Accelerating growth in Africa’s agriculture is critical to the sustained growth of its economies and improving the lives of millions of poor people, and particularly women, who depend directly upon agriculture for their livelihoods and food security.

In sub-Saharan Africa agriculture contributes at least 40% of exports, 30% of GDP, up to 30% of foreign exchange earnings, and 70-80% of employment1. Members of Business Action for Africa have identified 5 areas critical for the sustainable growth of the agriculture sector in Africa:

1.    Effective risk management lies at the heart of achieving agriculture that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

2.    Connecting smallholder farmers with local markets and supply chains that link with national, regional and global economies is crucial for scaling-up growth in the agricultural sector and improving the prospects and welfare of its farmers.

3.    Developing long term, stable relationships with customers is key to improving the security of farmer income streams so that they can invest in their future.

4.    Tackling land tenure issues is central to the sustainability challenge; farmers have little or no incentive to invest if they do not have secure tenure.

5.    Sustainable agriculture is not possible without adequate water supplies and irrigation, but it cannot be looked at in isolation.

To learn more about BAA's collective advocacy messages on agriculture, please click here.