Development pathways for the DRC to 2050

The DR Congo possesses 80 million hectares of arable land, yet only 10% is cultivated, leaving the country as a net food importer with an annual food trade deficit of US$1.5 billion. On its current path, food import dependence is projected to reach approximately 60% of domestic demand by 2050. Agricultural productivity, which fell to 60% of its 1960 levels by 2006, is further threatened by climate change, specifically through heavy rain and flood events causing soil erosion. Recovery efforts include a US$75 million World Bank project, FAO seed distribution, and USAID's Food for Peace programme.

• The DR Congo has significant untapped agricultural potential with 80 million hectares of arable land, but only 10% is currently cultivated. Despite this, the country lacks food independence, suffers from widespread malnutrition, and maintains a yearly food trade deficit of US$1.5 billion.
• Agricultural productivity has declined significantly due to violent conflicts since the 1990s; by 2006, it had dropped to 60% of the levels recorded at independence in 1960.
• Projections indicate that if the country remains on its current path, food import dependence will increase to approximately 60% of the country's food demand by 2050.
• Climate change is expected to worsen food insecurity and weaken agricultural productivity, with current observable effects including soil erosion and degradation caused by flood events and heavy rain.
• Several international and domestic initiatives are targeting agricultural improvement, including a US$75 million World Bank grant for the Agriculture Rehabilitation and Recovery Support Project, FAO's work on high-quality seeds, USAID's Food for Peace (FFP) programme, and the allocation of 33,000 hectares of land for food crops by President Tshisekedi.

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} }