conpletel-y disrupted developnent efforts, as country after country has had to deal l.'it.h .the critical food shortage and famine brought about by droughc. 324. To these external and climatic faccors must be added a number of incernal factors that have also contribut.ed to the present clisis. U Sone of tbe most inportant of these are: (a) rapid population growth in most African countries' which has outstripped their atrility to increase production 1n general and food production in particular; (f,) inappropri.aEe prices (including exchanqe rates) prevailing in sone countries, which have discouraged the domestic production of agricultural commodities and mineralst (c) i1l-advised industrialization proqrammes in many African countries within the confines of linited domestic markets rather than in a broader co-operative regional context, end (d) Iack of experience on the part of Governnents and political disturbances. .t.The food crisis 325. The severe drought faced by many countries during the past severa] years has occurred against the background of a general long-term deterioration in tbe food situation in Africa, reaching back to Ehe coloniat period. Population growtb has outstripped food production for almost 15 years, and prospects for the future are poor r.rithout drastic action to reverse the trend. As table 59 indicates. total food production has declined by about I per cent per year since 1971 in alnost every subregion of Afr ica. 326. The food situation i.n Africa is in sharp constrast to that in Asia and Latin Anerica where per capita food production has increased a! an annual average of about 0.6 per cen! during the past 25 years. The difference is due only in part to ttre fact that total food production in Africa has groLtn at a snaller rate than in Asia and Latin America. More inportant, ouantitatively, is the fact that Africa's
**Analysis**
The text discusses the food crisis in Africa, which is caused by a combination of internal and external factors, including rapid population growth, inappropriately priced agricultural commodities, lack of experience in government, and industrialization programs that are not well-suited to the domestic market. The text also highlights the long-term decline in food production in Africa, which is in contrast to the situation in Asia and Latin America. Given the focus on food production, population growth, and economic development, it is likely that the text falls under the categories of Agriculture, forestry and fishing and Economic development.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Economic development