Understanding African Farming Systems: Science and Policy Implications - Dr Dennis Garrity, United Nations Dryland Ambassador, and AIFSC Project Coordinator for "Farming Systems, Science and Policy"

2. Understanding African
Farming Systems
Science and Policy Implications
Dennis Garrity, John Dixon, JM Boffa

3. Approach: why a farming systems lens?
• Low productivity and rural food insecurity and poverty
persist after many years of interventions
• Strong differentiation of farming systems and farm-
households’ potentials and needs
• Understanding farm-household decision making is
essential for fostering innovation and accelerating
adoption

4. Three scales of knowledge
that can help decision-makers
• 1st, the larger trends and drivers that are in motion at the
continental level, providing a backdrop at the macro level.
• 2nd, the level of the farming system and subsystems, where the
drivers play out in unique ways in the local context. And
• 3rd, the household level, and how it responds to internal and
external forces, including policy interventions.

5. The drivers of farming systems change
• population, hunger and poverty
• natural resources and climate
• markets and trade
• technology and science
• energy
• information and human capital
• institutions and policies

6. The farming systems of Africa

7. The density of undernourished people
by farming system

8. The Highland Perennial Farming Systems
in East Africa

9. Trend in biomass productivity by farming system

10. Tree cover on agricultural land by farming system

11. Aerial view of a parkland dominated by Faidherbia in Niger

12. Cereal-Root Crop Mixed Farming
Systems: Africa’s Future Breadbasket?

13. Farm household decision-making:
Connecting resources, production, consumption and investment

14. Five main strategies to improve
farm household livelihoods
• intensification of existing production patterns
• diversification of production and processing
• expansion of farm or herd size
• increased off-farm income
• exit from agricultural production.

15. Conclusions & Policy Implications
1. Rural populations have now reached critical levels
• Highland perennial systems: Strong rural-urban labour market
integration occurring in some subsystems. This can be accelerated
through education, business development, and education
• Highland mixed systems in Ethiopia have more limited but
significant potential for such development.
• Agropastoral systems have strong labour migration, which can be
rationalized with emphasis on improving labour market information
and education.

16. Conclusions & Policy Implications
2. Tackling the decline in soil fertility
Governments can pursue a number of paths to support land
regeneration:
• Maize-mixed systems: In high-population subsystems target fertilizer
subsidies transitioning to tree biofertilisers.
• Agropastoral: Continue regreening with massive upscaling of farmer-
managed natural regeneration.
• Highland perennial systems: Further strengthen integrated soil fertility
management through dairy development with manure recycling.
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17. Conclusions & Policy Implications
3. Agricultural trade and markets
The key growth potential in lies at home, in the expanding domestic and regional
markets within Africa, where demand in some areas already far exceeds supply.
Enhancing these markets, improving infrastructure, removing barriers and reducing
transactions costs.
– Market development is important in all systems
– Maize mixed systems and Cereal root and tuber systems.
– Agropastoral and pastoral systems