By Samuel Abuya
Africa has the potential to feed not only itself, but the entire world, Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank and winner of the 2017 World Food Prize has asserted.
According to Adesina, any strategy to boost food security across the continent must be tailored towards increasing productivity and, at the same time, reducing the post-harvest losses which many farmers experience in Africa.
It has been said time and again that much of the food produced across the continent go to waste before getting to the market, something which is mostly attributed to the fact that a good number of farmers don’t have the much-needed knowledge on how to handle their produce after harvest as well as resources to do so.
For instance, Usman Ali Lawan who grew up in the Kura village, Kano State, Nigeria, recalls of how his grandfather would lose almost half of his tomatoes produce before they could to the market thanks to the bad roads and lack of the knowledge on modern ways of preserving the tomatoes, and instead, the grandfather would dry the tomatoes on the sand. Many years later, it is believed that almost 80m Nigerians still practice this form of preservation.
A report indicates that 50% of fruits and vegetables, 40% of roots and tubers, and 20% of cereals, pulses and legumes harvested across Sub-Saharan Africa, go to waste before reaching the market.
This lack of knowledge after harvesting the produce coupled with lack of resources have been blamed for contributing substantially to the biting global food insecurity.
Statistics show that people living in the rural places produce more than 75% of the food consumed across the world, yet they make up 80% of the world’s poorest people.
In order to produce enough food to overcome challenges tied to food insecurity across the world, farmers have to be equipped with knowledge and resources to avert, at least mitigate, effects that come with climate change, lack of enough water, and lack of adequate extension services. Armed conflicts in many parts of Africa which have driven millions from their homes have also been blamed for the continent not producing enough food as it ought to.
The cases of food emergencies which come as a result of natural disasters such as flood and drought have also shot up, adding to the already existing food insecurity.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, at least 820 million people across the world didn’t have access to sufficient food in 2017. The organisation further states that more than 50% of those living in low-income countries are usually not so sure if they will have their next meal.
To reverse this situation, African governments and agro-processing companies should direct their efforts into advancing cost-effective measures that will reap of the new technologies, strength infrastructure and offer training and support to the rural farmers.
For example, such efforts can include creating or strengthening cooperatives. On the other hand, private firms can step in by providing farm inputs and extension services to farmers and step in to buy produce from the farmers.
The Anchor Borrower scheme for the Rice Farmer’s Association of Nigeria which targeted at least 4,000 rice farmers, is a good example of what a well-managed farming project can do. The project is implemented in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Governments should focus their commitment to making sure that their agriculture, nutrition and food policies are fully aligned with modern agriculture that makes use of the advanced technologies and, that way, Africa will, beyond any reasonable doubt, be the world’s food basket.
Africa Global News Publication
