Chapter 2 Section 5

Issues for Africa Today

Irrigation to the Rescue!

• Africans were once only able to grow one crop during the wet season

• Now, thanks to irrigation systems, farmers can grow two crops a year Farmers can stay in

the village all-year -round

Economic Issues

• Little manufacturing • Most African

economies are based on farming and mining

Sisal

Farming

• Most important economic activity in Africa

• 60% of workers are farmers

• Subsistence farming

• Commercial farmers grow coffee, cacao, and bananas etc.

Commercial Farming

Cacao Plant (Chocolate)

Bananas

Coffee Beans

Mining

• Many African countries have rich mineral resources

• Nigeria has oil and coal

• Democratic republic of the Congo and Zambia have copper

• South Africa has gold and diamonds

Mining

Diamond miner in Sierra Leone

Oil drilling

Economic Challenge

• 75% of African countries have specialized economies

• Countries that depend on the sale of one crop or mineral are hurt when prices fall

Examples of Specialized Countries

• Gambia peanuts• Zambia copper• Senegal peanuts ( but is now

diversifying)

Farming Improvements

• Growing population has to be fed

• Hybrid plants are being used ex. Hybrid rice

Best qualities of African and Asian rice

Social Issues

• Education

• Health care

An African Child

Education• African children are required to contribute

to the families income • Families suffer to send their children to

school• Schools are often overcrowded• Communities will sometimes build their

own school• Students are expected to keep their school

clean

African Children African children learn farming techniques at

school

Children wear school uniforms in

many African schools

Reading & Writing

• Literate means being able to read and write• More Africans have become literate since• Gaining their independence

Literacy Rates

• Mozambique 48%

• Tanzania 78%

• South Africa 86%

• Egypt 57%

• USA 97%

• Australia 100%

Health

• Life expectancy is the average length of time a person can expect to live.

• Morocco 67-72 years

• Southern Africa less than 50 years for example Botswana 32 years

• United States 77.7 years

• Australia 80.39 years

Africa – Life Expectancy

Preventing Aids• Aids is a major problem in Africa

• Why?

1. Because Africa is poor and people cannot afford treatment or drugs to combat aids

2. Lack of education about the disease

WHO (World Health Organization) is helping

Uganda has had some success with reducing the number of cases

Percentage of people with HIV/Aids

Note: no information available for the white areas on the map

Environment

• Two-thirds of Africa is desert or dry land

• Much of the land is poor for farming

• Africans clear the land to sell the timber and to farm

• Erosion results and more land becomes infertile

Water- A Scarce Resource

Water in Africa

Solutions from Science

• Irrigation projects

• Hybrid varieties of plants and animals

• Plants that hold water in the ground African Irrigation Project

Nigerian Farmers Fight Erosion

• Plant traditional crops, like yams, in rows

• Trees are planted between the rows to hold the soil in place