East African Agriculture and Climate Change
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Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute
Abstract
Agriculture accounts for 43 percent of the surveyed
nations’ annual gross domestic product (GDP), on average,
although the precise proportions vary considerably from
country to country. For example, agriculture in Burundi,
DRC, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Tanzania accounts for more than
50 percent of GDP while in Eritrea, Kenya, and Madagascar
it accounts for less than 30 percent. Kenya’s low percentage
is due to structural transformation toward a less
agriculture-based economy.
Despite these differences, farming in all the surveyed
nations is dominated by smallholders reliant on rainfall.
These farmers face the challenges of land degradation,
poor soil fertility management, and continuous cropping.
Sluggish growth in agricultural productivity
translates into slow overall growth and generally low
per capita income levels. Meanwhile, population growth
in these 10 East African countries is among the highest
in the world, which threatens to worsen already severe
food insecurity.