A blue revolution in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Ghana’s tilapia value chain

Author(s):  
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Lyons ◽  
Alison Brown ◽  
Zhigang Li

Abstract:This article analyzes the value chain for Chinese manufactured goods such as garments and textiles sold in sub-Saharan Africa. It explores the opportunities for Africans with small, private businesses in the export trade from China, the potential for long-term business development, and how strategies of engagement have changed over time. It finds that the value chains for low-cost goods vary. There is great diversity of entry levels and opportunities for socioeconomic mobility, and traders evolve diverse strategies to obtain and defend their position in the chain. These findings are discussed in terms of understandings of international value chains, the informal economy, and African economic development strategies.


Author(s):  
Amadou Tidiane Sall ◽  
Tiberio Chiari ◽  
Wasihun Legesse ◽  
Kemal Seid-Ahmed ◽  
Rodomiro Ortiz ◽  
...  

Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the South Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still cultivate it on marginal lands to assure production for their self-consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but it has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over € 4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption in the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha-1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and daytime temperatures always above 32°C. This review describes the ability of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This potential area of expansion for durum wheat production in SSA is not linked to any breeding technology, but rather it remains dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia, and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28
Author(s):  
Andries Francois Geldenhuys ◽  
Oluseye Samuel Ajuwon ◽  
Michael Graham

This study reviews the theoretical literature concerning the resource curse as it pertains to the impact of natural resources upon economic growth and corruption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and how the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) membership can be of help. The EITI is an international standard promoting open and transparent resource governance through disclosure mechanisms in the resource value chain. Corruption has been associated with less-than-average economic growth in resource-rich countries. This research concludes that the theoretical review found that through the dissemination of disclosures in the natural resource sector, the EITI can potentially reduce the prevalence of corruption in implementing countries in SSA and it can address negative economic growth outcomes associated with resource abundance. However, there is not much evidence empirically needed to suggest this.


2021 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 103034
Author(s):  
Eileen Bogweh Nchanji ◽  
Cosmas Kweyu Lutomia ◽  
Rowland Chirwa ◽  
Noel Templer ◽  
Jean Claude Rubyogo ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Isaiah Nyagumbo ◽  
Mehreteab Tesfai ◽  
Udaya Sekhar Nagothu ◽  
Peter Setimela ◽  
James K. Karanja ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
pp. 305-330
Author(s):  
Saidi Mkomwa ◽  
Henry Mloza-Banda ◽  
Weldone Mutai

Abstract This chapter examines the role of formal education, training and skills development in Conservation Agriculture (CA) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the context of the region's agricultural transformation systems. It explores nascent literature on potential reforms that include development of CA educational programmes and linkages that are more strategically attuned to national agriculture development aspirations. The chapter highlights theoretical grounds and practical examples for the multi-level strategies with complementary relationships aimed at facilitating systemic CA-related education, training and skills development to accelerate and expand its uptake in Africa. The chapter has advocated educational institutions and the university in particular to orchestrate the CA innovation value chain through 'internal' alignment of actors at institutional level (i.e. intra-organizational mainstreaming). The success of an innovation also depends on its 'external' viability. This was illustrated by proposing inter-organizational mainstreaming and a triple helix model where government and industry, respectively, are the principal actors towards increase in sociotechnical viability of the CA innovation system. There are obvious hurdles related to the interactions and coordination between stakeholders, as well as the integration of value complementarities across the value chain. Probable corrective strategies have been exhaustively interrogated and they are, for instance, manifested through technical and organizational adaptations as they summarize and compare systematically their contributions, arguments, assumptions and limitations in the process of creating and harnessing economies of scope in innovation. There may not be any ideal model for demand-led, CA-related education, training and skills development. A number of strategic options present themselves and, in a dynamic world, all strategies are relatively short-lived but must yield outcomes that contribute to longer-term goals. The educational institutions should find appropriate themes and avenues worthy of support in their own right, and projects that invite collaboration on their own terms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 821-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Stathers ◽  
Deirdre Holcroft ◽  
Lisa Kitinoja ◽  
Brighton M. Mvumi ◽  
Alicia English ◽  
...  

