Food security and the contested visions of agrarian change in Africa

African countries are subject to competing visions of agricultural development. Efforts to “scale up” technocratic, market-based approaches focus on productivist indices (yields, income) rather than food access. Alternatives advocate agro-ecological practices, re-adoption of indigenous crops and state investment in agricultural extension. We introduce here six case studies on these contested visions from Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania. Dominant agricultural development approaches neglect differences across class, geography and gender relations as well as marginalise many smallholders. Nevertheless, the everyday practices of small-scale food producers in Africa may strengthen their abilities to navigate and influence agrarian change.