Clear, Europe is our home continent and our first love, but Africa is second, particularly south of the Sahara. After we have been first time in Africa, Gerold 1983 in Egypt and Klaudia 1989 in Tansania, we felt at home and enjoyed the strange environment and culture as well as challenges. We saw the continent is crashing and close to the collapse. But we like and love it. The people, the wilderness, the culture, the history and at least our personal experiences.
Africa is the second-largest and second-most populous continent on Earth, occupying a central position in the global system both geographically and historically. It is widely regarded as the cradle of humankind, with abundant fossil and genetic evidence indicating that anatomically modern humans originated there before dispersing to other parts of the world. The continent spans a vast range of latitudes and environments, from Mediterranean climates in the north to equatorial rainforests, extensive savannas, arid deserts such as the Sahara, and temperate zones in the far south, reflecting complex interactions between climate, topography, and geological history.
Geologically, Africa is dominated by an ancient and relatively stable continental core, the African Craton, which has contributed to its long-term tectonic stability. Nevertheless, dynamic processes such as rifting in the East African Rift System continue to reshape parts of the continent. Ecologically, Africa hosts some of the world’s most iconic ecosystems and megafauna, alongside extraordinary biological diversity and high levels of endemism. These systems are increasingly affected by land-use change, population growth, and climate variability, making sustainable management a central scientific and policy concern.
Culturally and politically, Africa is home to 54 internationally recognized countries, encompassing immense linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity. Contemporary African states are deeply influenced by precolonial histories and by the legacy of European colonization, which imposed borders that often cut across existing social and ecological systems. Since the mid-twentieth century, African countries have pursued political independence and economic development within a globalized world, facing challenges such as inequality, public health pressures, and environmental change, while also demonstrating resilience, innovation, and growing regional cooperation. Today, Africa plays an increasingly important role in global demographics, resource systems, and cultural life, making its future trajectories highly significant for the planet as a whole.
Agriculture in Africa is a cornerstone of livelihoods, economies, and food systems, supporting the majority of the continent’s population. The continent exhibits a wide range of farming systems shaped by diverse climates and ecosystems—from rain-fed smallholder farming in tropical regions to pastoralism in arid and semi-arid zones, and plantation agriculture along fertile river valleys. Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices, including mixed cropping, agroforestry, and soil-conservation techniques, have long sustained communities despite variable environmental conditions.
Contemporary African agriculture faces significant challenges, including land degradation, erratic rainfall, water scarcity, and the increasing impacts of climate change, such as droughts and floods. Low mechanization, limited access to modern inputs, and market constraints further constrain productivity in many regions. Scientific and policy initiatives now emphasize climate-smart agriculture, drought- and pest-resistant crops, sustainable land management, and the integration of local knowledge with modern technologies to improve resilience, productivity, and food security across the continent.