A confluence of conditions has led to growing food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. Factors from effects of climate change such as drought and altered harvest cycles to soil degradation, conflict, and reliance on smallholder farming have led to a situation where according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 278 million Africans face food insecurity. As many as 140 million Africans are acutely affected.
A confluence of conditions has led to growing food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. Factors from effects of climate change such as drought and altered harvest cycles to soil degradation, conflict, and reliance on smallholder farming have led to a situation where according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 278 million Africans face food insecurity. As many as 140 million Africans are acutely affected.
Most of these issues require solutions that are complex and difficult in the short term. African countries can’t affect the Russia-Ukraine War which has led to a shortage of grain on the continent. The effects of climate change will continue to be felt even while mitigation and adaptation strategies are sought and implemented. Mechanization of Africa’s still-largely smallholder agriculture will also take a while; nearly 60% of all farming in sub-Saharan Africa falls in this category. Soil degradation, however, is an issue that can be addressed in the short term.
Africa’s soil degradation issue is one which is most pressing: the FAO’s 2021 Review of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa 2021 showed that 65% of productive land in Africa is degraded and 45% of Africa’s land area is affected by desertification. Degradation then creates a nutrient-deficient soil, which can be seen chemically: 73% of arable soil in Africa lacks the right amount of minerals such as zinc, iron, and copper. The result of this is reduced yields and nutrient-deficient crops, which in turn pushes farmers into seeking out new land, leading to deforestation.
The immediate solution to this is the increased use of fertilizers. Considering the region’s reliance on smallholder farming, fertilizer usage in Africa is meagre compared to the rest of the world. The International Fertilizer Association has stated that average fertilizer consumption in Africa in 2022 is estimated at 17 kilograms per hectare of cropland, a long way from the 135 kilograms per hectare global average.
Fertilizer usage will increase the productivity and resiliency of African soil, leading to increased crop yields. They can also stretch out the usefulness of existing farmland, limiting deforestation and the biodiversity loss that comes with it. Much of the deforestation that occurs in sub-Saharan Africa is for the sake of accessing new lands for farming. Fertilizer usage helps prevent this.
There is also the idea of crop resiliency. Using fertilizers either in open farmland or greenhouses can help make crops more resilient to extreme weather conditions, able to withstand anything from extreme heat to disease. Given that nutrient deficiency found in degraded soils will inevitably lead to nutrient-poor yields, soil fertilization can improve the nutritional value of food by enriching the soil. This is particularly useful for minerals such as iron and zinc and will help fight another major African problem: malnutrition.
Efforts must be made to support smallholder farmers, who make up the bulk of Africa’s agriculture workforce. Every 1 kg of fertilizer nutrient applied can produce as much as 30 kg of harvest above the normal. Given that smallholder farmers are often working on farms of less than five hectares and sometimes less than two, every square metre of farmland must be optimized. Fertilizers can double or even triple productivity, increase the surplus and in turn, profits.
The dangers of fertilizers are known and must be avoided. The misuse of fertilizers can have harmful impacts on both the environment and human beings. Runoff from chemical fertilizers into freshwater bodies is known to cause eutrophication, the artificial enrichment of water bodies with chemicals that overstimulate marine plant growth and harm marine animals. Nitrogen-rich fertilizer compounds may cause oxygen depletion in water bodies, also leading to a loss of marine life. There is the risk of over-acidification of the soil and disrupting soil biology.
The key to proper fertilizer usage can be found in the 4R nutrient stewardship principles: using the right nutrient source at the right rate, the right time, and the right place. One must carry out an analysis of the soil and foliage to determine fertilization dosage. Soil moisture and climatic conditions must be considered, along with past fertilization history. It might also be worthwhile to consider if chemical fertilizers can be paired with natural or organic fertilizers such as manure or food and plant waste.
It is imperative that smallholder farmers are educated on these issues and technical help should be provided when necessary. This might be the duty of the government to set up tools or avenues of education with ministries of agriculture maintaining technical departments which monitor soil health and liaise with the private sector to ensure agricultural best practices.
Emmanuel is an economic researcher and writer who likes to investigate systems, connect the dots, and find solutions.
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