Agriculture in Africa
On the one hand, Africa is one of the poorest continents, yet around 1 billion people live here. This is a huge potential for Africa’s economy.
The nutrition of the family is at the forefront in the economy of Africa. Only a few states have an agricultural sector that actually produces for export. However, their yields and thus their revenues are very low. Around 60% of arable land is used for domestic production. Only 40% is used for export crops. Mostly, it is large Western producers who cultivate coffee, cocoa, bananas or peanuts here.
Africa - a continent of malnutrition
The African continent's demand cannot be met by its own agriculture. Every year, 30 million tons more are needed than produced. The biggest problems are the lack of machinery and adverse climatic conditions. Drought and monsoon-like rainfall destroy food for millions in a short time. In addition, there is a lack of machinery to adequately cultivate arable land. For example, the USA and Argentina each have more agricultural vehicles than all African states combined.
Livestock farming - a difficult undertaking
In Africa, livestock farming is carried out exclusively for domestic consumption. Pigs are rarely kept due to the high proportion of Muslims in the population. Cattle and goat herds, on the other hand, are widespread. Livestock farmers mostly lead a nomadic life, i.e. they migrate with their herds in search of fertile land. In Central Africa, livestock farming is not possible because the risk of infection with deadly diseases is particularly high there. In the swamp areas and dense rainforests found there, the tsetse fly is native, a carrier of many threatening epidemics.
Fishing - a perch that destroys a lot
Fishing, like livestock farming, is almost exclusively for domestic consumption. Only a few states export significant quantities of fish. In some states, the catching of freshwater fish is also used commercially. The Nile perch is particularly well known. However, its breeding poses a major problem because it is slowly wiping out the fish species that are actually native to the lake and depriving local small-scale fishermen of their livelihood. The fish was introduced into the lake a few decades ago and has since multiplied rapidly.
Agriculture - inevitable but not profitable
A fundamental problem for African agriculture is the subsidies for agriculture in industrialized nations. Their overproduction influences world market prices to such an extent that African farmers have no chance of making significant profits. The import of food produced in Europe and other continents is often cheaper than domestic production. Accordingly, only those plants are often cultivated that could be lucrative for export. In North Africa, the cultivation of useful plants is generally only possible in the areas along the Nile. However, this is extremely laborious and accordingly expensive.
