ABSTRACT
The increased acquisition of agricultural land by large-scale investors across Africa is an important factor that certainly changes the structural dimensions of African agriculture. During lower- to higher-productivity transformation, productivity in agriculture slowly increases as labor leaves the sector, while food prices and agricultural profitability increase, stimulating technological change and investment. Data from a variety of sources are used to provide a comprehensive picture of economic and agricultural transformation in Africa and to put the stylized facts or myths of transformation in African agriculture in perspective. African agriculture is known for large fluctuations in output levels, as a result of climate, pests, and diseases, which could easily have a large influence on the multifactor productivity values. The low share of industry and manufacturing in the GDP value-added of most African countries is the major reason why urbanization is likely to have no real impact on structural transformation, as it only displaces poverty from rural Africa to urban areas.
