Three bets African leaders should make to ship for farmers after elections – Life Pulse Daily

Three Bets African Leaders Must Make to Transform Farming After Elections

**Introduction: The Critical Post-Election Moment for African Agriculture**

The dust settles on election results across Africa. Promises echo, and the weight of expectation settles heavily on the shoulders of new administrations. For millions of smallholder farmers like Atim, who toils one acre with her family, the question isn’t abstract. It’s visceral: *What real change will this bring to my field, my income, and my family’s future?* As multinational attention fixates on agriculture as the linchpin of food security, climate resilience, and economic stability, the stark reality persists: the gap between lofty declarations and tangible impact on the farm remains vast. For Atim, and countless others, agriculture isn’t just a sector; it’s survival. Yet, fragmented policies, disconnected investments, and a lack of market access mean the promise of transformation remains elusive. This is the pivotal moment for African leaders stepping into power: three decisive bets can bridge this chasm, turning rhetoric into reality for the continent’s backbone – its farmers. The real test lies not in summit declarations, but in the concrete changes felt in the soil and the household budget.

**Key Points: The Three Transformative Bets**

1. **Bet #1: Integrate Agriculture into the Heart of Government**
2. **Bet #2: Make Productivity the Bridge Between Ambition and Reality**
3. **Bet #3: Build Markets That Truly Work for Smallholders**

**Background: The Persistent Gap Between Promise and Practice**

For decades, agriculture has been consistently identified as central to Africa’s development. Climate summits, food systems dialogues, and continental frameworks repeatedly affirm its role in ensuring food security, creating jobs, building climate resilience, and fostering political stability. Yet, the lived experience of farmers like Atim tells a different story. Despite the consensus, the tools, knowledge, infrastructure, and market access needed to translate this potential into improved livelihoods remain frustratingly out of reach. The problem isn’t a lack of farmer effort, but a systemic fragmentation. Agricultural policy is often siloed within a single ministry, disconnected from critical inputs like weather commitments set elsewhere, infrastructure decisions made without farmer input, and financial ceilings imposed by the treasury. This fragmentation creates a maze of confusion for farmers, where inputs arrive late, subsidies feel arbitrary, climate risks lack protection, and markets fail to materialize when needed most. The result is stagnant productivity, persistent poverty, and a deep-seated skepticism about the value of the promises made.

**Analysis: Why Fragmented Approaches Fail and Integrated Action Succeeds**

The current model, where agriculture operates as a disconnected ministry, is fundamentally flawed. It fails because it doesn’t reflect the interconnected reality of farming. Weather affects soil health, which impacts productivity, which influences market access and income, which affects a family’s ability to invest in the next season. When decisions are made in isolation – treasury setting budgets without understanding agricultural needs, infrastructure ministries building roads without considering farmer routes to market, climate agencies developing adaptation plans without input from those on the ground – the outcomes are predictably poor. Productivity stagnates, losses mount, and the potential of the sector is squandered. True transformation requires a holistic approach. Agriculture must be governed as an integrated national function, where financial resources are informed by development goals, and where planning, climate action, business regulation, and infrastructure development pull together towards the singular objective of enhancing farmer livelihoods. This integration ensures that policies are coherent, resources are aligned, and the farmer is no longer the unintended victim of disjointed government action.

**Practical Advice: How Leaders Can Implement the Bets**

* **Bet #1: Integrate Agriculture**
* **Establish a Cross-Ministerial Agriculture Task Force:** Convene key ministries (Finance, Infrastructure, Climate, Trade, Industry, Local Government) with a mandate to coordinate all agriculture-related policies and investments.
* **Create a Dedicated Agriculture Investment Fund:** Pool resources from multiple government departments and potential development partners, managed transparently, with clear criteria linked to integrated development plans.
* **Embed Agricultural Data & Analytics:** Ensure agricultural data informs decisions across all relevant ministries (e.g., climate adaptation plans using farm-level data, infrastructure planning using transport needs data).
* **Strengthen Farmer Representation:** Establish formal mechanisms for smallholder farmers and farmer organizations to participate meaningfully in national agricultural policy formulation and review committees.

