Organic farming in Africa : Which way to go?

by Josephat Juma

Ethiopian environmentalist Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher calls on farmers worldwide to emulate forest dwellers and manage agricultural ecosystems organically. He cautioned that farming communities face the risk of disappearance and desertification if they increased their reliance on industrially manufactured chemical fertilizers. "Forest dwellers have lived for over 100,000 years interacting with forest ecosystem without needing to resort to industrially produced chemicals to maintain soil fertility in their ecosystems," he says.

Some concerns have been raised about the effects of fertilizer on soils. In an interview with farmers of Ikutha Division in Kenya's Eastern province, some alleged that fertilizer renders their soils acidic, explaining their reason for not using it. Such complains should be taken seriously and investigated by agricultural experts to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the negative effects.

In a focus group discussion in Makueni district, a farmer who claimed that the ammonium diphosphate he had used scorched his crops was later shocked to learn that it was because instead of applying it some inches away from the stem, he had applied it right on the stem, at its base, consequently "scorching" his crops. Technology, like a knife, can profit one if well used, or harm one if abused.

At the heart of the environmentalists' message is a story of the fall of mankind from a previous happier, more natural and innocent time. They believe that before the "corrupting" influence of modern civilization (as far back as the rise of agriculture), human beings lived in harmony with nature. However, the rise of acquisitive urges and the destructive powers of modern science and industrial production have defiled the innocence.

This, however, cannot apply to Africa with the current situation. The UN's World Food Programme estimates that more than 30 million Africans are currently in need of international food aid. In January 2006, African Union researchers reported that annual population growth had outstripped food production on the continent since 1993, resulting in a 20 per cent rise in the number of hungry people, from 176 million to 210 million.

One obstacle to increased productivity, notes Amit Roy, head of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), is a steady deterioration of Africa's soils. "Today, three quarters of African farmlands is degraded. As a result, grain yield has stagnated at one tonne per hectare compared to the world average of about 3 tonnes," he says.

Reliance on erratic rains, mono cropping, use of farm saved seeds, working on exhausted soils and decades of underinvestment have all led to agricultural under - performance in Africa. In addition, manual back-breaking human labour, weak farming extension services, lack of capital and access to affordable credit; pests and diseases as well as poor market information hamper agricultural progress.

The key to launching an agricultural revolution is absorption of modern agricultural technologies such as the use of fertilizer. According to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a strong relationship exists between the level of fertilizer use and cereal yield. An IFDC study reveals that fertilizer use in Africa is less than a tenth the world average of 100 kilogrammes. Nearly two thirds of Africa's fertilizer is consumed in just five countries : Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, primarily in the commercial and export sectors. "Negligible fertilizer use by small scale farmers is the major factor in the region's declining farm yield per person, hence increased hunger and under nutrition," notes IFDC.

While organic fertilizers are important, Africa should guard against methods that will hamper increased productivity. This was witnessed in Kenya's Eastern Province recently when farmers resorted to literally chewing pests off their crops instead of using pesticides.

Organic fertilizers alone are not the silver bullet to Africa's food crisis. Studies show that the quality of animal manure is dependent on the quality of food the animal feeds on. With soils depleted of nutrients, the fodder contains little of the nutrients required by crops, hence posing a serious limitation to animal manure. NEPAD's new integrated approach to agriculture advocates that mineral fertilizers and organic matter be used as complements rather than substitutes.

While the rest of the world is making gains in food production, African farmers are making losses due to developed country lobbyists who want a chemical free and pristine environment. Strategies that will lock up Africa's 800 million people in hunger should not be condoned.

After garnering plenty of food, Africans will afford the luxury of joining the organic versus inorganic debate.

The African Executive