Africa can feed itself:its potential for agro-ecological

intensification

Sue Edwards, Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, Hailu Araya, Fentaw Ejigu and Arefayne Asmelash

Institute for Sustainable Development,Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel: 011-618-6774; Fax: 011-618-6769; e-mail: sustaindeveth@ethionet.et; sosena@gmail.com; hailuara@yahoo.com; webpage: www.isd.org.et

• This presentation is largely based on the chapter

• AFRICA’S POTENTIAL FOR ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURE

• And others in the book• CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SYSTEMS

RESILIENCE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Africa’s 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

AFRICA’S AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS

THE MAIN FLORISTIC REGIONS OF AFRICA AND MADAGASCAR FROM WHITE (1983)

Africa’s Agricultural Systems

• Diversity is the norm – 10 or more crops plus livestock

• Smallholder farmers, mainly women, are the main producers

• Four farming systems—maize mixed, cereal/root crop mixed, root crop, and agro-pastoral millet/sorghum—provide the livelihoods for half of the population and occupy 42 percent of the land area in Sub-Saharan Africa

AFRICA’S AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS

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

Impact of using compost - Results from over 900 samples from farmers fields over 7 years, 2001-2006 inclusive

Barley (n=444) Durum wheat (n=546)

Maize (n=273) Teff (n=741) Faba bean (n=141)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Average mean grain yields in kg/ha for 4 cereals and 1 pulse crop from Tigray, northern Ethiopia, 2000-2006 inclusive

Check

Compost

Chemical fertilizer

Crop (n=number of observations/fields sampled)

kg/h

a

Figure 1: Effects of bioslurry compost, chemical fertilizer and no inputs (check) on wheat in Waza, Hintalo Wejerat, 2010

Compost Fertilizer Check0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

2739 2578

1494

3756 3617

2322

Grain Straw

Treatment

Yiel

d in

kg/

ha

Note: This is from the first year of using bioslurry compost

Impact of ecological agriculture on food production and carbon sequestration

FAO farm system category Average increase in crop

yields (%)Carbon sequestered

(tonne C/ha/year)

Smallholder irrigated 129.8 (±21.5) 0.15 (±0.012)

Wetland rice 22.3 (±2.8) 0.34 (±0.035)

Smallholder rainfed humid 102.2 (±9.0) 0.46 (±0.034)

Smallholder rainfed highland 107.3 (±14.7) 0.36 (±0.022)

Smallholder rainfed dry/cold 99.2 (±12.5) 0.26 (±0.035)

Dualistic mixed 76.5 (±12.6) 0.32 (±0.023)

Urban agriculture & kitchen garden

146.0 (±32.9) 0.24 (±0.061)

All projects 79.2 (±4.5) 0.35 (±0.016)

Source: Menale Kassie & Precious Zikhali, May 2009 – Sustainable Development Innovation Briefs, Issue 7Ecological Sustainable agriculture = low external input with soil improvements through conservation tillage, and/or incorporation of animal manure, compost, green manures etc

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;

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.

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 Communication3. Value Chain and Market Development4. Networking and Partnerships5. Policy and Programme Development 6. Institutional Capacity Development

• Therefore, we need to invest in the ecological intensification of Africa’s agriculture

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

THANK YOU