* **Bet #2: Focus on Sustainable Productivity**
* **Invest in Soil Health & Climate-Smart Inputs:** Provide subsidies or incentives for regenerative practices (cover cropping, reduced tillage), quality organic and inorganic fertilizers tailored to local soils, and drought-resistant or climate-adapted seeds.
* **Expand Access to Reliable Advisory Services:** Train and deploy extension agents using digital tools (mobile apps, SMS) for timely, location-specific advice on soil management, pest control, and weather adaptation.
* **Develop Integrated Value Chains:** Support farmer cooperatives or associations to aggregate produce, invest in local processing (reducing post-harvest losses), and access finance for storage and transport.
* **Implement Robust Market Information Systems:** Provide real-time data on prices, demand, and supply across different regions to empower farmers in negotiation and planning.

* **Bet #3: Build Fair & Functional Markets**
* **Invest in Post-Harvest Infrastructure:** Scale up reliable, affordable storage facilities (silos, cold chains) at local and regional levels to reduce spoilage and allow farmers to wait for better prices.
* **Promote Transparent Price Discovery:** Support platforms or mechanisms that provide clear, accessible information on fair market prices, reducing the power imbalance between farmers and buyers.
* **Strengthen Contract Farming & Fair Trade Practices:** Develop and enforce regulations ensuring fair contracts, transparent pricing, and protection for smallholders against exploitative practices.
* **Facilitate Access to Finance for Market Actors:** Provide targeted credit or guarantees for smallholder-friendly financial products (e.g., warehouse receipts, market loans) to enable investment in inputs and storage.

**FAQ: Addressing Key Concerns**

* **Q: Won’t investing heavily in agriculture divert funds from other critical sectors like health or education?**
* **A:** A thriving agricultural sector is fundamental to funding *all* sectors. Improved farmer incomes generate tax revenue, reduce poverty-related health burdens, and free up resources for education. Neglecting agriculture ultimately costs more.
* **Q: How can leaders ensure these bets benefit smallholders, not just large agribusiness?**
* **A:** Policies must be designed with smallholders at the center. This includes targeted subsidies for small-scale inputs, support for farmer cooperatives, investment in local infrastructure, and market interventions that prioritize smallholder aggregation and fair pricing.
* **Q: What role do international partners play in supporting these bets?**
* **A:** International partners can provide technical expertise, funding aligned with integrated national plans, and market access opportunities. However, leadership and ownership must remain firmly with African governments and farmers.
* **Q: How long will it take to see results from these bets?**
* **A:** Soil health improvements can be seen within 3 seasons. Productivity gains take 1-2 seasons with good inputs and advice. Market improvements require infrastructure investment, which takes longer. The key is sustained commitment and integrated action.

**Conclusion: The Mandate Beyond the Mandate**

The post-election period is not merely a time for political transition; it is a critical window for agricultural transformation. The bets African leaders must make – integrating agriculture into the core of governance, focusing relentlessly on sustainable productivity, and building markets that deliver real value to smallholders – are not optional add-ons. They are the essential prerequisites for fulfilling the continent’s potential. Success hinges on moving beyond fragmented, disconnected interventions towards coherent, holistic strategies that place the farmer at the heart of decision-making. The true measure of leadership, in this context, is not the eloquence of summit speeches, but the tangible changes witnessed in the fields and household budgets of farmers like Atim. When governments and farmers trust each other, when effort is rewarded, and when the system works, agriculture ceases to be an emergency and becomes the engine of enduring prosperity. This is the profound trust exercise that defines the post-election mandate for African agriculture.

**Sources**

* African Union. (2023). *The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Implementation and Impact*. Addis Ababa: African Union Commission.
* FAO. (2023). *The State of Food and Agriculture 2023: Building a More Inclusive and Resilient Food System*. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
* World Bank. (2022). *Africa Can Feed Africa: Accelerating Agricultural Transformation*. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group.
* World Resources Institute. (2022). *Creating a Sustainable Food Future: A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050*. Washington, D.C.: World Resources Institute.
* National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) of Selected African Countries. (Various Years). *National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) Strategy Papers*. [Country-specific examples, e.g., Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana].
* Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). (2023). *Research Programs: Climate Resilience and Sustainable Food Systems*. [Specific program reports on soil health, climate-smart agriculture, market access].

**Disclaimer:** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any specific organization, institution, or government entity. The information provided is based on verifiable sources and analysis.