Transforming Agriculture in Southern Africa: Constraints, Technologies, Policies and Processes

by Richard A. Sikora (Editor), Eugene R. Terry (Editor), Paul L.G. Vlek (Editor), Joyce Chitja (Editor)

Overview

This book provides a synthesis of the key issues and challenges facing agriculture and food production in Southern Africa.

Southern Africa is facing numerous challenges from diverse issues such as agricultural transformations, growing populations, urbanization and climate change. These challenges place great pressure on food security, agriculture, water availability and other natural resources, as well as impacting biodiversity. Drawing on case studies from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the chapters in this book consider these challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering key areas in constraints to production, the most important building blocks of good farming practices, and established and emerging technologies. This book will be a valuable support for informing new policies and processes aimed at improving food production and security and developing sustainable agriculture in Southern Africa.

This informative volume will be key reading for those interested in agricultural science, African studies, rural studies, development studies and sustainability. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and agricultural practitioners.

This title has been made available as Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CCBY-NC-ND) license and can be accessed here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429401701

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780429686634
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/27/2019
Series:	Earthscan Food and Agriculture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	324
Sales rank:	766,332
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Richard A. Sikora is Emeritus Professor of the University of Bonn, Germany; former chairman of the Department of Plant Pathology and the Section, Soil Ecosystem Phytopathology and Nematology. He was Chair of the CGIAR System-wide programme on integrated pest management and is presently a Fellow of Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study (STIAS) and Convener of the Forum on Sustainable intensification. Richard has received numerous awards including the University of Illinois Alumni Association Award of Merit, the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences Award of Distinction, the American Phytopathological Society International Service Award and the 2017 German Phytopathological Society Anton de Bari medal for excellence in phytopathology.

Eugene R. Terry was Director General of WARDA, now AfricaRice, and the Founding Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). He currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Panel for Biosciences for East and Central Africa (BecA) – ILRI Hub, and the Chair of the Advisory Board of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) hosted by the University of Ghana in Accra. Dr Terry was awarded the AfricaRice Distinguished Service Award in 2010, for exemplary leadership in rice research and development in Africa, and The Macdonald College, McGill University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012, for outstanding contributions to society and humanity.

Paul L.G. Vlek is Emeritus Professor of the University of Bonn, Germany, and former Director of the Centre for Development Research ZEF as well as the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use WASCAL. He devoted many years of service to a number of journal editorial boards and national and international scientific committees. In 2014, he was awarded the World Agriculture Prize for his lifetime contribution to agricultural development.

Joyce Chitja is Senior Lecturer in Food Security at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her expertise and present research programme include food security and water use security, smallholder farmer development and market access. She has received a Women in Science (rural development of women) award and a Wonder Women in Science (WWS) award in 2018. She is a Cornell University and STIAS Visiting Scholar.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Per Pinstrup-Andersen

