World Food Forum 2022: Increasing agricultural productivity in Africa: Can STI help Africa leapfrog in agricultural productivity?

The productivity of African agriculture is low as the continent’s crop yields lag behind the rest of the world. More than half of the labor force works in agriculture and labor productivity is very low. Agricultural “value added” per worker in sub-Saharan Africa is less than half the world average. Yields of major cereal crops have stagnated at less than 25% of potentially achievable yields. Low yields are largely attributed to lack of access to inputs, technologies and advisory services, and low input use efficiency under rainfed conditions where climate change and climate variability associated with frequent droughts and floods reduce crop yields. In parts of Africa, low agricultural productivity is associated with transboundary pests and diseases. These low agricultural yields have led to increased food insecurity, poverty and malnutrition, which are likely to worsen as the population grows. Improving wheat varieties, fertilizers and access to other inputs such as machinery and irrigation could help increase agricultural productivity in Africa, among others. This event will highlight the reasons for low agricultural productivity and showcase the potential of science, technology and innovation to increase agricultural productivity and improve the situation.