As nations across the globe prepare to mark another World Food Day on 16 October, the Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga, has called on world leaders and other stakeholders to redouble efforts to save Africa from the pangs of hunger and poverty.
Although progress has been made ―thanks to improvements in agricultural productivity and renewed attention to agriculture ―such gains are being threatened by spiralling population growth rate coupled with degrading soils.
In an address to participants at the 21st Annual Congress of the Nigerian Rural Sociological Association (NRSA) held at the University of Ibadan, Dr Sanginga said that “challenges to food security in Africa are huge, and that the barriers to wealth creation, food security, improved nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are on several fronts.”
For instance, Africa’s population growth remains high compared to other regions in the world (2.4% in SSA) against 1.3% in non-African countries.
In addition, the urban population is rapidly growing, putting pressure on the rural areas to produce more food at affordable prices. There is also the problem of depletion of soil nutrients, which if left unchecked, could have catastrophic effects. Furthermore, destructive agricultural practices along forest margins in Africa aggravate deforestation.
“While the attainment of food security is a huge and increasing challenge, production per unit area has not increased as elsewhere in the world, and increments in total production have come at the expense of the natural resource base,” he said.
“Clearly there is much work to be done in sub-Saharan Africa,” he emphasised.
To save the situation, Dr Sanginga, who was represented by the Deputy Director General, Partnerships and Capacity Development, Dr Kenton Dashiell, said “there is a need for the adoption of sustainable intensification of agricultural production practices to conserve and recycle soil nutrients and reduce the need for clearing new l ands for agricultural production.”
This approach, he said, would increase agricultural productivity. Besides agricultural productivity, food availability, and food safety; Dr Sanginga stressed that the agric sector’s overall performance must all be increased against the backdrop of a growing and larger, more urban population, uncertain effects of climate, increased dem and for energy, disease p andemics, rural-to-urban migration, and, in some cases, civil strife.
He commended the renewed attention to agriculture by African leaders which is producing positive results, and urged for more commitment of resources to the sector.
The director general concluded that “IITA is poised to continue working with various partners to improve livelihoods in Africa.”
For information, please contact:
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
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