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Agricultural Maladjustment in Africa: What Have We Learned after Two Decades of Liberalisation?

Given the extent and significance of rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (henceforth ‘Africa’ or ‘SSA’) much of the literature on poverty reduction continues to focus on agriculture and rural development. Agriculture still plays a major role in African economies: it typically contributes 40 per cent of exports, 30 per cent of foreign exchange earnings, 25 to 30 per cent of GDP, and about 70 per cent of employment in the region as a whole (World Bank 2005). Moreover, as the picture appears rather bleak in terms of trends, the debate on agricultural policies, adjustment and reforms continues. The 1980s and 1990s were characterised by the dominance of agrarian neoliberalism and the concomitant agricultural adjustment reforms promoted by donor agencies and international lending institutions in most of Africa (Oya 2005). Despite this apparent hegemony of one-size-fits-all policy packages, the timing, content and speed of neoliberal reforms has varied across countries and time over the last 25 years, thus making sweeping generalisations inappropriate.