Agricultural Technology in Africa

Tavneet Suri and Christopher Udry

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2022, vol. 36, issue 1, 33-56

Abstract: We discuss recent trends in agricultural productivity in Africa and highlight how technological progress in agriculture has stagnated on the continent. We briefly review the literature that tries to explain this stagnation through the lens of particular constraints to technology adoption. Ultimately, none of these constraints alone can explain these trends. New research highlights pervasive heterogeneity in the gross and net returns to agricultural technologies across Africa. We argue that this heterogeneity makes the adoption process more challenging, limits the scope of many innovations, and contributes to the stagnation in technology use. We conclude with directions for policy and what we feel are still important, unanswered research questions.

JEL-codes: O13 O31 O33 Q12 Q15 Q16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1257/jep.36.1.33

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