Strategy for agricultural transformation in africa

change because of its earlier-discussed dependence on the agricultural sector.
African 
farmlands and rangelands are increasingly degraded, causing farmers to face declining yields. 
In many cases, the impact has been so great that land can no longer support large herds of 
livestock. Simultaneously, African farmers are increasingly susceptible to climate change-
induced fluctuations in rainfall and temperature, with major African staple crops expected to 
have 8%-22% lower yields by 2050. There is a need to increase the use of climate-smart 
agriculture (CSA) – agriculture centered on efficient input use, climate change resilience, and 
greenhouse gas emission reduction. Many CSA approaches are designed to rehabilitate 
16
McArthur, John W, ‘Agriculture in the COP21 Agenda’, Brooking Institution, 2016. 
17
Ibid. 

---

5 
degraded land and build resilience to climate, pest, price, and other shocks. At its core, CSA 
emphasizes sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes and, given the 
urgency of combating climate change, should play an important role in African’s agricultural 
transformation story.
1.8
 
Finally, security of land tenure and good governance remain major challenges 
across the continent.
Only 10% of Africa’s rural land is registered, while inefficient land 
administration means that transferring land title deeds costs twice the price and takes twice as 
long as it does in developed countries. Most African countries have basic land tenure laws that 
are incomplete and poorly enforced, deterring private investment (
Smalley 2013
)
18
. Applicable 
legislation remains voluntary and non-binding (Ideas for Development 2012). Weak policy and 
institutional frameworks are the leading cause of corruption in the agriculture sector, including 
land administration. Meanwhile, women’s access to land is on average less than half that of 
men. Generally, title and inheritance rights across Africa are bestowed to male family 
members. Yet women remain the primary users of agricultural land in most African 
communities.