摘要
Following the UN sustainable development goals(SDGs),the 2030 agenda for sustainable development,which includes 17 sustainable development goals,was developed to shape a sustainable future for the world over the next 15 years[1].It has offered a vision of a sustainable,more prosperous world where nobody is hungry,and people eat enough nutritious food,especially in Africa.Agriculture and food production are key to achieving the entire set of SDGs due to their fundamental role in societal and economic development.To produce enough nutritious food to feed the large and ever-growing human population in a sustainable manner is a major challenge facing all countries in the world.The challenge is however more daunting in Africa,especially sub-Saharan Africa.Agriculture and food systems account for more than a quarter of GDP,as well as for more than 40%of employment in many African countries[2].To create,coordinate,and maintain“green”and“development”tags in African agriculture would require a fundamental shift in mobilizing the power of African food production system toward a sustainable agricultural intensification[3].Without any doubt,Africa represents the ideal environment for implementing the SDGs by government policymakers,scientists and business,particularly from an agricultural and food production perspective.Due to limited infrastructure,low adoption and use of technologies,and a flawed system of knowledge transfer by extension agents,Africa missed out on the Green Revolution of the last century.Compared with China,grain yield in sub-Saharan Africa is still less than 2 t$ha–1,which can hardly meet the food demand of its ever-increasing population[4].Hunger is highly prevalent and still a major problem in many African countries.A more effective approach to food self-sufficiency in Africa is to develop a modern agricultural production system.Although this is still being explored,there are a few partially successful cases that have been noted internationally;these include the use of N2 fixation technology as N-biofertilizer,improving cropping systems through legume introduction and optimized application of fertilizers.Compared to the food insecurity problem in Africa,China has had great success in producing enough food to feed its huge population.The difference lies in the fact that china has developed a successful approach to technology innovation and transfer through a common participatory model,which involves scientists,graduate students,farmers,government,business and other stakeholders.This special issue of Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering focuses on sustainable agriculture in Africa,and comprises seven review and research articles,which cover a wide range of topics on adaptive technology innovation,knowledge transfer,bottom-up new technology application and extension,and the implications of China’s experience for sustainable agriculture in Africa.
