Understanding The Democratic Republic Of The Congo’s Agricultural Paradox

AUTHOR

Wim Marivoet, John Ulimwengu, and Mohamed Abd Salam El Vilaly

YEAR

2018

ABSTRACT

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is endowed with well over two million square kilometers (km2) of land, 800 thousand of which is arable, yet only 10 percent is currently under cultivation. DRC also has favorable climatic and ecological conditions, allowing several harvests of numerous crops per year. Nevertheless, few studies have looked at the country’s spatial heterogeneity in terms of economic activity, public goods, or the livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers. As a result, policymakers have little evidence to guide their decisions in planning and implementing interventions to improve the nation’s food and nutrition security status.To fill in this knowledge deficit, the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS),provides knowledge products and analytical tools in support of African countries. Among the tools developed is the country eAtlas which serves three purposes:data provision and validation, identification of knowledge gaps, policy support. By bringing together and discussing a limited number of key indicators available via the eAtlas, this paper intends to highlight the first of the tool’s three stated functions.

PUBLISHER

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC, USA