by Nutrient-rich crops can have a major impact on public health, especially in Africa, which will be the most populous continent by the end of the century. However, if food security is to be sustainable, fertile soils and crops adapted to climate change are essential. “The main cause of malnutrition in Africa is nutritionally poor diet,” says Jurie van der Walt, South African author of several books on the value of native African plants.
“Although a large amount of food is produced, these foods do not contain enough nutrients. This situation can be remedied by reintroducing plants that have been cultivated by families on small farms for centuries.”
Introduction
Dr. Cary Fowler, US Special Envoy for Global Food Security, recently said in an interview with rfi that African soils are highly degraded and eroded, and among the poorest in the world. Dr. Fowler is known as the father of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which provides ultimate security for more than a million unique crop varieties. Seed vaults store the seeds of thousands of plants to ensure that these plants can be restored in the event of a disaster. The situation in Africa, where poor soil structure and farming methods that cause erosion and degradation are not conducive to sustainable and productive agricultural systems, could be heading towards such a disaster that causes not only malnutrition and obesity , but which could eventually lead to starvation. and hunger. The situation is indeed terrible.
Charles Pensula of The Telegraph reported in June that almost nine million people in Malawi are now classified as food insecure after El Niño warm currents brought extreme weather and drought to large parts of Southern Africa, destroying the millions of acres of crops. The country declared a state of disaster in 23 of its 28 districts in April, calling for humanitarian aid. “Food aid agencies and health workers are predicting a sharp rise in malnutrition across the country due to the shortage. Hunger is already increasing in many areas, especially among children,” said Charles.
Thousands of people are starving in Malawi as the rains and crops fail
withered in the heat. (Source: https://www.ipsnews.net/2016/01/thousands-face-hunger-and-pray-for-enough-rain-in-malawi/)
Land degradation
Africa is one of the most degraded continents in the world with around 700 million hectares (23%) already being degraded and another three million hectares being degraded per year. This is not an African malaise, as 40% of the planet’s land is estimated to be degraded. Degraded soil has lost its natural productivity through human-made processes.
The main causes of land degradation in Africa and elsewhere include:
- biological invasions, where non-native alien plant species spread outside their native area and disrupt natural ecosystems;
- events caused by climate change, such as devastating floods, severe droughts and wildfires;
- habitat transformation or fragmentation due to poor agricultural practices and deforestation to make room for non-native plant species.
These also include factors related to mining, including:
- pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, and eutrophication which causes algae and other plants to take over native plants;
- extractive activities, such as mining and over-harvesting and not restoring the land to its previous state.
In Africa, other factors also play a role, such as:
- development demands, as cities grow;
- high dependence on natural resources at the household level, such as the use of firewood for cooking;
- agricultural practices, including clearing native plants to grow cash crops;
- weak governance; insecure land tenure; pervasive poverty; and
- population growth.
According to the World Food Programme, an estimated 13 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are facing severe hunger as the Horn of Africa experiences its worst drought in decades. (Source: https://phys.org/news/2022-02-million-hunger-horn-africa-drought.html)
Health
Monoculture crops such as wheat, maize and rice have become the main crops in Africa. However, underutilized crops have the potential to perform well in a changing climate, while addressing nutritional needs. About 80% of the African population is able to have a healthy diet. However, there are many indigenous crops traditionally cultivated in Africa that are highly nutritious.
“If we could increase the productivity of these crops, and integrate them more fully into the African diet, we could deal with issues such as childhood stunting,” says Dr Fowler. The US launched the Vision for Suitable Crops and Soils (Vacs) program, which encourages a return to traditional crops, in 2023.
According to the VACS website, a case study on Malawi suggests that “over-reliance on maize cultivation has resulted in systemic agricultural vulnerability, low and varied and poor diets, and child stunting. Diversification into climate-resilient indigenous crops is critical to the country’s food and nutrition security.” Maize is a central part of Malawi’s diet, but maize production is expected to decline by 30% by 2100.
