Extraordinary And Plenipotentiary Diplomatist July 19 Edition . | Page 41

AFRICA DIARY
MEDIUM –
SMALLHOLDER
FARMERS DRIVING
AFRICA’S
AGRICULTURAL
REVOLUTION
BY VALENTINE ELETA*
T
here is an ongoing agricultural revolution in Africa, and
medium - smallholder farmers are the Vanguards!
The last few years have seen a welcome paradigm shift in
African agricultural systems and outlook, after the lethargy of
the previous decades. Rapid population growth, urbanisation
and rising incomes have contributed to massive growth in
demand for food in Africa. Individuals, governments and
non-governmental organisations are beginning to really see the
agriculture industry, as a viable, sustainable line of business,
with potential for serious profits. This, coupled with an
increasing awareness of the need to overcome the continent’s
over-dependence on extraction and export of mineral resources
as primary sources of revenue, has resulted in a renewed
interest in agriculture and agribusiness. There have been calls
from various governments, for citizens to take up farming,
to ensure food suffi ciency. Programmes aimed at increasing
agricultural capacity and enticing young people back to the
farm are being rolled out across the continent. Most of the
investments are directed towards medium – smallholder farms,
and other parts of the agriculture value chain.
For the purpose of this article, ‘Smallholder Farms’ are
loosely defi ned as farms with a total landholding of less than
5 hectares (ha). They are mostly driven by human labour,
with low external inputs (machinery, irrigation, inorganic
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 7 • July 2019, Noida • 41