Farming in Africa: The Yield Gap

Why crop yields in much of Africa remain lower than elsewhere, and what could raise farm productivity for the millions who depend on agriculture.

Agriculture employs a large share of workers in many African countries, most of them on small family farms. Yet crop yields, the amount harvested per hectare, are often much lower than in Asia or the Americas. The difference between actual yields and what is achievable is called the yield gap.

How large is the gap?

Average cereal yields in sub-Saharan Africa have long been well below the world average. For maize, a staple in much of eastern and southern Africa, average yields are often a fraction of those in countries with modern farming techniques.

Why yields are low

Little fertiliser: African farmers use far less fertiliser per hectare than farmers in Asia, partly because of high prices caused by transport costs.
Rain-fed farming: only a small share of farmland is irrigated, so harvests depend on unreliable rains.
Limited access to improved seeds.
Poor roads and markets: high transport costs reduce the prices farmers receive and raise the cost of inputs.
Insecure land rights: farmers may be reluctant to invest in land they might lose.
Limited credit: farmers often cannot borrow to buy inputs.

Why Africa missed the Green Revolution

The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s raised yields dramatically in Asia with new wheat and rice varieties, irrigation and fertiliser. It had less impact in Africa, where the main crops were different, such as maize, sorghum, cassava and millet, where most farming was rain-fed, and where infrastructure was weaker.

Malawi's fertiliser subsidy

In 2005 and 2006, after a severe food crisis, Malawi introduced a large programme subsidising fertiliser and seeds for small farmers. Maize harvests rose sharply in the following years, and Malawi went from food shortages to surpluses. Economists debated the programme's cost and how much of the gain came from good rains, but it showed how much inputs could raise yields.

Why it matters

Raising farm productivity is one of the most powerful ways to reduce poverty in Africa, because so many poor people farm. Higher yields also free workers to move into other jobs and make food cheaper for everyone.

Thinking African farmers are inefficient

Studies often find that small farmers use their limited resources quite efficiently given the constraints they face. Low yields reflect lack of access to fertiliser, irrigation, credit and markets, not a lack of skill. Removing those constraints is the key.

Key takeaways

Crop yields in much of Africa are well below what is achievable.
Low fertiliser use, rain-fed farming, poor roads, weak land rights and limited credit drive the gap.
The Asian Green Revolution had less impact in Africa's different conditions.
Raising farm productivity is one of the strongest ways to reduce African poverty.