English - IFAD

150
Rural Poverty Report 2011
spending over 15 per cent of their total budgets on agriculture by 1972, and the real
value of that expenditure doubled by 1985. Governments invested in infrastructure
– roads, irrigation and power. They ensured that farm credit got to farmers and
subsidized and, in some cases distributed, inputs (i.e. fertilizer and water). They also
invested substantially in agricultural research, provided farmer extension services and
intervened in markets to stabilize farm gate prices.
In China, land and market reforms also played a
vital role.
Tovoke was able to join an association
While agricultural production in sub-Saharan
that provided him with sorghum seeds.
Africa was growing almost as fast as the other
The harvest was successful and Tovoke
regions, increased yields accounted for less than
plans to plant more sorghum next year
with the seeds he has saved from the 40 per cent of the increase; the remainder – more
previous harvest. “I was attracted
than 60 per cent of the increase – could be
by this ampemba (sorghum)
attributed to expansion of land under cultivation
cooperative… I requested one
and shorter fallow periods. There were a number of
kapoake (standard measure for grain)
technological successes, such as the rapid spread of
of seed. And so I planted that
improved maize in Eastern and Southern Africa,
sorghum, and harvested a little…
I didn’t have a large harvest like
which now covers more than three-quarters of the
those with big fields, but according
land under cereal cultivation in Kenya, Malawi,
to its size the land did yield…
Zambia and Zimbabwe; 227 the adoption of highyielding
varieties of NERICA rice, combining
From that one kapoake of seed I
received three gunnies of produce
the best properties of Asian and African rice, on
(200 kapoake make up one gunny
more than 200,000 hectares across Africa; 228 and
sack)… I saved 20 kapoake of seed…
improved disease-resistant strains of cassava, which
I sold one gunny, for all my clothes
had tattered, and I had nothing to
cover more than half of the cassava areas in Nigeria,
wear, and so I purchased some.
now the world’s largest producer. 229 Yet despite
Then a close friend died and I had
these real achievements, by 2002 improved varieties
nothing to give, so I sold that second were planted on less than 25 per cent of the land
gunny to take to [the burial ceremony].
under cereal across the region; fertilizer was applied
The last gunny I ate and saved for
at less than 10 kilograms of nutrients per hectare (a
seed… And I decided this sorghum is
really good, considering it produced figure unchanged since 1980); and only 4 per cent
food as well as giving me a livelihood. of total cropland in this region was irrigated.
And that single kapoake that was
Livestock production in developing countries has
given to me, allowed me to face my
also increased rapidly over the past 30 years. There
problem… That’s why I held back
has been substantial growth in production of meat,
that amount to be able to plant the
eggs and milk. This has resulted both from increased
next year when the rains fall, because
numbers of animals – above all poultry (6 per cent
the sorghum was good to me. It
raised me up.”
or more annual growth in numbers in all regions
Tovoke,
except sub-Saharan Africa); and increased yields –
male, 44 years, Madagascar
particularly for milk and poultry, and above all in