Despite having about 75% of their labour force in agriculture, West African countries cannot meet their domestic food requirement Discuss.

Answer Details

Although about 75% of the labour force in West African countries works in agriculture, food output remains too low to meet domestic needs. The reasons are:

• Use of crude and primitive tools: reliance on the hoe and cutlass instead of machinery keeps output per worker very low.
• Subsistence nature of farming: most farmers produce mainly for family consumption on small scattered plots, so little surplus reaches the market.
• Poor storage and preservation: lack of silos and processing facilities causes heavy post-harvest losses.
• Inadequate finance and credit: farmers cannot afford improved seeds, fertilizers and equipment.
• Land tenure problems: fragmented holdings and communal ownership discourage large-scale, mechanised farming.
• Rural-urban migration: the young and able-bodied leave the farms for the towns, leaving mostly aged and weak workers.
• Poor transport and infrastructure: bad rural roads make it costly to move produce, so much rots before reaching markets.
• Pests, diseases and unfavourable weather: drought, flooding and crop pests reduce yields.
• Illiteracy of farmers and low use of modern techniques: little access to extension services and improved methods.
• Rapid population growth: food demand rises faster than the slow growth in food production.