State‐NGO relations in an era of globalisation: the implications for agricultural development in Africa

Abstract

The crisis of the African state has been a dominant feature of the continent's socio‐political and development discourse in the last two decades. In a region where agriculture is the engine of development and the state plays an active role in agriculture, the crisis of the state has created a vacuum in the institutional framework required for agricultural development. Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), consistent with globalisation, have emerged and filled the vacuum as viable institutions for agricultural development. This study examines State‐NGO relations during globalisation and the implications of that relationship for agricultural development in Africa. Exploring the socio‐political context of such relations, especially the nature of investment in the agricultural sector, the study shows how the uncertain outcomes of State‐NGO relations, exacerbated by global forces, affect the long‐term prospects of agricultural development in Africa.