"With a little investment, Africa can feed itself
and it has the potential to feed the world” declared the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo Nwanze, in 2011.
As we are inescapably reminded: the world’s population
continues to increase and will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 (Un.org, 2016). To sustain this population global food production must inevitably increase. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) report How to Feed the World in 2050 estimates that by 2050 global food production must
increase by 70%. The UNFAO specifically states that this requires investment and policies that promote
agricultural productivity in developing countries. Therefore, developing countries and more specifically the continent of Africa are being seen as the solution to help meet current and future global food demands.
If a survey was carried out on the UK high street asking participants to imagine Africa and its relationship with food I almost guarantee that the majority would describe images of barren and infertile lands that receive very little moisture and consequently produce insufficient amounts of food, leaving the continents inhabitants malnourished and undernourished. Undoubtedly a product of the popular imagery that is projected across the media to highlight the extent of drought and food shortages. If you were then to suggest to the participants that Africa may in fact feed the future world I am almost sure that the majority would most likely may claim you to be speaking untruths.
I am not trying to deny that poverty, malnourishment, water and food insecurity aren't issues in Africa but there is also truth in what Kanayo Nwanze declared in 2011. Indeed, the sentiment he expressed is not uncommon and experts from many different fields are anticipating that an 'African Agricultural Revolution' will feed the future world. A small examination of Africa's current agricultural practices and geophysical conditions highlight the potential for the continent to feed itself and become a net food exporter.
Currently, farming in Africa is practiced extensively but the average farm is approximately a hectare in size (Giordano 2005). There is also little use of GM crops, pesticides, fertilisers and other yield enhancers. As well, only 4% of land in Sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated meaning that the majority of arable land is solely fed by the rain. A little known fact is that Africa also has substantial supplies of groundwater. According to Giordano, internally renewable groundwater supplies in sub-Saharan Africa can be placed at around 1,500 km3/yr, this is three times the availability of China and six times that of India (Giordano, 2005).
Therefore, with only 4% of land in Sub-Saharan Africa currently being irrigated, the rest being solely rain fed and a low use of yield enhancers there is great potential for increasing these agricultural practices in Africa. There is also the potential to increase groundwater abstraction to facilitate an increase in irrigation. Undoubtedly, increasing use of these practices would assist in increasing the agricultural output of Africa and there is therefore a strong case for increasing investment in the continent. Aside from helping to meet global food demands investment in Africa's agricultural industry will also boost the countries economies and therefore assist in decreasing the continents poverty rate (Toenniessen et.al., 2008).
If a survey was carried out on the UK high street asking participants to imagine Africa and its relationship with food I almost guarantee that the majority would describe images of barren and infertile lands that receive very little moisture and consequently produce insufficient amounts of food, leaving the continents inhabitants malnourished and undernourished. Undoubtedly a product of the popular imagery that is projected across the media to highlight the extent of drought and food shortages. If you were then to suggest to the participants that Africa may in fact feed the future world I am almost sure that the majority would most likely may claim you to be speaking untruths.
I am not trying to deny that poverty, malnourishment, water and food insecurity aren't issues in Africa but there is also truth in what Kanayo Nwanze declared in 2011. Indeed, the sentiment he expressed is not uncommon and experts from many different fields are anticipating that an 'African Agricultural Revolution' will feed the future world. A small examination of Africa's current agricultural practices and geophysical conditions highlight the potential for the continent to feed itself and become a net food exporter.
Currently, farming in Africa is practiced extensively but the average farm is approximately a hectare in size (Giordano 2005). There is also little use of GM crops, pesticides, fertilisers and other yield enhancers. As well, only 4% of land in Sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated meaning that the majority of arable land is solely fed by the rain. A little known fact is that Africa also has substantial supplies of groundwater. According to Giordano, internally renewable groundwater supplies in sub-Saharan Africa can be placed at around 1,500 km3/yr, this is three times the availability of China and six times that of India (Giordano, 2005).
Therefore, with only 4% of land in Sub-Saharan Africa currently being irrigated, the rest being solely rain fed and a low use of yield enhancers there is great potential for increasing these agricultural practices in Africa. There is also the potential to increase groundwater abstraction to facilitate an increase in irrigation. Undoubtedly, increasing use of these practices would assist in increasing the agricultural output of Africa and there is therefore a strong case for increasing investment in the continent. Aside from helping to meet global food demands investment in Africa's agricultural industry will also boost the countries economies and therefore assist in decreasing the continents poverty rate (Toenniessen et.al., 2008).
However, there is a tendency to be swept up in to the romanticized notion that investment
in Africa and reform of its agricultural policies will ensure that future populations are food secure. However, we must be cautious in being so
reductionist toward the means by which it is claimed Africa will feed the
world. Indeed, it is likely that increased irrigation, increased groundwater abstraction
and greater use of yield enhancers will facilitate the increase of Africa’s
agricultural yield. However, it will not be that simplistic. These ‘solutions’ will
be significantly affected by the geophysical, socio-economical, political,
infrastructural and legal contexts of the African continent. It is paramount
that these factors are afforded considerable contemplation and attention in the
pursuit of Africa as the garden of the future.
In the coming weeks this blog will explore whether
Africa can in fact feed the world. This will involve investigating how this may
be achieved and will explore the many factors which may limit or permit Africa being
the future of global food supplies. Some topics that I hope to explore include:
- Groundwater abstraction - its possibilities and limitations
- Virtual water and it's implications
- International interest in Africa's agricultural potential
Toenniessen, G., Adesina, A. and DeVries, J. (2008). Building an Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136(1), pp.233-242.
Giordano, M. (2006). Agricultural groundwater use and rural livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa: A first-cut assessment. Hydrogeology Journal, pp 310–318.
Un.org. (2016). World population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 | UN DESA | United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Available at: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html
Tran, M. (2011). 'Africa can feed the world' | Mark Tran. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jul/27/africa-potential-to-feed-world
Hello! I was wondering if you could elaborate how the 'little investment' should be spent to increase agricultural yields and food security in Africa?
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