ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of agricultural development in Southern Africa. It shows the challenges of agricultural trade in the region. The chapter discusses the status of agricultural production in Southern Africa. It analyses agricultural trade within and outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The chapter examines the importance and evidence of regional collaboration in agriculture and the implications for agro-processing and the development of regional value chains in the region, and the eighth section closes the chapter with conclusions and recommendations. On the basis of the data on trade in the main agricultural commodities, it can be concluded that SADC region is lagging behind in promoting the logic of developmental regionalism in the agricultural sector. Agricultural development is one of the most effective tool for reducing national poverty levels and addressing gender inequalities in effect making it possible to attain Developmental Regionalism within the SADC region.
