A NEW VIEW OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Agricultural productivity is widely recognized as a critical determinant of both rural welfare and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this recognition, little is known about the issue. A few studies have presented rudimentary analyses of agricultural productivity in Africa, but the more analytically sophisticated studies of cross-country productivity have essentially ignored Africa. Part of the problem has been the lack of an appropriate output aggregate for African agriculture. In the present paper, I develop such an aggregate and present a new view of cross-country agricultural productivity in Africa. Contrary to previous findings, I find evidence of a notable recovery of African agricultural productivity during the 1980s, although the sustainability of that recovery is in question.