Key messages
1. Land and water are considered by numerous SSA
countries as key factors to improving the food security
for their populations. The dependence of agriculture
in SSA on rainfall is a major constraint for its productivity.
Only 4% of arable land in the SSA region is irrigated
compared to 35% in Asia and 15% in Latin America. Some
efforts have been made by governments in respect to large
scale irrigation schemes that require high levels of maintenance.
Nevertheless, some of the initiatives undertaken did
not deliver the expected results. There is ample scope for
increased irrigation in many parts of SSA, particularly for
small-scale irrigation and water harvesting. Additional financing
and expertise are needed to extend irrigation, while
avoiding some of the environmental, social and technical
failures of the past. Low farm productivity observed in
some SSA countries needs to be address through integrated
management that combines increased use of organic and
mineral fertilizers, good seed varieties, irrigation and mechanization,
rather than applying each separately.
2. Chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) in most SSA
countries have had negative effects on human health
and on the environment. In Benin there were 70 deaths in
2000 and 24 deaths in 2001 were recorded in the cottongrowing
seasons due to poisonings by chemicals. Over
50,000 tonnes of obsolete stocks of chemicals have accumulated
in African countries over the last four decades. Many
of these chemicals and their containers are in poor condition
and threaten local and regional environments through
the contamination of soil, water, food and air. Increased literacy
and basic training on how to use chemicals in a safe
manner could reduce the harmful effects of chemicals on
human health and the environment.
3. SSA has diversified farming systems. Climatic variations,
types of cultivated crops, cultural practices, farmers’
production objectives and other biotic and abiotic factors
have contributed to the diversity of farming systems found
in SSA. This has resulted in various cropping systems in
SSA.
4. Animal and crop productivity and production increases
in SSA are due, in part, to the utilization of
genetically improved materials, which are well adapted
to harsh conditions and tolerant to pests and diseases. Indigenous animal breeds of SSA are preferred due
to their low management costs, as they can withstand harsh
conditions and are tolerant to most diseases. However,
their performance in terms of meat, milk and egg production
has been low due to limited genetic potential and poor
management. Advances in AKST have helped to improve
the production potential of these animals, through recordkeeping
and individual identification for appropriate breeding
purposes. Community-based characterization, conservation
in gene banks and utilization of indigenous animal
genetic resources through open nucleus breeding schemes,
for example, are important. Community participation is essential
for the extension and propagation of new breeds.
Cowpea and sorghum grain yield increases of about 61%,
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and 46-50%, respectively, have been achieved since the first
half of the 20th century. The SSA region has an enormous
agricultural potential in its crop genetic resources through
many centuries of adaptation to the environment. Conservation,
characterization and utilization of this germplasm
through conventional breeding as well as through new technologies
are keys to providing more and higher yielding varieties.
Other factors that have contributed to the increase in
productivity include the use of improved good quality seeds,
timely and adequate application of fertilizers, application of
appropriate pest control measures and good market prices.
5. Improved local and traditional knowledge, available
to most resource-poor farmers in SSA, is essential for
management of animal and crop pests and diseases. The use of local and traditional knowledge has minimized
post-harvest losses. In the absence of both conventional and
improved local/traditional techniques, crop losses of 30-
100% have been recorded.
6. Opportunities exist in Africa for harnessing fisheries
and aquaculture in the fight against poverty. Fish
contribute to the food and nutritional security of 200 million
Africans and provide income for over 10 million mostly
small-scale fishers and farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in
fish production, processing and trade. In SSA, aquaculture
output (excluding aquatic plants) between 1989 and 2001
increased from 33,360 to 55,375 tonnes. However aquatic
resource management could be strengthened and fisheries
value chain supported through strategic investments to safeguard
these benefits. Aquaculture is growing albeit slowly
and the prospects for expansion and for environmental and
socioeconomic sustainability have greatly improved. The
key role of AKST could be to ensure that stakeholders in
the region get improved access to knowledge and technologies
for product development and food safety that safeguard
and widen market access for small and medium enterprises
(SMEs).
7. The co-existence of humans and animals in SSA
has resulted in competition for resources and transmission
of zoonotic diseases. SSA has a sufficient animal
population (ratio of cattle to humans of 1:4) to cater to
human requirements. However, diseases affecting both humans
and animals have been a great setback. The situation
is aggravated by unregulated cross-border migrations which
have resulted in huge economic losses due to the spread of
transboundary diseases like contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
(CBPP), African Swine Fever (ASF) and Rift Valley
Fever (RVF). Nonetheless, advances in AKST have led to
the eradication of some animal diseases like rinderpest and
trypanosomiasis in some SSA countries.
8. Animal production systems and animal productivity
varies in SSA due to environmental factors and farmer
production objectives. In wet areas, mixed crop and
animal production provide a sustainable production system
because of nutrient cycling and has the potential, through
intensification, to meet increased demand for livestock food
products. In dry environments, the long-run primary productivity
of the range is influenced more by rainfall than
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