Is Africa's food insecurity linked to land use coverage, irrigation adoption and water scarcity?

Abstract

The low agricultural yield and production in Africa, ongoing food insecurity and ineffective use of farm inputs are the main motivations for this study. Hence, to increase agricultural productivity, fundamental adjustments to resource management and policy are needed. However, there has been little prior research on how Africa's food security is affected by inadequate land usage and water availability. As a result, farmers are given access to insufficient water projects, which lowers agricultural productivity due to ineffective government operations and poor water resource management. Despite many unfavourable changes to their rainfed agricultural systems, many smallholder farmers have not embraced irrigation investment. The results of this study indicated that more irrigation and better management of land were required to increase productivity in water‐scarce areas. The acceptance of irrigation by farmers greatly depends on their social and cultural knowledge, their participation in new projects, methods and technologies, as well as their capacity to adapt. The key policy implication is an increase in irrigation in an effort to boost agricultural growth and reduce food insecurity. It is advised that the participation of stakeholders, planners and policymakers at all levels is the foundation of water development and management.