Reversing Africa's decline

This Worldwatch Paper focuses on a single continent, thus departing from earlier papers in a series that typically has dealt with global issues. We decided to focus on Africa because it is such a special situation, a continent experiencing a breakdown in the relationship between people and their natural support systems. Famine, and the threat of famine, are among the manifestations of this breakdown.

We have chosen to call this paper Reversing Africa's Decline. We be lieve the decline can be reversed; to do so will require an abrupt departure from the "business as usual" approach that African gov ernments and the international community have mounted so far in response to the food crisis. Beneath the urgent work of providing food aid and resettling families displaced by famine, a long-term strategy of environmental restoration is essential to reversing recent trends. This paper highlights some of the themes that any successful strategy must embrace.

Most analyses of Africa's decline have focused on drought, the disar ray of national economies, and the continent's tumultuous politics. Few have recognized that a new approach to development is re quired. The strategy we propose might be termed "resource-based." Slowing population growth, conserving soils, restoring forests and woodlands, and enhancing subsistence agriculture are sure to be cornerstones of successful efforts to reestablish working economies in Africa. These priorities can provide a foundation for African as pirations and an agenda for international assistance.