How to make farming count in Africa.

Africa is the second fastest growth region in the world. It is home to six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world. And yet, while the continent is growing at unprecedented rates, there are still key areas that must be dealt with. Even though the continent is experiencing a boom in telecommunications and related services, the best chance for the continent to develop is in agriculture. The continent must ensure that farming practices in the rural areas are enhanced, and small holder farmers have access to the same information as the commercial farmers. Usually, farming has been viewed more as a pastime, and it is time that the continent's farmers thought of agriculture as a form of business.

For farming then to take effect, the issue of land has to be looked at keenly. Land is a sensitive issue in Africa, and it has often led to conflicts. For instance, one of the thorny issues in the Kenyan election violence seven years ago was the issue of land. What's more, title deeds sometimes are meaningless, meaning that farmers can be chased out of their lands at any moment. A culture for respect of property rights has to be
cultivated. What's more, more land is being gobbled up by real estate, especially land that is adjacent to Africa's major cities. Too often, there is easy money to be made in real estate, and many land owners are abandoning farming for real estate. In this regard, it's also time that we made farming to be cool among the young people. The average age of an African farmer is more than 50 years, and this needs to drop if the continent is to expand its farming sector.

In retrospect, it is important that we increase the number of agricultural training officers who will disperse the best farming knowledge to the farmers. This will help farmers adopt the absolute best practice and this will lead to more harvests. Crucially, it is important that we help farmers find the right market for their produce. Currently, many farmers suffer as middlemen take out their produce, and do not compensate them adequately. Coupled with high quality seeds, and constant research into the best farming practices, this should see more farmers increase their incomes, and hopefully, make Africa food secure and prosperous.