Development pathways for the DRC to 2050

This report examines the agricultural potential and challenges of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) leading up to 2050, highlighting a significant gap between the country's vast arable land and its current food insecurity and import dependence.

• The Democratic Republic of Congo possesses immense agricultural potential with 80 million hectares of arable land, yet only 10% of this land is currently cultivated. While the sector employs approximately 60% of the workforce, most of these roles are limited to subsistence needs.
• Despite having the largest available farmland in Africa, the DRC suffers from widespread malnutrition and a lack of food independence. Violent conflicts since the 1990s have severely impacted the sector; by 2006, agricultural productivity had dropped to 60% of the levels seen at independence in 1960.
• The DRC is a net food importer with an annual food trade deficit of US$1.5 billion. Current crop yields are estimated at 3.4 tons per hectare, and under the 'Current Path', dependence on food imports is projected to rise to approximately 60% of domestic food demand by 2050.
• Climate change is expected to exacerbate food insecurity, with existing evidence of soil erosion and degradation caused by flood events and heavy rain. Other systemic barriers to agricultural production and trade include land disputes, conflicts, limited access to financial services and inputs, and poor transport infrastructure, specifically roads and railways.
• Various international and domestic initiatives are targeting agricultural improvement. The World Bank provided US$75 million for the Agriculture Rehabilitation and Recovery Support Project, the FAO is working with the government on high-quality seed distribution, and USAID's Food for Peace (FFP) programme is focusing on production techniques. Additionally, President Tshisekedi has allocated 33,000 hectares of land for food crops.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2023). Development pathways for the DRC to 2050. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=10-agriculture-and-climate-change

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. Development pathways for the DRC to 2050. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=10-agriculture-and-climate-change.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=Development pathways for the DRC to 2050 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=15 May 2023 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=10-agriculture-and-climate-change |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2023development, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{Development pathways for the DRC to 2050}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=10-agriculture-and-climate-change}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }