Knowra African agriculture African agriculture African agriculture comprises crop cultivation and livestock husbandry across the continent’s diverse climates, landscapes, and farming systems. It includes smallholder, pastoral, commercial, and mixed livelihoods.
Agroecological zones of Africa : Regions grouped by climate, soils, vegetation, and other conditions that influence ecological systems and land use. Rainfall and growing seasons vary sharply across these zones, shaping where particular crops and livestock thrive.
Shifting cultivation : A farming system in which fields are cultivated for a period and then fallowed while cultivation moves elsewhere. Long fallows can restore soil fertility where land is available, but population pressure often shortens them.
Maize production in Africa : The cultivation of maize across African farming systems, ranging from household plots to commercial farms. Maize is a major staple in eastern and southern Africa, though yields often depend on rainfall and inputs.
African crop domestication : The development of cultivated crops from wild African plants through selection and farming. Crops including sorghum, pearl millet, and African rice have deep domestication histories on the continent.
Climate change in Africa : Observed and projected changes in African temperatures, rainfall patterns, and related climate extremes. Changing heat and rainfall threaten crop and livestock productivity, with impacts varying greatly by region.
Sahel : A semiarid belt south of the Sahara, stretching across Africa from the Atlantic toward the Red Sea. Its short, variable rainy season supports both drought-adapted crops and mobile livestock keeping.
Intercropping : The practice of growing two or more crops together in the same field. Combining crops can spread risk and use light, water, and nutrients differently across a field.
Cassava production in Africa : The cultivation of cassava, a root crop widely grown in tropical parts of Africa. Cassava tolerates some dry spells and poor soils, making it an important food-security crop.
Bantu expansion : The long-term movement of Bantu-speaking peoples from west-central Africa into eastern and southern Africa. The spread of farming communities and languages helped carry crops and agricultural practices across regions.
Food security in Africa : The condition in which people have reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food in Africa. Agricultural output alone cannot ensure food security when conflict, poverty, and distribution constrain access.
Show all 30