More on food insecurity – a solution path
After the recent article and post on Sudan’s food insecurity and humanitarian crisis, another article focused on agricultural solutions in Africa hit today. This article from The Conversation about the book, Decolonising African Agriculture: Food Security, Agroecology and the Need for Radical Transformation, by William G. Moseley.
The UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report reveals that food insecurity in Africa is the highest of any world region. The prevalence of undernourishment is 20.4% (some 298.4 million Africans) – over twice the global average. The figure has grown steadily since 2015.
Climate change and conflict are contributing to this problem. But I suggest that something more fundamental lies at the heart of the challenge: the ideas and plans used in the postcolonial period to guide how Africa produces food and seeks to reduce malnutrition. While rates of food insecurity vary across the continent, and are worse in central and west Africa, this is a region-wide challenge.
The Conversation
I have a tad of history education about colonial agriculture from my stay in West Africa – the infamous French rice and peanut oil debacle continues on between SE Asia and West Africa. The author surely points to the colonial orientation of cash crops as part of (if not all of) the rationale behind Africa’s (and especially West Africa) food insecurity.
Modern crop science, or agronomy, was developed in Europe to serve colonial interests. The goal was to produce crops that would benefit European economies. Although this approach has been criticised, it still heavily influences agriculture today. The idea is that producing more food will solve food insecurity.
The Conversation
This evolved into commercial agriculture after the colonists left … still not producing for local consumption and food security. Not surprising, the author suggests a change of approach. 3 things leaders need to include.
- reduce the focus on commercial agricultural production as a way to address food insecurity
- stop thinking that agricultural development is solely about commercialising farming and supporting other industries
- adopt an agroecological approach that uses farmer knowledge and natural ecological processes to grow more with fewer external inputs, such as fertilisers.
The Conversation
If agroecology is a new concept for you, time to learn a bit … its future is promising on every continent imho.
Agroecology – farming with nature – is a more decolonial approach. It covers formal research by scientists and informal knowledge of farmers who experiment in their fields. Agroecologists study the interactions between different crops, crops and insects, and crops and the soil. This can reveal ways to produce more with fewer costly external inputs. It’s a more sustainable and cheaper option. Common examples of agroecological practices in African farming systems are polycropping – planting different complementary crops in the same field – and agroforestry – mixing trees and crops. These diverse systems tend to have fewer pest problems and are better at maintaining soil fertility.
The Conversation
The author closes with calling for a revolution in agriculture to produce (no pun intended) better results that could actually impact food insecurity in Africa.
Agroecology is a promising way forward in addressing Africa’s worsening food crisis. It also has the backing of many African civil society organisations, such as the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa and Network of West African Farmer Organisations and Agricultural Producers.
The Conversation
