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AFRICA CONTINENT AGRICULTURAL
Agriculture is the science and art of cultivating plants and livestock.[1] Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities. The history of agriculture
began thousands of years ago. After gathering wild grains beginning at
least 105,000 years ago, nascent farmers began to plant them around
11,500 years ago. Pigs, sheep and cattle were domesticated over 10,000
years ago. Plants were independently cultivated in at least 11 regions
of the world. Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture in the twentieth century came to dominate agricultural output, though about 2 billion people still depended on subsistence agriculture into the twenty-first.
Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological developments have sharply increased yields, while causing widespread ecological and environmental damage. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and environmental damage. Environmental issues include contributions to global warming, depletion of aquifers, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and growth hormones in industrial meat production. Genetically modified organisms are widely used, although some are banned in certain countries.
The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels and raw materials (such as rubber). Food classes include cereals (grains), vegetables, fruits, oils, meat, milk, fungi and eggs. Over one-third of the world's workers are employed in agriculture, second only to the service sector, although the number of agricultural workers in developed countries has decreased significantly over the centuries.
History of the Africans Agriculture
The first agriculture in Africa began in the heart of the Sahara Desert,
which in 5200 BC was far more moist and densely populated than today.
Several native species were domesticated, most importantly pearl millet, sorghum and cowpeas, which spread through West Africa and the Sahel.
The Sahara at this time was like the Sahel today. Its wide open fields
made cultivation easy, but the poor soil and limited rain made intensive
farming impossible. The local crops were also not ideal and produced
fewer calories than those of other regions. These factors limited
surpluses and kept populations sparse and scattered.[citation needed] North Africa took a very different route from the southern regions. Climatically it is linked to the Middle East and the Fertile Crescent, and the agricultural techniques of that region were adopted wholesale. This included a different set of crops, such as wheat, barley, and grapes. North Africa was also blessed by one of the richest agricultural regions in the world in the Nile River valley. With the arrival of agriculture, the Nile region became one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and Egypt home to one of the first civilizations. The drying of the Sahara created a formidable barrier between the
northern and southern portions of the continent. Two important
exceptions were Nubian Sudan, which was linked to Egypt by the Nile and Ethiopia, which could trade with the northern regions over the Red Sea. Powerful states grew up in these regions such as Kush in Nubia (modern day Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt) and Aksum
in Ethiopia. Especially from Nubia, ideas and technologies from the
Middle East and Europe reached the rest of Africa. Historians believe
that iron working developed independently in
Africa. Unlike other continents Africa did not have a period of copper and bronze working before their Iron Age. Copper is quite rare in Africa while iron is quite common. In Nubia and Ethiopia, iron, trade, and agricultural surpluses lead to the establishment of cities and civilizations
The
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) links U.S. agriculture to the world
to enhance export opportunities and global food security In addition to
its Washington, D.C. staff, FAS has a global network of 98 offices
covering 177 countries.These offices are staffed by Agricultural
attachés and locally hired agricultural experts who are the eyes, ears,
and voice for U.S. Agriculture around the world. FAS staff identify
problems, provide practical solutions, and work to advance opportunities
for U.S. agriculture and support U.S. Foreign policy around the globe.
USTR's
Office of Agricultural Affairs has overall responsibility for U.S.
Government trade negotiations and policy development and coordination
regarding agriculture. Staff works with the Chief Agricultural
Negotiator and other USTR officials, and U.S. Government Agencies,
particularly USDA, as appropriate.Specific responsibilities include
negotiation and implementation of the agricultural provisions of Free
Trade Agreements (FTAs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha
Development Agenda, operation of the WTO Committees on Agriculture and
Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, agricultural regulatory
issues (e.g., biotechnology, cloning, BSE, nanotechnology, other
bilateral food safety, animal and plant health issues, and customs
issues affecting agriculture), monitoring and enforcement of existing
WTO and FTA commitments for agriculture and SPS issues, and WTO
accession negotiations on agriculture market access, domestic support,
export competition, and SPS matters.The office monitors U.S.
implementation of Farm Bill programs to ensure consistency with
international obligations in the WTO and also is responsible for policy
coordination of U.S. activities in agriculture-related committees of the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The
office also collaborates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the
Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) and the Agricultural
Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC).
PROGRAM FELLOWSHIP BORLAUG INTERNATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The
Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship
Program promotes food security and economic growth by providing training
and collaborative research opportunities to fellows from developing and
middle-income countries.Borlaug fellows are generally scientists,
researchers, or policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of
their careers. Each fellow works one-on-one with a mentor at a U.S.
university, research center or government agency, usually for 8-12
weeks. The U.S. mentor will later visit the fellow’s home institution to
continue collaboration. Fellows may also attend professional
conferences and events within their field, such as the annual World Food
Prize Symposium.The Borlaug Fellowship Program honors Norman E.
Borlaug, the American agronomist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate known
as the “father of the Green Revolution.” Since the program’s inception
in 2004, approximately 800 fellows from 64 countries have participated
in research and training focused on a wide array of agriculture-related
topics, including agronomy, veterinary science, nutrition, food safety,
sanitary and phytosanitary issues, natural resource management,
agricultural biotechnology, agricultural economics, and agricultural
policy. By improving participants' understanding of agricultural
science, the program helps foster science-based trade policies that
improve international market access for U.S. agricultural products.
Eligible
To be considered for the Borlaug Fellowship Program, candidates must:
- Be citizens of a 2020 eligible country
- Be proficient in English
- Possess a Master’s degree or higher
- Be
in the early or middle stage of their career, between 2 and 10 years of
practical experience, after obtaining their highest-awarded degree
- Be employed by a university, government agency, or research entity in their home country
- Demonstrate their intention to continue working in their home country after completing the fellowship
USDA
selects candidates based on their academic and professional research
interests and achievements, leadership potential, level of scientific
competence, aptitude for scientific research, likelihood of bringing
back new ideas to their home institution, and flexibility and aptitude
for success in a cross-cultural environment. USDA also considers the
relevance of the applicant’s research area to the research topics
highlighted in the application announcement and to global food security
and trade.
Application Requirements
- Candidates must apply via the online application system (link below). The following information will be required:
- Completed application form
- Program proposal and action plan that addresses the questions posed in the application
- Letter of Reference from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service Post in their home country
- Approval from applicant's home institution (form provided) – signed by current supervisor
- Two letters of professional recommendationCopy of transcript or diploma for all college/university degree(s) received
- Copy of passport identification page
Research Priorities
USDA requires interested applicants to contact the Foreign Service Post in their home country for the approved list of topics. Eligible Countries and Points of Contact
Online Application System
Click here to access the online application system (an external, third-party site)
More information:
The President United States
Administration’s Prosper Africa initiative aims to substantially
increase U.S.-African trade and investment ties, spur joint U.S. and
African economic growth, and—as U.S. officials have stated—demonstrate
“the superior value proposition of transparent markets and private
enterprise.”
Past Administrations have similarly sought to expand
U.S.-Africa trade and investment ties, but gains to date have been
modest. In 2019, Africa accounted for 1.4% of U.S. global trade and
received 0.7% of U.S. foreign direct investment. Such shares have
declined relative to their historical highs a decade or so ago,
suggesting that quickly achieving sizable growth in such metrics may not
be easy. As such, Congress may seek to determine whether Prosper Africa
is adequately funded, effectively configured, and an appropriate
vehicle to attain such goals. (See Figure 1 for recent U.S.-Africa trade
trends.)Background, Vision, and Justification
Then-National Security Advisor John Bolton announced Prosper Africa in a late 2018 speech unveiling the Administration’s Africa strategy. The initiative, he said, would foster U.S. investment, expand Africa’s middle class, and enhance business climates across the region. He also said it would help to counter “predatory” financial and political efforts by Russia and China in Africa; “encourage African leaders to choose high-quality, transparent, inclusive and sustainable” U.S. and other foreign investment projects; and expand African access to business finance. U.S. officials formally launched Prosper Africa in 2019 at the U.S. Corporate Council on Africa’s U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Mozambique.
The State Department’s FY2021 budget request states that Prosper Africa aims to unleash U.S. “unmatched competitive advantages to vastly accelerate” U.S-Africa trade and investment, including by creating “a pipeline of U.S.-Africa trade and investment opportunities” for U.S. firms active in the region. It seeks to do so, in part, by helping to facilitate business transactions and “blended-finance solutions to de-risk investment opportunities,” and by supporting business-facilitating regulatory and policy reforms and environments in Africa, the request states. It also promotes African exports to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA Title I, P.L. 106-200, as amended, a trade preference program). Through such efforts, the initiative seeks to help transform U.S.-Africa relations from “an aid-based focus to [a] true trade partnership” (as the FY2020 budget request stated)—a goal shared by several past Administrations.
The FY2021 foreign aid budget request seeks $75 million for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implementation of Prosper Africa, which was funded with $50 million in FY2020 and $50 million in FY2019. Further separate funding also is planned (see below).............
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