2. Emergency food and associated supplies, essential as they now are, can have little impact upon the deeper sources of the current crisis in Africa. Effective African and international action 10 years ago could have averted today's disasters. Unless the roots of Africa's problems are more effectively addressed today, a succession of similar calamities is certain over the coming decades. It is absolutely critical that more vigorous efforts begin now towards the saving of Africa's future. Structural causes 3. African countries have been devastated by a combination of domestic policy shortcomings, extremely rapid population growth, civil strife, external destabilization and, most recently, savage blows from the world economy and natural disasters. Africa's uniauely fragile economies, struck by severe shocks - relatively much more severe than those suffered by others - have been less able either to develop appropriate policy response or to draw on flexible sources of external supportive credit. Massive retrenchment, the breakdown of institutions, suffering and, now, starvation, were the inevitable outcome. 4. The shocking circumstances of today's Africa can and must be overcome. There is a growing professional consensus as to what needs to be done and the relatively small external support - less than one tenth of a per cent of the gross national product of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries - required for the purpose. The World Bank, the Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank and the overwhelming majority of African Governmments agree on how sustained development can begin to be built again over the next three to five years. There is technical agreement that domestic policy reform and improved external support make up an inseparable package. Increased support for agriculture, through restructured institutions and incentives, is the crux of the required domestic policy change. Restored levels and more appropriate 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the crisis in Africa, highlighting the structural causes of the problems, the need for domestic policy reform, and the requirement for increased external support. The focus is on the economic and social development of Africa, with a emphasis on the agricultural sector. The text does not mention natural resources, environment, industry, transport, communication, international trade, health, education, employment, culture, or science and technology specifically.

**Category**
Economic development, Humanitarian aid and relief