Why agroecology crucial for nutrition, food production

Arusha. Agroecology, a nature-friendly farming system, has the potential to boost household food security and nutrition in Africa.

The practice can as well transform agricultural production in the continent because it mitigates the effects of climate change.

This is contained in a report released on Wednesday in Nairobi by the Global Alliance for the Future Food, a body working to transform food systems worldwide.

A survey done in a number of countries indicated that the farming system was the answer to peasant agriculture in the absence of high technology.

It is an alternative to what experts describe as ‘an industrialised food production system’ often blamed for the loss of genetic resources.

“Agroecology is an avenue that can lead to sustainable food systems,” asserted Lauren Baker, senior director of Programmes at the Global Alliance.

However, according to him, there was evidence that agroecology was not on the priority of a significant number of African government policies or budgets.

The interactive digital report presents scientific analysis and traditional knowledge with which to scale up the economic viability of agroecology.

A finding in Senegal states that farmers participating in agroecology can be as productive as conventional agriculture once soil fertility is restored.

The farming system, its regenerative capacity and indigenous food customs had positive impacts on health and nutrition outcomes.

A survey in Malawi, on the other hand, concluded that the agroecological practices used by farmers have increased household food security and nutrition.

In Kenya pastoral systems are regenerating grassland, convincing the government to secure customary land tenure rights to the livestock keepers.

Agroecology has, however, been criticised in some quarters as an agricultural model that lacks modernisation which limits productivity.

But its promoters in Africa have defended the model, insisting it is the sure way to make sustainable production possible.

Bernard Guri of the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) in Ghana says agricultural intensification has failed to feed the world, hence the need for a new model.

“Although there is industrial agriculture, there is still hunger. Industrial agriculture is using technology to produce for the market,” he said.

Those who cannot access the market, face shortages, the report issued by experts commissioned by the Global Alliance emphasized.

Cases abound where there is a lot of food in one part of Africa while elsewhere people are suffering from scarcity of the same.

The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) supports agroecology in that it promotes organic farming which limits use of chemicals.

By limiting or eliminating the use of chemicals, it promoted organic farming “as a means to improve the health of farmers and consumers alike”.

Elsewhere, agroecology is seen as championing indigenous approaches of African agriculture and rejecting the use of genetic engineering.

Tanzania is among the African countries where agroecology has won the support of both the farmers and the agricultural experts.

The Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement says agroecology contributed to 10 of the 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Positive impacts included increased access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food and increased productivity and farmers’ incomes.

That is according to research done in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Mali and Zimbabwe which indicated direct benefits of the model.

Experts assert that agroecology farming techniques were on demand in Tanzania because the majority of households are small scale farmers.

Agriculture and allied sectors like livestock is a livelihood of 70 percent of 60 million Tanzanians and provides up to 90 percent of food locally consumed.

“Through agroecology, farmers will not only increase farm yields but ensure enough food on the tables”, said Prof Marc Dufumier, an agricultural expert from France.

He has been involved in research projects executed by French and Belgian-supported agriculture research projects in the northern regions in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela University.

The don made the remarks recently at the Arusha-based pan African university during a discussion on agroecology, a farming system blended with conservation techniques.

An official of the Arusha regional secretariat confirmed that, indeed, the Tanzania government was to promote agroecology “because it can guarantee increased food yields.”

Mr Ludovic Joly, is a Tanzania country director of a Belgian NGO working in a number of projects that support smallholder farmers in Arusha region.

He says farmers should be sensitized on the benefits of agroecology which, according to him, was more responsive to climate change challenges.

Among the measures taken in that direction Tanzania is promotion and development of climate smart agriculture and conservation agricultural technologies.