Leapfrogging Possibilities For Sustainable Consumption and ...

Figure 2: Past and Future increase of African and World Population (Base Index of
100 in the year 1750) 3
2.3 Challenges in production and consumption
Areas of challenge associated with the activities of production and consumption within
the African context of focusing on the grand objective of meeting basic needs are briefly
presented as follows in the form of two clusters namely, production and infrastructural
challenges as well as health and environmental challenges.
2.3.1 Production and infrastructural challenges
2.3.1.1 Agricultural productivity
Despite the role of agriculture is a major sector in many African countries with a
significant share in terms of labour force, national GDPs and export revenues, it suffers
from low-level of productivity.
Plots of land owned by farmers in many countries in Africa are not able to support the
entitled households due to this low productivity. The agro-industrial sector is still at a
low level of development that it is yet unable to act as driver for the agricultural sector.
Exports of agricultural produces from Africa that make up a major source of foreign
currency in many countries have a very low added value that the real gains are far below
than the potential. Table 1 depicts the different indicators of the agriculture sector in
Africa in comparison with other regions of the world.
3 UNEP (2002b)
10