The Future of African Agriculture

Abstract

Agriculture is critical for Africa's future, as most of the population still relies on rural work and struggles to keep pace with the booming population. The sustained growth of the African agricultural sector is necessary to ensure employment and livelihoods, especially for youth. While urban areas continue to attract young people from the countryside, the manufacturing industry and service sectors do not seem to offer productive employment. Agriculture and agri-based industrialisation are now attracting renewed policy interest, while African youth tend to show increasing disaffection from this sector due to myriad challenges that remain unsolved over years. For the agricultural sector to be inclusive, youth need to ensure land access. There is also a need to address challenges related to uncertain titles, demographic pressure and land grabbing, lack of capital due to the underdeveloped financial sector, and unskilled human capital. This chapter discussed these issues and inter-relationships based on an extensive literature review.