More than 60 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is smallholder farmers, and about 23 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP comes from agriculture. Yet, Africa’s full agricultural potential remains untapped.

“Late” African regions, c. Only from 1000 BCE to 500 CE did the peoples of most regions in sub-Saharan Africa start farming. They enjoyed healthier lifestyles and a generally higher standard of living as foragers for much longer than the people of the Fertile Crescent or East Asia.

8,000 years ago

Agro-Pastoral Millet/Sorghum Farming System This farming system occupies 198 million ha (8 percent) of the land of the region, generally in the semiarid zone of West Africa from Senegal to Niger, and in substantial areas of East and Southern Africa from Somalia and Ethiopia to South Africa.

In this chapter, authors review the main challenges of the agricultural sector in sub-Saharan Africa. It includes gender disparities, dependence on rain-fed agriculture, low use of irrigation, limited public investment and institutional support.

With the threat of a lack of employment, food-related problems, conflicts, exoduses and desertification, the third challenge is how to manage to make these efforts to develop and promote sustainable, both in the field and in the whole economy.

Uganda

Hunger and malnutrition are part of an ongoing cycle, as both a cause and effect of many other factors too, like inequality and lack of education. These factors are within our power to change. That’s why hunger is also the world’s most solvable problem.

When you don’t get enough rest, your levels of ghrelin (a hormone that makes you want to eat) go up. Meanwhile, your levels of leptin (a hormone that decreases hunger and the desire to eat) go down. These two hormones control feelings of hunger. The result: You feel hungry even if your body doesn’t need food.