The Effects Of Low Food Production On Africa - 925 Words

Introduction Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent, covering 20.4 percent of Earth’s total land area (Fima. L, 2009), with rich natural resources and lots of mighty rivers. In this essay, three main factors causing low food production in Eastern Africa will be analysed and discussed. Firstly, rapid growth of population in Africa is responsible for degradation and soil erosion, decline of the land’s ability to recovery, and retain productivity. The unpredictable droughts or floods also introduce high levels of risk into farming, particularly in food production (Mortimore. M. 2005). In addition, limited smallholder agriculture and agricultural investment are also the main concerns that are causing the low food production in Africa. Other concerns including limited agricultural science and technological skills as well as the unreformed land tenure will also be discussed briefly in this essay. Rapid growth in population leading to land degradation First of all, it is important to understand about the percentage growth in population in Africa. One statistic obtained by United Nations Environment Programme (2011) indicated that the population of Eastern Africa has doubled since 1960. According to Table 1, the total population is gradually increasing from 377 million to 965 million from 1961 to 2007 and Eastern Africa has the greatest population increase from 111 million to 303 million. In terms of the World’s per capita food consumption ofShow MoreRelatedSupply Chain And Its Effect On Farmers1087 Words   |  5 Pagesalso the rest of the food retail sector. Traditional retailers face extra competition and potential loss of market share, but may benefit from foreign supermarkets through spillover effects of the latest retail techniques. Large supermarket chains are also likely to affect the average retail prices in the markets they operate. 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