Top 20 Most Important Agricultural Products in Africa
Africa’s top 20 agricultural products — ranked by economic and food security importance — are: Livestock, Maize (Corn), Cassava, Cotton, Coffee, Rice, Peanuts, Bananas, Sorghum, Fish, Sugarcane, Cocoa, Millet, Non-root Vegetables, Beans, Palm Kernels & Oil, Timber, Wheat, Sweet Potatoes, and Tea Leaves.
| African Agriculture Products | Number of African Countries Dependent |
|---|---|
| Livestock | 41 |
| Corn (Maize) | 35 |
| Cassava | 28 |
| Cotton | 27 |
| Coffee | 25 |
| Rice | 23 |
| Peanuts | 21 |
| Bananas | 20 |
| Sorghum | 19 |
| Fish | 17 |
| Sugarcane | 16 |
| Cocoa | 15 |
| Millet | 15 |
| Non-root Vegetables | 15 |
| Beans | 13 |
| Palm Kernels & Oil | 13 |
| Timber | 12 |
| Wheat | 11 |
| Sweet Potatoes | 10 |
| Tea Leaves | 10 |
Agriculture: Africa’s Economic Backbone
Agriculture employs between 60–80% of Africa’s workforce and remains the largest contributor to GDP in most countries. Yet farmers are often small-scale producers without access to credit or investment to modernize their operations.
Gender inequality also hinders growth — in many nations, women cannot inherit or purchase land. Weak political and economic governance adds uncertainty, while conflict and climate shocks threaten agricultural stability.
In recent decades, farmers and pastoralists have adapted by turning to livestock such as goats to diversify income and survive difficult conditions. Meanwhile, seven of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies in 2017 were African, but the continent still hosts nearly half of the world’s extreme poor.
Despite a decline in extreme poverty (from 57% in 1990 to 41% in 2013), conflict and fragile governance continue to hold back sustainable agricultural development across regions such as the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.
