The challenge for designing agricultural development
programmes in Africa is the wide variation in the situation
of subregions and countries. Specific interventions must
therefore recognize as a minimum the available resource
base, including climate, soils, water and topography, the
dominant pattern of farm and household activities, including
fieldcrops, livestock, trees and fisheries. To promote
growth in high population density areas, land productivity
and enterprise diversification will be important, whereas
in low potential and low density areas, technologies that
boost labour productivity are required.