Obstacles of Small Scale Farming in Africa

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World Regional Geography.
Introduction.
Studying world regional Geography is an attempt to understand "the world discipline". Understanding natural complexities are crucial to understanding human behavior and relationships. Therefore, by using this bridge, it is possible to analyze communities, cultures, and economies of different regions. Therefore, this essay is focused on the following regions in the world; Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and South America. It will look at the region’s potential, struggles, and how they affect the livelihood of its citizens.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Many obstacles limit the success of small scale farming in Africa. CITATION Bir16 \l 1033 (Patel) The obstacles can be looked at different perspectives namely: climate, technology, financing, and infrastructure. African farmers are among the poorest in the world due to their circumstantial inability to maximize their potential. Climate change in Africa is unforgiving as showcased by the El Nino effects of 2015/16. The changes in the weather saw a reduction of cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa by 201% CITATION Bir16 \l 1033 (Patel) With such events expected to double due to global warming, experts warn that Africa needs early system warnings and disaster funds to prepare.
The agricultural sector in Africa happens to be the least productive in the world. This has been attributed to the lack of education, innovation, and application of technology in farming skills. As a result, African governments require to create training initiatives that inspire farmers to become self-sufficient. Also, farmers need to be empowered and given access to quality inputs to increase crop yields. Poverty levels and lack of financing make it harder for the implementation of educational initiatives for small scale farmers. Most of them stick to traditional methods of farming due to the lack of finances, education, and lack of support from the government. Therefore, with limited financing, small scale farmers are only likely to use their land for sustaining their families.
Polices and infrastructure in these regions make it harder for small scale farmers to compete. Starting with outdated policies like high import duties and border bureaucracy, the burden falls on to the consumer meaning basic farm inputs will be expensive for the average farmer. The lack of quality infrastructure is also a major hindrance in transportation for small scale farmers most of who live and farm in the rural areas.
Pros
Despite the challenges, there is the existence of local, regional, and international agricultural policies that have brought about investments in trade and agricultural products. They are tailored to improving yields, food availability, and an emphasis on nutrition and public health. This makes sub-Saharan Africa and attractive proposition for anyone intending to venture into foreign agribusiness Increase in well-developed infrastructure among member states has helped facilitate access to local and international markets and allows labor mobility. Also, the creation of structures such as the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) by the African Union (AU) and t...