PART I Overview of Southern African agriculture

1 Introduction

RICHARD A. SIKORA, EUGENE R. TERRY, PAUL L.G. VLEK AND JOYCE CHITJA

2 The strategic role of agriculture in the economic space of the Southern Africa region

ELIZABETH RANSOM, JENNIFER COCKERILL AND ELIZABETH R. WEATHERLY

PART II Major drivers and constraints impacting agricultural transformation

3 Twice as many people in 2050: the need for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

REINER KLINGHOLZ

4 Climate change and the threat to food production in Southern Africa

PAUL L.G. VLEK, EUGENE R. TERRY AND RICHARD A. SIKORA

5 Land rich but water poor: the prospects for agricultural intensification in Southern

Africa

PAUL L.G. VLEK, LULSEGED TAMENE AND JANOS BOGARDI

6 The big giveaway: farmers and biological constraints

RICHARD A. SIKORA, JOHNNIE VAN DEN BERG AND ERICH-CHRISTIAN OERKE

7 The impact of global and regional markets on agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

FERDI MEYER, TRACY DAVIDS AND NICK VINK

PART III Current technologies

8 Soil fertility: maintenance and nutrient management for agricultural transformation

BERNARD VANLAUWE, PAULINE CHIVENGE AND SHAMIE ZINGORE

9 The role of seed systems development in African agricultural transformation

JOSEPH D. DEVRIES

10 Scaling climate-smart agriculture for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

CAROLINE MWONGERA, CHRISTINE LAMANNA, HANNAH N. KAMAU AND EVAN GIRVETZ

11 Crop improvement for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

H. SHIMELIS, E.T. GWATA AND MARK D. LAING

12 Integrated pest management in Southern Africa: approaches and enabling policy issues

MARK D. LAING AND HUSSEIN SHIMELIS

13 Options for improving stored product protection in Southern Africa

CORNEL ADLER AND EDSON NCUBE

14 Technology as a transformative tool in livestock production

ANNELIN MOLOTSI, TINYIKO EDWARD HALIMANI, PHETOGO I. MONAU AND KENNEDY DZAMA

15 Technologies for agricultural transformation: animal health

DELIA GRACE

PART IV Emerging technologies

16 Harnessing ecosystem services in transforming agriculture in Southern Africa

BARBARA GEMMILL-HERREN, FLORENCE MTAMBANENGWE, PAUL MAPFUMO, GISÈLE L. HERREN, TLOU S. MASEHELA, PHILIP C. STEVENSON AND JEREMY K. HERREN

17 The role of mechanization in transformation of smallholder agriculture in Southern Africa: experience from Zimbabwe

FRÉDÉRIC BAUDRON, RAYMOND NAZARE AND DORCAS MATANGI

18 Advanced genetic technologies for improving plant production

JENNIFER A. THOMSON, SYLVESTER O. OIKEH, IDAH SITHOLE-NIANG AND LEENA TRIPATHI

19 Unleashing the power of vegetables and fruits in Southern Africa

THOMAS DUBOIS, THIBAULT NORDEY AND UMEZURUIKE LINUS OPARA

20 Going digital: harnessing the power of emerging technologies for the transformation of Southern African agriculture

HEIKE BAUMÜLLER AND MUHAMMADOU M.O. KAH

21 Reducing the impact of mycotoxigenic fungi on food safety and security in Southern Africa

JULIET AKELLO, GEORGE MAHUKU, LINDY ROSE, ALTUS VILJOEN, DAVID CHIKOYE D., PHENEAS NTAWURUHUNGA, KATATI BWALYA AND RANAJIT BANDYOPADHYAY

22 Small-scale renewable energy as a catalyst for advancing agriculture and food security in Southern Africa

JON PADGHAM AND MARIAMA CAMARA

23 Trees on farms and farmers in the forest: good practices and a need for policy

INGRID ÖBORN, RHETT D. HARRISON AND SILESHI G. WELDESEMAYAT

PART V Improving policies and processes

24 Land reform and land tenure for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

THULASIZWE MKHABELA

25 Engendering agricultural transformation

JOYCE CHITJA AND GABISILE MKHIZE

26 Building human capacity to transform agriculture in Southern Africa

ANUSUYA RANGARAJAN AND JOYCE CHITJA

27 Urban markets and agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

THULASIZWE MKHABELA

28 Importance of small rural markets in the transformation of Southern African agriculture

SIMPHIWE NGQANGWENI, NDIADIVHA TEMPIA AND MOSES HERBERT LUBINGA

29 Agricultural growth corridors in sub-Saharan Africa – new hope for agricultural transformation and rural development? The case of the Southern agricultural growth corridor of Tanzania

MICHAEL BRÜNTRUP

30 Policy options for cropping systems diversification in Southern Africa

GIUSEPPE MAGGIO AND NICHOLAS J. SITKO

31 Entrepreneurship as an economic development strategy for agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

RALPH D. CHRISTY AND MOHAMMAD KARAAN

32 Changing farm structure in Africa: implications on agricultural transformation in Southern Africa

MILU MUYANGA AND THOMAS S. JAYNE

33 Food security in Africa: a complex issue requiring new approaches to scientific evidence and quantitative analysis

MARIO GIAMPIETRO

PART VI Conclusions

34 The way forward: the editors

RICHARD A. SIKORA, EUGENE R. TERRY, PAUL L.G. VLEK AND JOYCE CHITJA