Abstract Reducing postharvest losses (PHLs) of food crops is a critical component of sustainably increasing agricultural productivity. Many PHL reduction interventions have been tested, but synthesized information to support evidence-based investments and policy is scarce. In this study, PHL reduction interventions for 22 crops across 57 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia from the 1970s to 2019 were systematically reviewed. Screening of the 12,907 studies identified resulted in a collection of 334 studies, which were used to synthesize the evidence and construct an online open-access database, searchable by crop, country, postharvest activity and intervention type. Storage technology interventions mainly targeting farmers dominated (83% of the studies). Maize was the most studied crop (25%). India had the most studies (32%), while 25 countries had no studies. This analysis indicates an urgent need for a systematic assessment of interventions across the entire value chain over multiple seasons and sites, targeting stakeholders beyond farmers. The lack of studies on training, finance, infrastructure, policy and market interventions highlights the need for interventions beyond technologies or handling practice changes. Additionally, more studies are needed connecting the impact of PHL reductions to social, economic and environmental outcomes related to Sustainable Development Goals. This analysis provides decision makers with data for informed policy formulation and prioritization of investments in PHL reduction.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amadou Tidiane Sall ◽  
Tiberio Chiari ◽  
Wasihun Legesse ◽  
Kemal Seid-Ahmed ◽  
Rodomiro Ortiz ◽  
...  

Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still grow it on marginal lands to assure production for their own consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta, burghul and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than that of bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over €4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption over the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha−1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and in daytime temperatures always above 32 °C. This review describes the potential of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This indicates that the new breeding technologies offer great promise for expanding the area of durum wheat production in SSA but that this achievement remains primarily dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 771-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bandyopadhyay ◽  
A. Ortega-Beltran ◽  
A. Akande ◽  
C. Mutegi ◽  
J. Atehnkeng ◽  
...  

Aflatoxin contamination of crops is frequent in warm regions across the globe, including large areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Crop contamination with these dangerous toxins transcends health, food security, and trade sectors. It cuts across the value chain, affecting farmers, traders, markets, and finally consumers. Diverse fungi within Aspergillus section Flavi contaminate crops with aflatoxins. Within these Aspergillus communities, several genotypes are not capable of producing aflatoxins (atoxigenic). Carefully selected atoxigenic genotypes in biological control (biocontrol) formulations efficiently reduce aflatoxin contamination of crops when applied prior to flowering in the field. This safe and environmentally friendly, effective technology was pioneered in the US, where well over a million acres of susceptible crops are treated annually. The technology has been improved for use in sub-Saharan Africa, where efforts are under way to develop biocontrol products, under the trade name Aflasafe, for 11 African nations. The number of participating nations is expected to increase. In parallel, state of the art technology has been developed for large-scale inexpensive manufacture of Aflasafe products under the conditions present in many African nations. Results to date indicate that all Aflasafe products, registered and under experimental use, reduce aflatoxin concentrations in treated crops by >80% in comparison to untreated crops in both field and storage conditions. Benefits of aflatoxin biocontrol technologies are discussed along with potential challenges, including climate change, likely to be faced during the scaling-up of Aflasafe products. Lastly, we respond to several apprehensions expressed in the literature about the use of atoxigenic genotypes in biocontrol formulations. These responses relate to the following apprehensions: sorghum as carrier, distribution costs, aflatoxin-conscious markets, efficacy during drought, post-harvest benefits, risk of allergies and/or aspergillosis, influence of Aflasafe on other mycotoxins and on soil microenvironment, dynamics of Aspergillus genotypes, and recombination between atoxigenic and toxigenic genotypes in natural conditions.


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