This is due to an expected decrease of 66 mm (4%) in precipitation by 2050, and an increase of 2 degrees C (6%) in temperature. Currently, almost 40% of children under the age of five in Malawi are stunted, in other words, they are stunted for their age as a result of chronic undernutrition. Diverse crops, compared to or in combination with monoculture crops, will be more resilient in Malawi’s changing climate. Traditional food crops, including sorghum, millet, Bambara groundnuts and yams, can increase climate resilience and meet the nutritional needs of youth.
“We are not saying that farmers should not grow some of the main crops they are growing today; we’re saying that we should increase that food basket – especially with essential legumes and vegetables and fruits – if we’re going to tackle the alarming rates of childhood stunting,” says Fowler. “They will be physically and mentally stunted for the rest of their lives, and you can’t develop a society with that handicap.”
Non-GMO
This does not mean the cultivation of genetically modified plants, which is not allowed in some African countries and is still questionable. This reluctance to adopt GM crops is probably the result of unfavorable policies shaped by public opinion, despite the potential to achieve the zero-hunger agenda, according to researchers. The traditional plant breeding approach should be as it has been for centuries. These crops have never been abandoned, but they are mostly women in home gardens, so there are no official statistics about it. The ideal is to make these native crops more productive so that they can compete in the market and get their share of the diet, whether in school lunch projects or even in processing industries. “If we build up that kind of market and market demand, it will encourage the farmers to grow them,” says Fowler. Native crops can help restore degraded land. “Ecological restoration can help create conditions
where plants, animals and microorganisms can do the recovery themselves,” says Mlungele Nsikani, Senior Scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi). “Helping recovery can be as complex as changing landforms (deliberately changing aspects of the landscape), planting vegetation, changing hydrology (water flow) and reintroducing wildlife. It can also be as simple as getting rid of an invasive species or reintroducing a lost plant species to the land.”
Seeds
To restore degraded land, it is best to plant seeds. Seeds can be made available in a number of ways, including in some cases non-governmental organizations who can make them available free of charge. Farmers can also save some of their seeds to replant, but also to share with other farmers. Small or medium seed companies may also sell seeds.
The value of cultivating native nutritious plants can address food security challenges in Africa. Smallholder farmers can play an important role in bringing these ‘forgotten’ food plants back to the table in Africa.
More to look forward to
This series will focus on two aspects:
- Features contributing to the effective cultivation of indigenous food crops by smallholders in Africa; and • The use of indigenous nutrient-rich food crops in the daily African diet.
Source References
Gbadegesin, LA, Ayeni, EA, Tettey, CK, Uyanga, VA, Aluko, OO, Ahiakpa, JK, Okoye, CO, Mbadanya, JI, Adkoya, MA, Aminu, RO, Oyawole, FP, Odufuwa, P. (2022 ) GMOs in Africa: Status, adoption and public acceptance. Science Direct https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109193 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713522003863
The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) https://www.state.gov/thevision-for-adapted-crops-andsoils/#:~:text=The%20Vision%20for%20Adapted%20Crops%20and%20Soils % 20(VACS)%20aim%20to,types%20and%20building%20healthy%20soil.
Why reviving old crops is key to saving Africa’s degraded soils (2024) rfi https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20240202-how-reviving-old-crops-is-the-key- tosaving-africa-s -degradedsoils?fbclid=IwAR2pZAVHH_vt XDIMzC03H0jSwvLFnHpROjDL oY1XvCxteu6ESa8Nia6uvr0&u tm_campaign=facebook&utm_ content=clic&utm_ medium=social&utm_ source=short
Nsikani, MM (2024) Almost 25% of Africa’s land has been damaged – what is to blame, and what can be done. The conversation. com https://theconversation.com/ almost-25-of-land-in-africa-hasbeen-damaged-whats-to-blameand-what-can-be-done-231315 Mlungele M. Nsikani
Pensula, C. (2024) Malawi struggles to feed millions after parched drought. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/malawi-drought-crop-failuresfood-insecurity-africa/
Steyn, T. (2022) Food of Ancient Africa Part 1: The response to malnutrition and obesity in Africa. ProAgri.co.za https://proagri.co.za/ancient-african-food-part-1-the-answer-toafricas-malnutrition-and-obesity/
