Success is not a word often heard when dealing with contemporary issues in agriculture in sub- Sahdepharan Africa. For 30 years, the overall pictureas been one of failure.While other regions of theveloping world have seen increases in agriculturalroduction per capita, sub-Saharan Africa1 has seen adecline, the index falling from 114 in 1969–1971 to 97 for 2002–04, a 15 per cent fall over 33 years (data from theUnited Nations Food and Agriculture OArganization Statistics (FAOSTAT)). Consequently,frica has lost much of its share of international trleade in agricultural produce, and has seen risingvels of food imports.