Abstract:
Introduction
For most Sub-Sahara African countries, agricultural development is key as it has particular and direct significance in attaining the first MDG (eradicating extreme poverty
and hunger) and the seventh MDG (ensuring environmental sustainability). Agriculture
remains the economic base for the majority of the poor in Africa as it constitutes a key
economic sector in most African countries and its importance in poverty reduction and
sustainable development cannot be overstressed. According to EU (2007), agriculture
accounts for about a third of Africa’s GDP, while in many countries the sector provides
60-90% of employment. Most agricultural production comes from small-scale farms and
low-income farmers account for most of the staple food production on the continent. At
the same time, most of Africa’s poor live in rural areas, where they depend, directly or
indirectly, on agriculture for their livelihood. Accelerating pro-poor growth in agriculture
is therefore one of the major avenues for reducing poverty and hunger. There are
important linkages with the rest of the economy, implying a potentially high multiplier
effect for agricultural growth.
