If you pay attention to the news, you’ll hear two stories about African agriculture. The first is of the drought that sears the Horn of Africa and forces tens of thousands of Somalis – now climate refugees – to pack up their belongings and families and trek hundreds of miles to find water, food and makeshift camps.
The second story presents a quieter danger: foreign investors (panicked in the wake of the 2008 food crisis) buying vast tracts of Africa’s prime agricultural land. Journalists call it a ‘global land rush,’ and in Africa’s case, they’re not exaggerating. The World Bank reports that of the 110 million acres of farmland deals announced in 2009, more than 70% of those deals were for African land.
There is, however, a third story about Africa. One that is mostly hidden in the noise of the other two.
It is the story of Africa’s ‘agri-entrepreneurs’ – local businessmen and women who grow, pack and export produce to overseas markets. This is no cottage industry, and one should not underestimate its influence. Governments and development agencies describe agri-entrepreneurs as an ‘engine’ for Africa’s economic growth, and crucial to establishing food security on the continent.