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Africa needs sustainable fertiliser use to feed its population, experts say

Africa needs sustainable fertiliser use to feed its population, experts say
Fertilizer. PHOTO/Print
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African agriculture needs a significant and sustainable increase in fertilizer use to feed the continent’s population expected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050. The goal to substantially increase fertilizer use sustainably was outlined during the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit held in Kenya last May.

The Nairobi Declaration signed by African heads of state at the close of the summit urged African countries to embrace digital data and tools to triple Africa’s fertilizer use towards the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger.

According to the African Union Development Agency, which hosted the summit, more than 485 million Africans – around 65% of the population – are living in degraded cultivated land with poor prospects of growing enough quality food. Crop lost to pests Compounding the problem, up to 40 per cent of crop yields are lost to pests and diseases as well as the impacts of climate change such as extreme weather events including severe floods and/or drought.

CABI is one of the organizations supporting the African Union in advocating the goal of a sustainable increase in the use of fertilizer and improvement of soil health to develop agriculture in Africa, especially among smallholder farmers.

 An international intergovernmental, not-for-profit organization, CABI seeks to improve people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. CABI is a member of the Association of International Research and Development Centres for Agriculture (AIRCA) championing the application of digital data and tools to increase fertilizer use for improved soil quality and food security in Africa.

CABI’s Director General for Development, Dennis Rangi, says the power of partnerships is essential to achieving this goal. CABI recently won the FAO Partnership Award 2024 for its contribution to sustainable development.

Dr Rangi has over 30 years of experience in development cooperation including the management of scientific research and implementation. He has fulfilled several assignments in developing countries and has a strong understanding of their circumstances and needs.

Africa’s 33 million smallholder farmers need to double agricultural production and meet the growing demand for more nutritious fruit and vegetables.

That will require triple fertilizer use on the continent over the next decade. The 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Reen Revolution identified the critical need for Africa to increase the use of fertilizer. However, fertilizer consumption has only increased from an average of 8 kilograms per hectare to about 18kg/ha in 2022, less than half of the target of 50kg/ha set in the declaration.

 Embracing the power of digital data and tools “The solution for improved soil quality and food security is for smallholder farmers to have the best information and ad[1]vice on how to sustainably use fertilizer as part of an integrat[1]ed crop management (ICM) approach to agriculture,” says Dr Rangi.

Dennis Rangi For smallholder farmers to have the best information and advice on how to sustainably use fertilize

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