While there is huge potential for sub-Saharan Africa to increase agricultural productivity, the odds that the region will become the world’s next breadbasket are low, according to a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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LINCOLN, Neb. – While there is huge potential for sub-Saharan Africa to increase agricultural productivity, the odds that the region will become the world’s next breadbasket are low, according to a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Breadbaskets are regions that produce a large and stable surplus of one or more major food crops that not only meet local demand, but substantially contribute to the food supply in other regions. By this definition, there are only a few major breadbaskets in the world. The only rain-fed corn and soybean breadbaskets are the U.S. Corn Belt, Brazilian Cerrados and Argentinean Pampas.
“Even though there are not very many breadbaskets, they are critically important because they account for a major part of global food production,” said Patricio Grassini, assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture at Nebraska and a co-author of the study.
Current yields in sub-Saharan Africa are well below what could be achieved given the region’s farmable land and annual rainfall. The area receives more rainfall per year than other breadbaskets around the world. Given these factors, there is a persistent narrative that sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to become a grain breadbasket if production is intensified.
However, the study noted that a lack of data on soil depths that will support root growth has limited rigorous evaluations of how well sub-Saharan soils can support high, stable yields. According to Grassini, this is a critical parameter because deeper soils can buffer against rain-free periods. Current soil-depth data lacks adequate underpinning data, Grassini said.