--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed…" description: "\"Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. Not anymore.\" — George Ayittey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/george-ayittey-17835_1960s_back-in-the-1960s-africa-not-only-fed-it_928094.png" --- # Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also… ![“Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. Not anymore.” quote by George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/george-ayittey-17835_1960s_back-in-the-1960s-africa-not-only-fed-it_928094.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/george-ayittey-17835_1960s_back-in-the-1960s-africa-not-only-fed-it_928094.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/george-ayittey-17835_1960s_back-in-the-1960s-africa-not-only-fed-it_928094.png) > “Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. Not anymore.” [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Africa once produced enough food for itself and export, but now relies on imports due to policy and structural failures. **In simple terms:** Africa used to feed itself, now it imports food. Key Takeaway Address policy reforms to boost local agriculture. Themes agriculture economics self‑sufficiency Mood concerned optimistic Type analytical policy‑oriented When to use this quote - government policy review - investment in farming - regional trade agreements Key Concepts development trade food security Questions to Reflect On - What policies most hinder local food production? - How can communities become more food‑secure? A Different Perspective Economic growth alone may not restore self‑sufficiency without institutional change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africa/) [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) ## Related quotes > [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [Much of the art of the 1960s, from body art to video and direct performance, was concerned with similar issues. And then there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valie-export/much-of-the-art-of-the-1960s-from-body-art-to-video-and-direct/) [Valie Export](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valie-export/) > [There is a book called San Francisco Tape Music Centre:1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde and this book describes everything that you want to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/there-is-a-book-called-san-francisco-tape-music-centre-1960s/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [My son Bill, who came to me in 1960-he was 14 then, quoted the old parable to me: "It is not by their words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/my-son-bill-who-came-to-me-in-1960-he-was-14-then-quoted-the-old/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [Under the system that we now have to nominate presidential candidates, for instance, I would prefer that we have a system that is closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/under-the-system-that-we-now-have-to-nominate-presidential-candidates/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/) [Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [I think the general anxiety of the 1960s - '70s spawned our interest in the living dead. 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We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/sometimes-a-party-must-sail-against-the-wind-we-cannot-heed-the-call/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/each-year-more-than-100-000-high-school-graduates-with-proved-ability/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [“At the beginning of a decade when everything was beginning to seem possible, nothing seemed impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-lee-shetterly/at-the-beginning-of-a-decade-when-everything-was-beginning-to-seem/) [Margot Lee Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-lee-shetterly/) ## More by George Ayittey > [There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/there-was-free-trade-in-africa-there-was-free-enterprise-in-africa/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [The only good dictator is a dead one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/the-only-good-dictator-is-a-dead-one/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/hippos-kill-more-people-in-africa-annually-than-any-other-wild-animal/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Socialism is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/socialism-is-always-wrong/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Look at the history of peace accords in Africa. They have a terrible record. They are shredded even before the ink on them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/look-at-the-history-of-peace-accords-in-africa-they-have-a-terrible/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [The richest persons in Africa are heads of state, governors and ministers. So every 'educated' African who wants to be rich - and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/the-richest-persons-in-africa-are-heads-of-state-governors-and/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Traditionally, Africans hate governments. 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All the vapid cases of corruption, grand theft, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/dictators-cause-the-world-s-worst-problems-all-the-collapsed-states/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/getting-rid-of-the-dictator-is-only-a-first-step-in-establishing-a/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/if-nato-goes-in-and-solves-the-crisis-in-darfur-when-the-next-one/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [There's a belief that since Africa got a raw deal from the colonial West, then the Chinese must be Africa's best friend. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/there-s-a-belief-that-since-africa-got-a-raw-deal-from-the-colonial/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) [Explore all 36 George Ayittey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) ## More 1960s quotes > [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/each-year-more-than-100-000-high-school-graduates-with-proved-ability/) [Lyndon B. 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When people worry about the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-the-general-anxiety-of-the-1960s-70s-spawned-our-interest-in/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/) [Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [Under the system that we now have to nominate presidential candidates, for instance, I would prefer that we have a system that is closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/under-the-system-that-we-now-have-to-nominate-presidential-candidates/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [My son Bill, who came to me in 1960-he was 14 then, quoted the old parable to me: "It is not by their words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/my-son-bill-who-came-to-me-in-1960-he-was-14-then-quoted-the-old/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [There is a book called San Francisco Tape Music Centre:1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde and this book describes everything that you want to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/there-is-a-book-called-san-francisco-tape-music-centre-1960s/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [Much of the art of the 1960s, from body art to video and direct performance, was concerned with similar issues. And then there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valie-export/much-of-the-art-of-the-1960s-from-body-art-to-video-and-direct/) [Valie Export](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valie-export/) > [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“At the beginning of a decade when everything was beginning to seem possible, nothing seemed impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-lee-shetterly/at-the-beginning-of-a-decade-when-everything-was-beginning-to-seem/) [Margot Lee Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-lee-shetterly/) Browse all 486 1960s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. 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