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Agribusiness and Innovation Systems in AfricaThe role of agriculture in sustainable development and poverty reduction for the vast majority of developing countries cannot be overemphasized. Forty-five percent of the developing world's population lives in households involved in agriculture, and twenty-seven percent in smallholder households, and most depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The agricultural sector generates on average twenty-nine percent of gross domestic product (GDP), employs sixty-five percent of the labor force in agriculture-based countries, and is a key to generating overall growth. This book attempts to address these questions and challenges, by examining how agricultural innovation arises in four African countries, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, through agribusiness, public policies, and specific value chains for food staples, high value products, and livestock. Determinants of innovation are not viewed individually but within the context of a complex agricultural innovation system (AIS) involving many actors and interactions. The country reports are based on qualitative interviews with agribusiness representatives about their experiences in this area. The synthesis chapter preceding the country reports presents the main findings of the country reports, links common themes, and distills lessons learned.
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Agribusiness and Innovation Systems
 in AfricaThe role of agriculture in sustainable
 development and poverty reduction for the vast majority of
 developing countries cannot be overemphasized. Forty-five
 percent of the developing world's population lives in
 households involved in agriculture, and twenty-seven percent
 in smallholder households, and most depend on agriculture
 for their livelihoods. The agricultural sector generates on
 average twenty-nine percent of gross domestic product (GDP),
 employs sixty-five percent of the labor force in
 agriculture-based countries, and is a key to generating
 overall growth. This book attempts to address these
 questions and challenges, by examining how agricultural
 innovation arises in four African countries, Ghana, Kenya,
 Tanzania, and Uganda, through agribusiness, public policies,
 and specific value chains for food staples, high value
 products, and livestock. Determinants of innovation are not
 viewed individually but within the context of a complex
 agricultural innovation system (AIS) involving many actors
 and interactions. The country reports are based on
 qualitative interviews with agribusiness representatives
 about their experiences in this area. The synthesis chapter
 preceding the country reports presents the main findings of
 the country reports, links common themes, and distills
 lessons learned.
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Growing AfricaThis report highlights the great
 potential of the agribusiness sector in Africa by drawing on
 experience in Africa as well as other regions. The evidence
 demonstrates that good policies, a conducive business
 environment, and strategic support from governments can help
 agribusiness reach its potential. Africa is now at a
 crossroads, from which it can take concrete steps to realize
 its potential or continue to lose competitiveness, missing a
 major opportunity for increased growth, employment, and food
 security. The report pursues several lines of analysis.
 First, it synthesizes the large body of work on agriculture
 and agribusiness in Africa. Second, it builds on a diagnosis
 of specific value chains. As part of this effort, the value
 chain for Africa's largest and fastest-growing food
 import, rice, is benchmarked in Senegal and Ghana against
 Thailand's rice value chain. Third, 170 agribusiness
 investments by the Commonwealth Development Corporation
 (CDC) in Africa and Southeast Asia are analyzed to gain
 perspective on the elements of success and failure. Fourth,
 the report synthesizes perspectives from the private sector
 through interviews with 23 leading agribusiness investors
 and a number of other key informants. In conclusion, the
 report offers practical policy advice based on the
 experience of countries from within and outside Africa. The
 huge diversity of Africa's agro-ecological, market, and
 business environments, however, necessarily means that each
 country (and indeed regions within countries) will need to
 adapt the broad guidance provided here to the local context.
 Annex 1, concerning the rice value chain, was authored by
 John Orchard, Tim Chancellor, Roy Denton, Amadou Abdoulaye
 Fall, and Peter Jaeger. Annex 2, containing interviews with
 23 leading agribusiness players in Africa, was authored by
 Peter White.