Hamady Diop (NEPAD NGR/FNS)

1. Agricultural Productivity and the issues of land
degradation in Africa
TOWARDS ACHIEVING AGENDA 2063: THE MALABO DECLARATION ON AGRICULTURAL
TRANSFORMATION
“Issues of land and Soil productivity”
Hamady DIOP, PhD
Head of NRG/FNS

2. Problems of land degradation in
Africa
• Economic impacts of land degradation
– About 16% representing 494 million of hectares of land is
degraded in Africa (Ayoub, 1994)
– Monetary values of lost production through land
degradation is $65 billion (UNEP-GEO)
– Widening gap for food security: malnourished people is
15% the 1990 decade with 19 millions tons of cereals
purchased in 2003 (value 3.8 billions USD) linked to lost
production linked to land degradation
– Land degradation affects the poor and the marginalized

3. Causes of land Degradation in
Africa
• Biophysical (climate
vagaries, water, etc.)
• Socio-economics
(population growth)
• Poor land uses
• Inadequate land
policies

4. Policy: Malabo Declaration Commitments
Under the Malabo Commitments to end
hunger in Africa by 2025 and to Halve Poverty
by the year 2025, through Inclusive
Agricultural Growth and Transformation, the
African Union focus is
– sustainable land management and governance;
– irrigation and water management;
– animal resources development;
– technology generation, dissemination and
adoption;
– agripreneurship for youth and women; and
– value chain development

5. Why improve land quality in Africa
• land is the key asset of the rural poor and,
therefore, critical for securing sustainable
productivity enhancements, livelihoods, farm
income and, therefore, national economic
growth

6. Developing a narrative for Land uses and
linkages to development in Africa
Land management in Africa is important because
• Agricultural productivity and food security: Agriculture is the mainstay of most
SSA economies, the source of livelihoods and economic growth for a majority of
their populations
• Water security and access: Increasingly the variation is water availability and
access and the threats to water sources are constraining the welfare and growth
opportunities for many
• Sustainable land and natural resource management: With the reliance on
subsistence cultivation and on natural resources extraction for livelihoods by the
rural populations of SSA, soil health and SLM are critical factors in sustainable
development
• Global environmental change, including climatic change: The causes and impacts
of climate change are closely tied to the changing land use patterns. Increased
vulnerability to climate change risk is particularly affecting the poor in SSA, and
sustainable land management is key to adaptation in the rural space

7. Solutions to Land use problems in Africa
The African Union agenda 2063 recommends the following solutions
• Implement the continental framework Land Policy Initiative (LPI)
• At least 30% of agricultural land is placed under sustainable land
management practice
• Implementation of the Great Green wall for the Sahara and Sahel
Initiative (GGWSSI) as a Framework against desertification and land
degradation
• Implement fully the AU Framework Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa as
well as Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments in
Africa.
• Put in place sustainable land management practices including sound
property rights and institutions to ensure security of tenure.

8. New Partnerships for Africa Development
Private Bag 218 Halfway House, Midrand 1685
Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Tel: +27(0) 11 256 3600