Addressing the Yield Gap in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Increases in the production of food crops are no longer keeping pace with population growth in Africa, so the continent is increasingly relying on food imports. This would not be the case if crop yields were closer to their potential under good crop management. As climate change makes rainfall more variable, it becomes more risky for smallholders to adopt high-input technologies for crop intensification. This paper uses case studies on the yield gap in cassava, maize and cotton and examines the factors that contribute to low yields, the disincentives for technology adoption and some of the strategies required to close the yield gap. The paper argues that institutional factors are as important as technical ones in addressing the current yield gap in Africa. The main conclusions are that the yield gap is much more difficult to close in rainfed agriculture than in irrigated production where low soil fertility constrains the response to inorganic fertilizer. The combination of institutional and agronomic factors that influence the ability of farmers to improve crop yields profitably often operates at the farm or local level.