soil problems in africa

 

Soil in Africa is being damaged at a rate that may plunge them into chaos, due to farming and climate change, according to a report from Bloomberg News.

“The situation is very severe and soil fertility is declining rapidly,” Jeroen Huising, a scientist who studies soils at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, or CIAT, said today in an interview. “Many countries like Kenya already don’t have enough food to feed their population and soil degradation is worsening an already critical situation.”

In a place where one in three people are ‘chronically’ hungry, any more damage to the weakened agriculture will be deadly.

As a result, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding a project, the African Soil Information Service will use mapping techniques and geographical information systems to help farmers and government officials choose the best options to improve agricultural land and slow the degradation of farmland.  The project will also address climate change issues.

As a result of the already depleted food supply, civil unrest has started.  Food supply workers and food aid convoys have been attacked and people have been killed.  This is why many feel there is an immediate need to fix this problem before it is irreparable.

this doesn’t bode well

I just saw this article, and thought I should post it. There are two past posts that make this relevant. I have posted about The Elders and I have posted about the problems in Zimbabwe.

Three members of The Elders, including President Jimmy Carter, were denied entrance into Zimbabwe to initiate conversation about the ongoing issues.

“We are very disappointed that the government of Zimbabwe would not permit us to come in, would not cooperate,” former U.S. President Carter said at a news conference in Johannesburg.

It was the first time the 2002 Nobel Peace laureate has been denied permission to carry out a mission in any country, he said.

You can find the full article HERE

zimbabwe

A few articles have been released in the last day or two about the terrible situation in Zimbabwe.

MSNBC has a report, “If you rest, you starve”, in which it illustrates how the political climate has left people starving and scavenging for food.

The food crisis began after 2000, when Mugabe launched an often violent campaign to seize white-owned farms and give them to veterans of his guerrilla war against white rule over the former British colony.

Officials from Mugabe’s party toured the Doma district recently and told the new farm owners that the government could not supply their needs. They were advised to make do with what seed they had left, and with animal manure for fertilizer.

On top of that, in another article, Killer Disease hits Zimbabwe, shows how there is a cholera epidemic due to lack of clean water and poorly maintained sewage treatment.

And as the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe deepens, most hospitals have been forced to close their doors as they can no longer afford drugs, equipment or to pay their staff.

It is expected to get worse due to the start of the rainy season.

I think that the lesson to be learned is that, sadly, we are going to be hearing more and more of these kind of tales. There is enough food, but because of economy and politics it can’t get to the right places. As a result there is a rampant epidemic of a preventable disease.

Sad. So sad.

I bless the rains down in Africa

The United Nations Environment Programme released a report today indicating that new evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa’s small farmers.

An analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries found that yields had more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used. That increase in yield jumped to 128 per cent in east Africa.

“Organic farming can often lead to polarized views,” said Mr Steiner, a former economist. “With some viewing it as a saviour and others as a niche product or something of a luxury… this report suggests it could make a serious contribution to tackling poverty and food insecurity.”

Because the farmers are saving money on fertilizers, pesticides and by not buying GMO seeds, they have money for themselves. They also are using that surplus in income to buy a variation of seed types, which not only allows for sustainable and local practices, but is also benefiting the soil through crop rotation.

All in all… it’s good!

Click HERE for the article.