Sub-Saharan African cereal yields show signs of growth

Yields, along with crop area, determine the supply of domestically produced cereals, a crucial factor in determining food insecurity. Cereal yields recently have begun to increase in Sub-Saharan Africa, although from very low levels. The region’s yields remain less than half of average yields found in other lower income regions around the world that are included in the annual ERS International Food Security Assessment. This report uses a model that projects food availability and access in 76 lower income countries in 4 regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North Africa. Many lower income countries have been unable to increase food production at the same rate as growth in their populations, turning to imports to fill the gap. In view of recent price spikes for grains governments and international organizations alike have renewed their focus on the importance of raising yields through increased research and support for inputs. This chart appears in "Global Food Security, A Goal, A Challenge" in the February 2013 issue of ERS's Amber Waves magazine tablet version.

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