Make agriculture and agribusiness top of the agenda. A case study on Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness markets

Agriculture is a great source of income for many African locals; but Agriculture is also considered to be a major contributing factor to the growth of several African economies.

Agriculture is a great source of income for many African locals; but Agriculture is also considered to be a major contributing factor to the growth of several African economies. Yet, the African agricultural sector suffers from major constrains hindering it from fully capturing the full potential of the industry. With rising food demands, climate changes, water shortages and rural population growth – this article draws on the attention of actual actors (particularly governments) within all African states to work closely with agribusinesses, to link farmers with consumers in an increasingly urbanized African market and beyond to meet to growing demands for African agricultural produce.

There are several challenges facing the African Agriculture, however some of the challenges will include:

– The lack of productivity of African agriculture implies a high economic and human cost.

– Climate change trends in many African countries (sources will include: poor soil and nutrient management, deforestation, livestock emission and shifting patterns in weather).

– Land tenure and good governance of such resource is also a challenge facing many agribusinesses and farmers.

– Missing focus on the intervention needed in the African agricultural trade.

Moving on from some core challenges faced by the African agricultural industry to some much-needed points required to be raised on the imperative transformation needed to support this industry. It never gets to the point where we can overly elaborate the importance of agriculture to Africa’s determination to maintain and boost its high growth rates, create much-needed jobs, reduce poverty significantly, grow enough affordable, nutritious food to feed the African population, and continually support the growth of its economies through its exports and so on.

So, suggestions on the transformation of the African Agricultural sector should include:

– Adding value in key agricultural value chains but particularly in top performing agricultural produce including rice, cocoa, maize, dairy and green beans to name a few.

– Increase the level of support provided for the agricultural industry by improving financial assistance given to the industry, but also maintain good policies and enlighten on some transparent procedures and support processes along the entire value-chain within the agricultural sector.

– Africa’s untapped land and water resources is perhaps unmeasurable compared to the rest of the world – there needs to be significant investment made to tap into this otherwise ‘unused’ resources.

Making Agriculture the top of the agenda and encouraging agribusinesses to strive through sufficient support within the African market is without a doubt a challenging task; however it is needed due to the numerous opportunities associated with this industry. It cannot be overlooked!