African Land Economy and its Importance

Farm land is very good for farming for the most part.They have a rainy season and a dry season.Crops grow well during the rainy season.They would grow crops year around if irrigation was available for the dry season.What prevents the farming to be much more than sustenance is the lack of almost any inputs, such as improved seeds and fertilizers.They have almost no machinery such as tractors, plows, planters, etc. Farming is mostly by hand, and in a large part done by the women.They lack the machinery to clear the land. Fertilizers are controlled by the government is almost unavailable to the small farmers. They have very little transportation and roads fit to take their crops to market. The main method of agriculture is still slash and burn for a source of fertility and weed control.African land soil differs in characteristics. Both in space and time. Africa’s soils differ even in the same field of just an acre. This means, soil suit abilities and capability assessments should be carried out for the crops u want to grow. The weather does a great role in farming but this as well can be manipulated for better results. Crops have different climatic requirements. so then try to find which crops are good for a given environment.

Africa has a dual agricultural economy, with both well-developed commercial farming and more subsistence-based production in the deep rural areas.Covering 1.2-million square kilometers of land,  Africa is one-eighth the size of the United States and has seven climatic regions, from Mediterranean to subtropical to semi-desert.While 12% of Africa’s land can be used for crop production, only 22% of this is high-potential arable land.Important export groups are wine, citrus, maize, grapes, sugar, apples, pears and quinces. Important export products include agro processing products, such as under matured ethyl alcohol and hides and skins.