My last blog post reflects on the issues of food security in Africa. The world population is projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, which creates challenges regarding ensuring food security, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More than half of this growth will happen in SSA (Sub-Saharan Africa); currently, 25 percent of the populations are affected by malnutrition ( (WRI,2018). ). This growth in population worldwide will require 69 percent more food calories compared to the demand in 2006. To prevent undernutrition, the world will need to produce 947 more calories per person per day by 2050.
Food plays an essential role in economic development, currently worldwide Around 2 billion people are employed in agriculture, many of them poor. There is a need to find solutions that enhance the livelihoods of farmers, particularly the most disadvantaged. Also, poverty and inadequate incomes are fundamental issues., even if there is enough food available, people cannot afford it. Therefore, income growth is also essential to reduce global hunger sustainably. (OCED, 2013)
Most regions in the world have benefitted from the Green Revolution, for example in Asia where the cereal yields four folded between 1960 and 1990. ( WeForum, 2015). ). Figure 1 shows that SSA, has been lacking progress in cereal produces since 1961, and the region has the lowest cereal yields compared to other areas in the world.
Figure 1.
Africa continued to lack advancement in agricultural productivity, which has been negatively affecting economic growth in the region. The regions agrarian productivity is on average 300 to 500 kg/ha, which is very low compared to the US 2.5 tons/ha. ( WeForum, 2015). African farmers lack access to improved seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, furthermore, the knowledge and information to manage these effectively. The utilization of fertilizers in the world is on average 62 kg/ha, and SSA has the lowest at 11 kg/ha. ( WeForum, 2015)
Food waste
Food waste is another challenge. Currently, African farmers lose roughly around 20 percent of their crop in the field, and an additional 20 percent after harvest to pests. ( WeForum, 2015). ). By decreasing the food waste rate by half, the food gap could be close by about 20 percent by 2050. ( (WRI,2018).
Climate change:
African crop yields are expected to be negatively affected by climate change. The challenge is not only producing more food but also reducing the environmental impact. Worldwide agriculture contributes about 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, uses 37 percent of landmass, and uses 70 percent of all freshwater withdrawn from, e.g., rivers and lakes.
Figure 2.
Irrigation
Climate change has impact weather patterns, and there will be need of more irrigation — approximately 80 percent of Africa's most disadvantaged groups living in rural areas, solely depending on rain-fed agricultural. However, there is evidence that irrigated farms on average produce 90 percent higher than those nearby rain-fed farms. A study suggests that with irrigation, that Africa has the potential to increase agricultural productivities by at least 50 percent. The international organization has proposed increasing investments in irrigation in Africa significantly.
There are initiatives such as African Green Revolution working towards this goal in collaboration with the international agencies. The challenge with boosting irrigation is that investments in Africa highly depends on many factors such as geographic, economic and hydrologic. That need to be considered to estimate the long-term viability and sustainability of proposed plans. (ifpri, 2010)
Table 1.
Table 1 shows that Africa cultivates a somewhat lower part of its land area compared with the global average. Besides the region receives 124 millimeters less precipitation per year than the global average. The table also shows that SSA the total water withdrawals per capita are less than half the global average, which can be a reason for the much lower share of the area used for irrigation, which is 6 percent compared to the world average of 18 percent.
A significant effort is needed to eliminate poverty and achieve food security in Africa - an effort that requires innovative strategies and support by international development partners. This cannot be accomplished without investing in human resources. This means putting people - their knowledge and information - at the center of agricultural and rural development efforts.(ifpri, 2010)
Education
Education seems to be an essential factor for yields. A study from 1992 conducted in Nigeria concluded that "an increase in the average education of farmers by one year increased the value added to agricultural production by 24 percent" ( (FAO, no date ). Furthermore, in Burkina Faso, crop yields were roughly 30 percent higher for farmers who participate in training programmes compared to those who did not attend. ( (FAO, no date ) Furthermore, the study concluded that both formal and non-formal training have a positive effect on agricultural productivity. Education on fertilizer use can reduce the environmental impact. A study in East Africa found that such training can increase the average incomes by 61 percent. (WeForum)
GM Crops
A controversial topic is the adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops. The research found that GM crops can increase yields by 22 percent, farmers profits by 68 percent and reduce pesticide use by 37 percent. However, the use of GM crops is limited in Africa due to many factors about GM foods. Nevertheless, experts argue that high-yield GM crops that are resistant to weather shocks are a way to address food insecurity. However, there are many problems associated with GM Crops as Monsanto an American company has sold GM seeds to African farmers and made them dependent, as these seeds cannot be recycled and therefore must be purchased every season by the developers.
The international donor's role is essential to fulfilling their commitment to helping African farmers and rural areas by implementing fair trade and preventing dumping of cheap Agrifood products from abroad.
