2. Africas challenges Africa is the second largest continent
after Asia Its agriculture is diverse, with both TK and genetic
resources under-valued and poorly studied It is the least
populated, e.g. DCR is the size of Europe but has a population the
same size as Belgium Its population is young, 75% under 30 It has
lost countless people through the slave trade, and continues to
loose its brightest and best to brain drain Infrastructure
investment has focused on extraction (minerals) and not internal
communication and integration Very poor R&D investment,
particularly for agriculture It continues to be disturbed by
conflicts AND, the present push for an African Green Revolution
will not be sustainable
3. AFRICAS AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
4. THE MAIN FLORISTIC REGIONS OF AFRICA AND MADAGASCAR FROM
WHITE (1983)
5. Africas Agricultural Systems Diversity is the norm 10 or
more crops plus livestock Smallholder farmers, mainly women, are
the main producers Four farming systemsmaize mixed, cereal/root
crop mixed, root crop, and agro-pastoral millet/sorghumprovide the
livelihoods for half of the population and occupy 42 percent of the
land area in Sub-Saharan Africa Sorghum Africas neglected crop
6. Maintain its agricultural diversity
7. Ecological Intensification Before a Green Revolution, Africa
needs a BROWN REVOLUTION The soil needs to be built up and
maintained through establishing effective cycling of nutrients
Organic fertilizers: Compost (including bioslurry) Cover crops
Agroforestry with multipurpose trees THIS CAN DOUBLE YIELDS IN
AROUND 4 YEARS
8. Impact of using compost - Results from over 900 samples from
farmers fields over 7 years, 2001-2006 inclusive 4000 3500 3000
2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Average mean grain yields in kg/ha for 4
cereals and 1 pulse crop from Tigray, northern Ethiopia, 2000-2006
inclusive Barley (n=444) Durum wheat (n=546) Maize (n=273) Teff
(n=741) Faba bean (n=141) kg/ha Crop (n=number of
observations/fields sampled) Check Compost Chemical fertilizer
9. Figure 1: Effects of bioslurry compost, chemical fertilizer
and no inputs (check) on wheat in Waza, Hintalo Wejerat, 2010 2739
Grain Straw 2578 1494 3756 3617 2322 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500
1000 500 0 Compost Fertilizer Check Yield in kg/ha Treatment Note:
This is from the first year of using bioslurry compost
10. Increase in grain index for selected crops in Tigray,
2000-2006 These are all farmers varieties Durum wheat, from 34 to
39% grain Maize from 33 to 43% grain Sorghum from 35 to 41% grain
Teff from 32 to 36% grain
11. Organic Agriculture in Africa African Union, Executive
Council, Eighteenth Ordinary Session, 24-28 January 2011
EX.CL/Dec.621 (XVIII), DECISION ON ORGANIC FARMING Doc. EX.CL/631
(XVIII) 1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Conference of Ministers
of Agriculture held in Lilongwe, Malawi on 28 and 29 October 2010
on Organic Farming, and ENDORSES the Resolution contained therein;
2. EXPRESSES concern over the current practice of exploitation of
the organic farmers in Africa;
12. 3. REQUESTS the Commission and its New Partnership for
Africa's Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency
(NPCA) to: i) Initiate and provide guidance for an African Union
(AU)-led coalition of international partners on the establishment
of an African organic farming platform based on available best
practices; and ii) Provide guidance in support of the development
of sustainable organic farming systems and improve seed quality; 4.
CALLS UPON development partners to provide the necessary technical
and financial support for the implementation of this Decision; 5.
REQUESTS the Commission to report regularly on the implementation
of this Decision.
13. Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative for Africa This
is supported by Sida through SSNC It has 6 pillars: 1. Research,
Training and Extension 2. Information and Communication 3. Value
Chain and Market Development 4. Networking and Partnerships 5.
Policy and Programme Development 6. Institutional Capacity
Development
14. Therefore, we need to invest in the ecological
intensification of Africas agriculture Support farmers rights to
develop, save and use their own seed And Show that the Africa CAN
feed itself and provide food for people in other parts of the world
BUT Peace and Security must prevail
15. This presentation is largely based on the chapter AFRICAS
POTENTIAL FOR ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURE And others
in the book CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCE IN
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
16. THANK YOU Sue Edwards, with Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egzibher
Dereje Gebremichael, Hailu Araya, and Arefayne Asmelash Institute
for Sustainable Development, Ethiopia [email protected] /
[email protected]