Family Farming Knowledge Platform

Tracing the history of farming across Africa gives clues to low production outputs

The following article is loaded with insights on why Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is under-performing. According to this new research, the central hypothesis behind the poor performance of agriculture in many African countries was rooted in the interference of external forces, particularly during colonial and post-independence times. "We found that before colonialism, farmers grew a diverse range of food crops, staggered planting for easy labour demands during harvesting, and managed risk in various related ways. But under colonial rule, they were coerced into growing export commodities for which they received limited real value. They had no option but to neglect their own food crops." The article also reveals the modern-day of colonial legacy in African agriculture and how it impacts Africa's food security.

Title of publication: https://phys.org/
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Author: Henning Bjornlund
Other authors: André F. Van Rooyen, Vibeke Bjornlund
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Year: 2021
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Geographical coverage: Africa
Type: Blog article
Content language: English
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