Agriculture is the cornerstone of economic growth, poverty reduction and food security in sub-Saharan Africa, but its potential needs to be unlocked.

An article on the website, How we made it in Africa, carries an excerpt from a report by Deutsche Bank senior analyst Claire Schaffnit-Chatterjee outlining 6 key areas that need to be addressed for agriculture in the region to reach its full potential.

Transitioning smallholder farming to commercial farming would increase incomes, the availability of food and generate demand for locally produced goods and services, says Schaffnit-Chatterjee, resulting in broad-based socio-economic development in rural communities. Smallholders currently account for 80 per cent of all farms and most of the cultivated land in sub-Saharan Africa.

Increasing the use of sustainable inputs hand in hand with appropriate water management is also recommended to boost productivity. This would include promoting the adoption of agricultural practices that enrich the soil, reduce emissions and lower production costs, such as agroforestry, multi-cropping, crop-livestock integration and the use of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides.

Schaffnit-Chatterjee discusses the need for political commitment and public investment to stimulate growth in the agricultural sector, how infrastructure needs to be improved and greater investments made in research, technology and human capital specifically focusing on encouraging youth to enter agriculture. Finally, she recommends maximizing trade opportunities in domestic, regional and international markets.

Read the full story: Six ways Africa can unlock its agricultural potential