Countries that have implemented a policy framework for agricultural transformation have posted higher agriculture productivity.

This is according to a new survey that also showed that these States had stronger gross domestic product (GDP) growth. They also had sharper declines in malnutrition compared to countries that have not adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which was created in 2003.

A key component of CAADP was its call for African governments to allocate 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture and to aim for six per cent annual growth in the sector.

The report dubbed The 2016 African Agriculture Status Report (AASR)-Progress towards an Agriculture Transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa, notes that even if they didn't hit the 10 per cent targets, early adopters of the CAADP goals have seen productivity on existing farmlands rise by 5.9 to 6.7 per cent per year.

This boost, in turn, helped spur a 4.3 per cent average annual increase in overall GDP. Those later to the game achieved anywhere from a three to 5.7 per cent growth in farm productivity and 2.4 to 3.5 per cent increase in GDP.

The survey launched yesterday at the African Green Revolution Forum by Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), documents successes and challenges of Africa's agriculture. 

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Among the key findings are that a decade of intense domestic attention to farmers and food production has generated "the most successful development effort" in African history.

"The past ten years have made a strong case for agriculture as the surest path to producing sustainable economic growth that is felt in all sectors of society—and particularly among poor Africans," said AGRA President Agnes Kalibata.

Countries that sat on the sidelines saw farm productivity rise by less than three per cent and GDP rise by only 2.2 per cent.

The trend is similar for declines in malnutrition, with countries that have embraced CAADP experiencing annual declines ranging from 2.4 to 5.7 per cent, while those who have not averaged only a 1.2 per cent decline.