AGRICULTURE

The document argues that Africa has failed to achieve a modern agricultural revolution due to a combination of historical, environmental, and policy-related factors. It highlights how poor soil quality, a high disease burden, and the late adoption of high-yield cereal grains contributed to lower population densities and slower technological advancement compared to other global regions. Despite efforts by organizations like the World Bank and the African Union, the sector remains constrained by low investment, ineffective policies, and a reliance on traditional methods among smallholder farmers.

• Africa has not yet experienced a modern agricultural revolution despite decades of interventions by the World Bank, the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) to introduce mechanisation, irrigation, and high-yielding seed hybrids.
• Current agricultural productivity in Africa is the lowest globally, driven by ineffective policies, lack of land reform, low investment, and the continued use of traditional farming methods by smallholder farmers.
• Environmental and health constraints historically limited agricultural growth; a high disease burden restricted population growth, and poor soil quality—with a 1997 USDA study estimating 55% of African land is unsuitable for anything but nomadic grazing—inhibited the spread of livestock and intensive farming.
• The historical absence of high-energy, durable cereal grains like wheat and rice—which enabled the rise of cities and states elsewhere—meant that sub-Saharan Africa relied on less nutrient-rich crops like sorghum and pearl millet, contributing to lower levels of technology and population pressure.

APA

le Roux, A., & Cilliers, J. (2026). AGRICULTURE. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

le Roux, Alize, and Jakkie Cilliers. AGRICULTURE. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=le Roux |first1=Alize |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=AGRICULTURE |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leroux2026agriculture, author = {le Roux, Alize and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{AGRICULTURE}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }