The role of inputs and productivity in agricultural development in Africa
12 June 2007
The potential sources of agricultural growth are l and, agrochemicals, labor quantity, labor quality, tractors, livestock, technology, and r andom factors. All these put together and harnessed determine both agricultural and economic growth in Africa. This was the submission of Dr Guy Blaise Nkamleu, IITA Yam Economist, at a recent seminar as part of a routine scientific forum in the Institute.
Titled: “Disentangling the sources of growth – l and, labor, fertilizer, tractor, research, extension … what are their exact contributions to agricultural growth in Africa: lessons from macro-data”, the seminar was aimed at investigating sources and determinants of agricultural output in association with growth in physical and nonphysical factors, with the attendant focus on how much output growth is due to technology, productivity improvement, efficiency change and other production factors’.
Dr Nkamleu drew the attention of the audience to some salient questions on agricultural growth. He queried why some African countries had rapid economic growth, while others experience economic stagnation and regression under the same conditions. Furthermore, he sought to know how African countries could achieve now what they could not achieve in the past 30 years. To remedy the situation, Dr Nkamleu said the driving forces affecting African agricultural growth must be explored and acted upon.
His presentation provided a quantification of the contribution of different inputs in the agricultural growth, and highlights the fact that input accumulation accounts for a large share of agricultural output growth and fertilizer has been the most important physical input contributor to agricultural growth. He also highlights the extent to which agricultural growth contributors vary across countries and regions in relation with different country conditions, institutions and politico-historical factors.
“These findings have important implications for research and show types and the extent of interventions needed to be put in place in each region/countries for enhancing the agricultural growth of African agriculture”, Dr Nkamleu said.
