Suchergebnisse

The general pattern of agricultural performance in Africa south of the Sahara is rather bleak. Various publications sketch a picture of decreasing output, food shortages, rising imports, soil erosion, famine, and even mass starvation. The annual rate of change of the total agricultural and food production for sub-Saharan Africa compares unfavourably with the already disquieting figures for the developing world in general. The data reflect a serious situation which is all the more alarming because of the enormous importance throughout the continent of the farming sector. Indeed, this is the single largest contributor to G.D.P. in many African economies: more than 80 per cent of the labour force in almost half of these countries are employed in agriculture, and for most of them it provides over 50 per cent of their export earnings.

Recent publications about agricultural performance of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa sketch a picture of decreasing output, food shortages, rising food imports, soil erosion, famine, & even mass starvation. The overall picture offered does not sufficiently show the the internal differentiation in the continent. A classification of individual countries according to their agricultural performance during the postcolonial period in relation to population growth provides a basis for further analysis through the selection of a few good & poor performers, namely, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Swaziland, Ghana, & Nigeria. For these countries, the major features of the agricultural sector are analyzed, with special attention on government policy. The analysis focuses on: (1) the importance & nature of investments in agriculture; (2) the incentives for growing certain crops for sale as related to pricing, marketing, & supporting services; & (3) the effectiveness of various types of production organization. The comparative analysis allows for conclusions about the differential impact of policies with respect to the increase of employment outside agriculture, economic growth, changes in the share of agriculture in GDP, the role of the agricultural sector as a source of export earnings, & the diversification of agricultural exports. Finally, the analysis of performance & policy leads to a critical assessment of the prospects for the 1980s. 2 Tables. AA.