Seeding the Harvest

The document outlines a panel's recommendations for enhancing African agriculture through science, technology, institutional development, and policy reform to improve food security and income.

• The panel recommends several science and technology strategies to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability, including a market-led productivity strategy, a production ecological approach focused on continental priority farming systems, and the integrated sustainable intensification of production to increase the productivity of land, labour, and inputs while reducing environmental harm. Other priorities include bridging the gap between genetic modification and classical plant breeding, prioritizing rain-fed agriculture, reducing land degradation, and utilizing information and communication technology.
• To build research and development capacity, the panel suggests investing in national agricultural science systems that include farmers, establishing African centres of agricultural research excellence, and strengthening international research centres. This includes reforming university curricula to be multidisciplinary and ecological, improving primary and secondary science education, and securing sustainable funding for higher education to reduce reliance on external donors.
• The panel proposes policy and market interventions to boost food security and income, specifically recommending increased investment in rural infrastructure, the expansion of market opportunities, and the implementation of intellectual property rights regimes to attract the private sector. Additionally, it calls for the reduction of trade barriers between Africa and OECD countries and improved data analysis regarding nutrition security and vulnerability.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2004). Seeding the Harvest. https://saiia.org.za/research/seeding-the-harvest/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Seeding the Harvest. 2004. https://saiia.org.za/research/seeding-the-harvest/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Seeding the Harvest |date=28 July 2004 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/seeding-the-harvest/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2004seeding, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Seeding the Harvest}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2004}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/seeding-the-harvest/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }