seeds, organic farming, and indigenous crops.
• There has been a significant 'land grab' in the Nile River Basin, covering 3.18 million km from Uganda to Egypt, where developed nations have acquired land for exports such as biofuels, flowers, and tobacco. The report notes that governments often prioritize these foreign investments and export earnings over local livelihoods, while the World Bank has found little evidence that increased commercialization improves nutritional status.
• To ensure national food security and a healthy labor force, the report argues that low- and lower-middle-income African countries should prioritize domestic food production and crops suited to local climates over cash crops for export.

APA

le Roux, A., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Transforming agriculture in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=05-transforming-agriculture

Chicago

le Roux, Alize, and Jakkie Cilliers. Transforming agriculture in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=05-transforming-agriculture.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=le Roux |first1=Alize |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Transforming agriculture in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=05-transforming-agriculture |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leroux2026transforming, author = {le Roux, Alize and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Transforming agriculture in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=05-transforming-agriculture}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }