Le rechauffement climatique et l'agriculture africaine (deuxieme partie)

Bon! Bienvenue et merci d’avoir cliquer sur mon blog. Comme j’ai promis, c’est le deuxième partie de l’article sur le changement climatique et l’adaptation d’agriculture africaine.

Amuse et informe – toi.

Adaptation simply means that we have to innovate and come up with ways of living with the present climate change while seeking to stop it from becoming worse. All in all, agriculture must be sustainable. That is, it should be viable and should be something that can be maintained.

Here are a few pointers.

v Agroforestry is also quite an important way of adapting to climate change and bringing about sustainable development. The idea is really quite simple, you need land to develop but you can’t go around cutting trees neither can you use your land to plant trees instead of crops. So what do you do? You plant trees that are beneficial to you. Fruit trees. Like avocado, mango, apple, coffee, passion fruit trees. Some fast maturing and leafy trees can also be cultivated as a source of materials to make sustainable fuels like briquettes. These trees will also conserve the soil and absorb carbon dioxide.

a woman tending to her farm, notice the trees - courtesy of world agroforestry

v Use of greenhouses. Green houses are made from hardy polythene and are preferred because they allow a farmer to control conditions. One controls warmth and evaporation and pests. Greenhouses are also a favorite with organic farmers. Organic farming is farming without using artificial chemicals like fertilizers or pesticides. One uses biological means to control pests and for nutrients. The food is usually much healthier.

v Hydroponics is also a new method of farming. Basically, hydroponics means using no soil in cultivation. If we go back to high school, the three conditions for plant germination were water, warmth and sunlight. Later, air (C02), warmth and nutrients are needed for growth. In hydroponics what happens is that instead of soil, you use water or gravel as a medium and then you mix it with sufficient amount of nutrients necessary for plant growth. You can control growth and there’ll be no worrisome weeds or pests.

v  Research and technology is a very important component  in the fight against climate change. Plant technology is especially to be encouraged because we in Africa, being the hardest hit by climate change, are going to need to innovate the most in order to adapt.

Ø  So, institutes like ICIPE (International Centre For Insect Physiology and Ecology), KEPHIS (Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate) are especially important in developing plant species that are hardy, drought resistant, fast maturing, easy to cultivate and high yielding.

v We could also use our natural, God given resources such as rivers to water huge irrigation schemes. Methods of irrigation matter too. It is preferable to use methods that minimize evaporation. This could be done by direct application of water to the base of the plant e.g. drip irrigation is much better.

v  We could also use technology to make waste water reusable in watering crops like Israel does.

v  Now, I’ve heard it said that ‘we should just plant trees’. However it is important to point out one thing. 
There are two general classifications for all species.

i)        Indigenous species are species that naturally occur in a given area.

ii)       Exotic species on the other hand are species brought over from far off places.

 A good example of indigenous species is Nandi Flame. An example of exotic species is jatropha (famous for biofuel). Indigenous species being part of the ecosystem are well adapted to the climate of a particular area and suit the area biologically, that is, all the organisms belonging to that particular ecosystem have a working relationship. Exotic species are more oft than not invasive in nature and therefore dangerous. They have the potential to destroy or significantly alter an established ecosystem.

An example of a popular but dangerous exotic species is Eucalyptus spp. Blue gum, as it is commonly known, is fast maturing and has a straight trunk so it offers a good and quick harvest. 

There is ready market for it in timber and power utility companies. The problem with Eucalyptus is that it needs a lot of water to mature and so dries up rivers quite quickly. Invasive species also have no natural predators so their numbers can spiral unsustainably.

What I am trying to say that in the long run it is better to plant indigenous species rather than solve one environmental problem by causing another.

v  Mulching could also help in the crop cultivation. Mulching basically means carpeting your crops. Bio carpet of course. Like plant waste applied around the base of the plant to prevent water from escaping to the air (evaporation).

This is particularly important in areas where it’s become hotter and the sun likes hitting the middle of your head with a vengeance.

v  Changing from pastoralism to zero grazing would also be something that is economically viable because it reduces movement of animals and thus stop weight loss in animals.

        A major point to note is that agribusiness is coming up in Africa.

Agri business basically means practicing agriculture as a business. It has become a really lucrative venture. Lots and lots of people especially young people are realizing that agriculture is cool and that it pays. Big time. Plus you get to employ yourself. Make the rules baby!

Here’s a few points about that.

v  A good number of people in the agricultural sector farm for export which is a more profitable undertaking than traditional agriculture. The rest supply the local market with supermarkets being major buyers . Most small scale and rural farmers sell their produce in the farmer markets which cater for the immediate local populace.

·        Space is a big issue when it comes to agribusiness. Arable land is increasingly becoming scarce what with real estate and desertification pushing prices through the roof. So what do we do? The thing is to maximize yields using as little inputs as possible.

    
  Vertical farming is a concept whereby your farm goes up instead of being a ‘horizontal’ piece of land. You know, like a multi storeyed farm where plants are cultivated in storeys. This is a very effective method of farming especially in areas with land scarcity. A simple way of doing this is to fill a gunny sack with soil and manure, water it and then make several holes on the side. Plant sukuma wiki seedlings in these holes, put the sack in a sunny place and thus get yourself a fresh supply of veggies for a long period of time.

    
  Urban farming is also a new concept where if a person and say five of his friends each buy a plot of land in an urban area, the individual acreage is obviously too small to be productive. It would also be costly to develop it on your own. So what to do? A company that specializes in farming comes in, consolidates your land for a season, insures it, constructs a greenhouse, provides farm inputs, cultivates and sells the crop on your behalf. They then give all of you shareholders your share of the cash. Problem solved. Everyone goes home happy.

      
Another idea is rooftop farming. That means instead of making the roof of that sky scraper or apartment block a helipad, you could turn it into a rooftop garden whereby you plant vegetables and some fruit plants e.g. passion fruit. You get a cooler building (in terms of air and aesthetic appeal), do your part to stop climate change and get some healthy food. You can even set aside some space to install a solar panel. That way, you also power your building in a cheaper and sustainable manner. France and Britain have made some strides in this field.

Other agricultural practices that have been present for millennia and which could help in the adaptation against climate change include

v  Underground water canals

This helps to protect against evaporation of water that would normally be applied on the ground. Imagine seeing a blooming field of green crops without a drop of water in sight.

      Diversifying food sources is also important. Diversifying means instead of eating ugali and veggies thrice a week, one can enjoy peanut sauce, yams, traditional vegetables which by the way are easily available, more nutritious and more tasty. Stop being too choosy about food. Eat it, after all, in the end it’ll all be broken down to proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and vitamins.

      Multi cropping could also be helpful in guaranteeing Africa’s food security. After all, one is most likely to get more returns, feed more people and use less farm inputs if he/she practices multi cropping.

Other harmful practices interlinked with agriculture

Ø  Destruction of forests leads to soil erosion as the exposed top soil is washed away by rains. This nutrient rich soil is then deposited by rivers into lakes which makes them dry up faster (fill up faster), causes huge algal growth (eutrophication) which in turn leads to “dead waters”.

Ø  Erosion of catchment areas also means that the origins of rivers dry up and so do the rivers which of course negatively affect everything that depends on them downstream. It is a vicious cycle really, cutting down forests creates deserts and so we cut down more forests to get arable land leading to more deserts and so forth.

Ø  Effect of agrochemicals

     This I won’t regurgitate. Pesticides kill soil organisms and water animals if washed into rivers and fertilizers cause excessive algal and water plant bloom (dangerous for fish) if washed into lakes etc.

Ø Wastage of food

Another important point about agriculture is food wastage. Though not overly related, I think there’s a link in that we grow food which isn’t entirely enough for the world but people still continue to waste food.

The UN recently noted that if food waste was a country, it would be third in greenhouse gas emissions after China and the United States.

Let me expound, a lot of people who farm for export have to adhere to strict standards set by international markets such as the European Union.

misshapen potatoes, every bit nutritious - image courtesy of bbc

Unfortunately, some of these standards include colour, size and shape of the product. Note that the three do not affect the quality of the product but are important because of aesthetic appeal. That means that a lot of misshapen “ugly” or multi colored food items go to waste.

Supermarkets and restaurants also waste a lot of food because the food is near the expiration date. 

Now, expiration dates are usually guidelines, they are not set in stone.

Another idiotic thing I see people do is participate in food fights.

Lastly, you waste food when you pile your plate to the heavens and don’t finish the food. Or when you decide not to heat cold food or eat left overs but you throw it into the dust bin or rubbish pit.

Sometime ago, the French passed a law outlawing wastage of food by supermarkets. This food is to be used to feed homeless people instead. Excellent work by the responsible human being who came up with the idea.

misshapen carrots, every bit as delicious - courtesy of cbc

Je terminerai par noter que le réchauffement climatique et une vrai crise et il faut être prêt le lutter.

Today class we will go for mid term break.

When we come back, I’ll choose a few of you to attend a symposium relating to what we’ve learnt today.

You better look dapper kids.

Now off you go!