This paper summarizes a book project analyzing the history of food security and agricultural development initiatives in post-colonial Africa and outlining a vision for future prosperity. The basic argument is that failed agricultural development efforts on the continent are the result of intellectual colonization in the agricultural sciences, that we must reimagine the way forward, and that this effort will require new institutions. Following a broad conceptual introduction emphasizing political agronomy and political ecology (Moseley 2021), I review past food security and agricultural development experiences in four countries where I have undertaken research: Mali (Moseley and Gray 2008), Burkina Faso (Moseley and Ouedraogo 2021), South Africa (McCusker, Moseley and Ramutsindela 2015) and Botswana. I then examine successful efforts in each of the aforementioned countries and outline future directions that emphasize agroecology, the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems (HLPE 1999). I conclude with some ideas about institutions at the national, regional, and international levels. To build more resilient food systems and a different kind of development, new institutions will need to emerge that support agroecology, vibrant rurality, and networks of smaller cities.
Mots clés : Africa|agroecology|intellectual decolonization|political agronomy|political ecology
A103029WM