2024-03-03 23:10:00
The Foundation for Agriculture and Rurality in the World (Farm) organized this month a day dedicated to the transformation of agriculture. In a world increasingly affected by climate change and environmental problems, the need to move towards more sustainable, but nevertheless productive, agriculture to face the challenges of hunger is becoming more and more pressing.
Despite preconceptions, African agriculture is also affected by the use of numerous inputs, monoculture and therefore soil degradation. Rachel Bezner Kerr is an associate professor at Cornell University. She worked a lot in Malawi. For her, the answer must be multifactorial.
It is necessary to be able to ” evolve towards more diverse landscapes, including the cultivation of many varieties and the reintegration of animals into the agricultural system if they have been separated. But this also means processes such as more agroforestry, therefore different forms of wild biodiversity », explains the researcher. “ This means working with farmers to ensure the transition, doing participatory research so that the developed agricultural system works for farmers and for communities », she continues, recalling that the basis of everything is to give priority to ecological principles. So the ” reduction of chemical inputs ” or ” working on soil health ».
The question of farmers’ remuneration cannot also be avoided, emphasizes Rachel Bezner Kerr. “ There are also social and economic principles to consider, such as making sure the system is fair and equitable and that farmers get a fair price for their crops. », she pleads during the Farm conference.
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Give political impulses
But to achieve this, Beninese Godfrey Nzamujo believes that it is necessary to show that reasoned and virtuous agriculture is possible. This is why he created the Songhai center. « We must deconstruct this mentality which does not want to move. Songhai is a laboratory where people see that it is possible, he explains. Because speeches don’t work, people need to see that it’s easier, that it’s cheaper and that it stabilizes the environment. That way we no longer have excuses. »
A change in practices and mentality of farmers that many advocate. Gifty Narh-Guiella, director of Corade in Burkina Faso agrees. But everything should not rest on the shoulders of small producers, she warns.
« It’s true that it’s the farmer who is at the heart, but we need incentive measures. They are faced with a lot of constraints and therefore if there are incentive measures, it is up to the State to do so. “, she argues. Gifty Narh-Guiella gives several examples that could move things forward: “ The State distributes chemical inputs to the tune of billions, a part of which can be converted into organic inputs for example. The State makes purchases for school canteens, if requirements are set to have products that meet a certain standard, this can also encourage farmers to produce more sustainable products to have access to these markets. » It is clear to her that the impulses can come from the State and public services.
Specialists believe that the private sector must also play its part by supporting farmers, by promoting the purchase of more sustainable products to contribute to the creation of more virtuous sectors.
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