Agriculture a significant growth area for Africa
Agriculture is the largest economic growth sector for Africa, New Partnership for Africa's Development business foundation CEO Lynette Chen said at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Industrialisation Week on Monday.
She pointed out that less than 10% of arable land in Africa was farmed commercially because smallholder farmers, which made up between 70% and 80% of farmers on the continent, were not using their land as a business opportunity.
She stated that one of the biggest challenges around African agricultural production was showing subsistence farmers how to become more commercially minded.
“We need to support smallholder farmers by getting them into getting into cooperatives and associations. Turning a smallholder farm into a business can contribute to food security throughout the continent, as well as support families and direct communities through agribusiness,” she said.
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/agriculture-a-significant-growth-area-for-africa-2017-07-31
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