Sub-Saharan Africa facts of the day
Sub-Saharan Africa facts of the day by Tyler Cowen July 15, 2026 at 2:30 am in Data Source Food and Drink In aggregate its farmers are growing more cereals, such as maize (corn) and rice, than ever: nearly five times as much as in the 1960s, when many countries achieved independence. But most of those gains came from cultivating more land, which cannot go on for ever (see chart 1). Africa, once sparsely populated, is getting crowded.
- ▪Sub-Saharan Africa facts of the day by Tyler Cowen July 15, 2026 at 2:30 am in Data Source Food and Drink In aggregate its farmers are growing more cereals, such as maize (corn) and rice, than ever: nearly five times as much as in the 1960s
- ▪But most of those gains came from cultivating more land, which cannot go on for ever (see chart 1).
- ▪Africa, once sparsely populated, is getting crowded.
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Sub-Saharan Africa facts of the day by Tyler Cowen July 15, 2026 at 2:30 am in Data Source Food and Drink In aggregate its farmers are growing more cereals, such as maize (corn) and rice, than ever: nearly five times as much as in the 1960s, when many countries achieved independence. But most of those gains came from cultivating more land, which cannot go on for ever (see chart 1). Africa, once sparsely populated, is getting crowded. The amount of arable land per person has been falling for decades, and now sits at roughly the global average. That might not matter if farmers were also growing more crops per hectare. But recently gentle growth in agricultural productivity has given way to stagnation, perhaps even decline.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Marginal Revolution.
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