Africa: Helping Africa’s Farmers

In Africa, about 70 percent of its farmers are yet to be mechanized and food production in Africa dependent on these unmechanized farmers. They are still somewhere, between mechanized and crude rustic farm methods; still make use of hoes, cutlasses, and over 95 percent manual labour.

Many agricultural programmes engaged by various government and foreign agencies, to improve food production in Africa hardly, get to the real farmers or increase food production but all ends in the hands of businessmen farmers, and politicians for instance fertilizer programe in Nigeria had not been turned to the good of farmer or increase in food production as all ends up with politicians and their boys.

There were no channels between the government and the farmer, but states and local government offices, which are still in control of politicians, are used. At this, all turns to politics to the expense of food security.

This article is not to discuss Nigeria’s failed agricultural efforts, but a sincere effort to proffer needed solution to Africa’s food security. Looking at few missing links to achievement of sufficient food production in Africa.

The US government of president Barrack Obama in his Accra, Ghana speech had proposed $3.5 billion food security initiative focused on new methods and technologies for farmers in Africa. I wish this article gets to the knowledge of policy makers in America, before this initiative goes in the way of other initiatives before it.

With other sincere efforts by various governments in Africa for adequate food production, this contribution of mine is timely to efforts African’s thinkers, are making on agriculture and food production.

I will highlight on four important problems that confronts African farmers these are:

• Needed infrastructural development
• Profit oriented markets
• Illiteracy among farmers
• Preservation and storage systems

The availability of needed infrastructure is grossly inadequate. This includes buildings, transports, and water and energy resources, also administrative systems. The lack of these basic structures had been the bane of moribund agricultural effort and where they are available, other unfavourable internal realities stands against food production.

Basic infrastructure is better and usually provided by the central government the earlier, African governments provide these needed infrastructures the earlier Africa attains food security.

African governments may be intimidated by high cost of investment on infrastructural development but other points may not require large financial commitments but need political will for well articulated agricultural policies.

At present majority of farmers can not read and write they can not read agric policies, process bank facilities without an aid from another. Some can not sell their produce effectively without a middleman, when given new effective preservation and storage system, may not understand or adopt into use. How do we overcome all these shortcomings amongst Africa farmers?