This book provides a synthesis of the key issues and challenges facing agriculture and food production in Southern Africa.
Southern Africa is facing numerous challenges from diverse issues such as agricultural transformations, growing populations, urbanization, and climate change.
These challenges place great pressure on food security, agriculture, water availability, and other natural resources, as well as impacting biodiversity.
Drawing on case studies from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the chapters in this book consider these challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering key areas in constraints to production, the most important building blocks of good farming practices, and established and emerging technologies.
This book will be a valuable support for informing new policies and processes aimed at improving food production and security and developing sustainable agriculture in Southern Africa.
This informative volume will be key reading for those interested in agricultural science, African studies, rural studies, development studies, and sustainability. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and agricultural practitioners.
The authors of the chapters on technology and policy/processes were either from Southern Africa or had experience in other regions of Africa.
The chapters are divided into distinct parts that include: an introduction to Southern African agriculture; discussion of the drivers and constraints influencing change; description of both current and proven as well as emerging technologies that can improve sustainable intensification; and finally a section on policies and processes that are needed to implement transformation.
The book directly targets decision-makers, or those who have the greatest influence on agricultural transformation, and make decisions that directly impact food production and food security. The authors of the chapters, therefore, were asked to include a section on policy recommendations for this target group.
Download the book:
Sikora RA, Terry ER, Vlek PLG, and Chitja J. (Eds.). (2019). Transforming Agriculture in Southern Africa: Constraints, Technologies, Policies and Processes (1st ed.). Routledge.
