Owusu on Africa: At the heart of stability in Africa is sustainable agriculture

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

Agriculture life in Africa has been around for millennia after communities in the continent transitioned from hunter-gatherer status to crop growing and pastoral life. Ancient Egyptian records are clear on early agriculture in the Nile Valley.

Even though some few “isolated” groups like the pygmies still live as hunters and gatherers, the continent is traditionally made up of groups who are economically dominated by either pastoralism or sedentary crop growing.

With vast land and the idea of self-sufficiency – augmented by some form of barter trading before the use of different standards of exchange (money) – disputes over the economic use of land had not been a problem initially. Yes, Kingdoms had invaded other Kingdoms and weaker communities; but inter-ethnic use of land was largely unconfrontational.

Sedentary farmers grew different staples as pastoralists kept livestock. Fishing and hunting happened. Regardless, local laws and taboos regulated these activities. For example, you could not farm or fish on some “sacred” days.

Colonial disruption

Colonialism and the demand for raw materials in Europe and elsewhere changed this state of affairs.

Furthermore, European powers in a bid to strengthen their control on the continent, had influenced or directly given some groups advantages in the ownership of lands in Africa. This disrupted the economic balance in many places. All over Africa, European settlers took lands.

Currently, much of the inter-ethnic conflicts across Africa – accounting for the majority of lost lives – are in one way or the other connected with land and its usage.

The Fulani-Hausa clashes in Nigeria; the Fulani-Dogon clashes in Mali; the Lendu-Hema conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Dinka-Nuer conflagration in South Sudan are all examples of such inter-ethnic clashes over agricultural land; more or less.

In most cases, pastoralists are struggling with crop growers over land. Cattle are increasingly destroying crops. Macabre conflicts result.

Population expansion and the consciousness of the scarcity of land very shortly have therefore made groups across the continent sensitive to land.

Climate change has exacerbated the problem. With fast-changing weather patterns and rapid desertification pastoralists who are often the closest to the more arid regions are moving into the lower Savannah and forest regions – clashes are inevitable.

What’s the way forward?

Sustainable agriculture which includes a transition from nomadic pastoralism to a more scientific and assisted system could help immensely in addressing this problem.

Governments, traditional leaders and development partners of Africa must be involved in achieving this. The people must be prioritized.

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.