Technologies for Agricultural Transformation and Food Security in Africa

Agricultural productivity in Africa has remained stubbornly low, and, in the past, production has increased largely by expansion of farming area, not by the intensification of production. The African Development Bank’s answer to raising agricultural productivity is the “Feed Africa” strategy, which aims to achieve food security in Africa, end hunger, eliminate poverty, and secure Africa a place as a net food exporter without compromising environmental sustainability. This paper analyses some of the results from this approach, in particular, selected outcomes of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme, which aims to rapidly expand access of smallholder farmers in low-income Regional Member Countries to high-yielding and climate-smart agricultural technologies. TAAT is currently being implemented in 34 African countries. Over the past five years, TAAT has delivered improved varieties of climate-resilient rice, wheat, and maize seeds, along with their accompanying technologies, to over 13 million farming households and increased food production by more than 12 million metric tonnes per year. Four case studies – wheat in Sudan and Ethiopia, rice in Côte d’Ivoire, and maize in Kenya – are examined to illustrate the contributions of TAAT to enhanced food security.