Agriculture as a driver of Africa’s structural transformation

Evidence suggests that countries that have increased productivity across the globe benefitted from economic growth sustained by agricultural transformation (Senbet & Simbanegavi, 2017). Additionally, recent studies have confirmed that there is a correlation between growth in agriculture and poverty reduction (Christiaensen & Martin, 2018). Food security has dominated the debate but cannot replace real transformation. Senbet and Simbanegavi (2017) emphasise the need for transformation across the entire agricultural value chain.

Binswanger-Mkhize et al. (2010) reflected on the challenges facing African agriculture and put forward key areas for policy intervention: • Formulation and implementation of “sound” macroeconomic policies • Removal of taxation policies that “disadvantage African farmers relative to all other farmers in the world”

• Improved service delivery for farmers • Investment in agricultural technology and its dissemination

• Increasing the capacity and effectiveness of local governments, communities and farmer organisations to actively participate in agricultural development • Strengthening regional agricultural institutions

These recommendations to support structural transformation remain relevant and critical to advance transformative industrialisation in agriculture, which reinforces the need for better, more integrated RVCs in this sector. Once again, the scholars emphasised the need for country agricultural action plans that complement regional initiatives. These national action plans need to complement existing frameworks such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, which provides “for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic growth and prosperity for all”. Additionally, structural transformation of agriculture must take place within a context of structural transformation of the entire economy to achieve sustainable results (Senbet & Simbanegavi, 2017). It is important to note that the rapidly changing environment of digitisation, climate change and the global pandemic, requires incremental adaptation to policy design and implementation at national, regional and continental levels. In the same vein, Christiaensen and Martin (2018) posit that “the ongoing digital revolution, the world’s bifurcating demography and climate change continue to challenge our current metrics and methods, keeping the topic of agriculture, structural change and poverty reduction, a vibrant area of further investigation”.