Agriculture in Africa--Telling Myths from Facts

This report presents the insights obtained, organized around the confirmation (fact) or rebuttal (myth) of 16 frequently held perceptions. It is found that women do not contribute 60 to 80 percent of the work in Africa’s crop production, but rather less than half (40 percent in the six countries studied). And that farmers lose only 2 to 6 percent of their maize production after harvest, which stands in stark contrast to the much-touted 30 percent postharvest loss widely quoted. Sound policy design requires establishing solid facts, as well as a clear understanding of the causal links.