By Steve Wiggins

IDS Bulletin Vol 36 No 2 June 2005

Success is not a word often heard when dealing with contemporary issues in agriculture in Sub- Saharan Africa. For 30 years, the overall picture has been one of failure.While other regions of the developing world have seen increases in agricultural production per capita, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a decline, the index falling from 114 in 1969–1971 to 97 for 2002–04, a 15 per cent fall over 33 years (data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics (FAOSTAT)). Consequently, Africa has lost much of its share of international trade in agricultural produce, and has seen rising levels of food imports.