Decolonizing African Agriculture by William G. Moseley (Mali)

Decolonizing African Agriculture
By William G. Moseley (Mali 1987-89)
Agenda Publishing
December 2024
246 pages
$40.00 (Paperback)

William G. Moseley (Mali 1987-89)

Why have so many approaches to farming and food policy failed in Sub-Saharan Africa? Because, argues William Moseley in this compelling analysis, of the shortcomings of a prevailing western, colonial agricultural science that is infused with power and politics. To tackle food security successfully, the book argues, we need a non-colonial, indigenous agronomy that creates the social innovation needed to support the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.

The book is organized in four sections: Part 1 provides a broad conceptual introduction emphasizing political agronomy, political ecology and agroecology. Part 2 evaluates past food security and agricultural development experiences in four countries where Moseley has undertaken extensive field research over several decades: Mali, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Botswana. Part 3 examines successful efforts in each of these countries and outlines future directions that emphasize the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems. In Part 4, Moseley advocates building more resilient food systems and a different kind of development that supports agroecology, vibrant rurality and networks of smaller cities. Achieving this transformation will require institutional reform at the global level, of those multilateral and bilateral agencies involved with farming and food policy.

Written for an academic and policy readership, as well those interested in international food security, the book is suitable for courses on food politics, agroecology and sustainable development.

WILLIAM G. MOSELEY is DeWitt Wallace Professor of Geography, and Director of the Food, Agriculture & Society Program, at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, where he teaches courses on Africa, environment and development. He has worked for the U.S. Peace Corps, the Save the Children Fund (UK), the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the World Bank Environment Department. His research and work experiences have led to extended stays in Mali, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Niger, Lesotho and South Africa. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has written op-eds that have been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Al jazeera English, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Minneapolis StarTribune, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He is the author, co-author or editor of several books, including: Decolonizing African Agriculture: Food Security, Agroecology and the Need for Radical Transformation (2024); Debating African Issues: Conversations Under the Palaver Tree (2022); Understanding World Regional Geography (2018); Land Reform in South Africa: An Uneven Transformation (2015); An Introduction to Human-Environment Geography (2014); and Hanging by a Thread: Cotton, Globalization and Poverty in Africa (2008). He is president of the Mande Studies Association, Vice President of the American Association of Geographers and previously served on the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS).