Food crisis: Kenyan Scientist calls for practical actions

from Africa Science News

Written by Venter Mwongera

In an interview to the Africa Science News Service at her Nairobi-based office, the Chief Executive Officer for Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International (AHBFI), Prof Florence Wambugu said access to inputs- machinery, targeted subsidy and credit programs, secure land tenure system especially for women to increase farmers capacity to use and invest in new technology; are the best starting points to build a stable economy.

She said increased investment in water technologies, increased agricultural extension services, development of new crop varieties resistant to drought, pest and diseases are other milestones needed towards alleviating poverty in developing countries.

She however attributed changing global climatic conditions and global rise in fuel costs and pursuit for bio fuels based on food crop to the current unfortunate state and great magnitude of hunger that has struck developing countries especially the North-Eastern parts of Kenya.

Social unrests and food riots has occurred in 14 countries including Haiti, Egypt, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe as well as in Kenya; long queues at subsidized food stores and higher price tags, impediments on exports by major exporters like rice exports from China, Vietnam, Egypt, Indian and Pakistan is not news any more.

She lamented that 20 million of Africa’s population depend on food aid from US and Canada, 200 million have food insecurity and over 25% of African grain are met through importation.

Prof Wambugu credited decline in Africa’s food production to low investment in agricultural R and B since current investment is 0.2% compared to the ideal 1%, overall agricultural investment in agriculture is 2% compared to the NEPAD recommendation of 10%; except in South Africa, Malawi and Nigeria, and World Bank funding reduced from US$120 million in 1991 to US$8 million in 2002.

“If correct measures are not put in place faster, there will be increased malnutrition, child and maternal mortality and morbidity, inability of the poor to afford health food, less money to spend on health services that will greatly affect people living with HIV/Aids and delay in attaining health and nutritional related Millennium Development Goals (MDG),” Prof Wambugu told Africa Science News Service.

She noted that long term corrective measures like increase in crop production through irrigation since only 10% of potential land is irrigated in Africa compared to 26% in India and 44% in China, increased use of fertilizers in the view of the fact that Africa soils are poor in nutrients compared to other parts of the world, given that there are many decades of mining without replenishing in Africa.

Africa’s fertilizer needs to triple since according to FAO report, Africa use 8kg/ha instead of 23kg/ha, compared to a global of 100kg/ha.

FAO further emphasizes that fertilizer use needs to triple to 23kg/ha by 2015 in order to achieve the MDG of halving the number of malnourished people.

SSA enormous variety of leafy vegetables between 800-1000 species including pumpkins, Amaranths, Terere, Gynadropsis, indigenous kales; fruits like guava, tamarind, butter fruits, bananas need to be improved.

“European Union, six countries have commercialized biotech crops. South Africa, Egypt and more recently; Burkina Faso, are the only countries in Africa with commercial GMO crops. Regulatory for quality control and opening both regional and international Markets can do marvelous to African countries,” Prof Wambugu remarks.

According to the chairman of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Dr. James Clive, Successful strategy must have multiple approaches that address all the principal issues that include: Population Stabilization, improved food distribution systems, and a technology component is essential- a crop improvement strategy that integrates the best of conventional and the best of biotech to optimize productivity and contribute to food feed and fiber security.

Dr. James further brought to light that the year 2007 had a number of 12*5 unique highlights has it was the 12th year of commercialization of biotech crops, the same year, 12 million ha increment of area under GM crops was noted, 12 % increase in productivity, 2nd highest in yielding in 5 consecutive years, 12 million biotech farmers,- 90% or 11 million are resource-poor farmers-1st time to exceed 10 million small farmers in the developing countries, in the same year, 12 developing countries planted biotech crops, and of 6.5 billion global population, 55%, equivalent to 3.6 billion, lived in the 23 biotech countries.

Despite of the many challenges like limited capacity in some of cutting edge technologies and infrastructure being met through international partnerships, inadequate funding to meet the needs of the national targets, 43% of the area under biotech crops in the developing countries increased every single year from 40% in 2006, 8.5 million hectares in 2007 compared with 3.8 million hectares in industrialized countries.

The 5 mega countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa, China, India, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, with a combined population of 2.6 billion – (40% of global), grew 46 million hectares of biotech crops in 2007 which is equivalent to 40% of global total.

Impacts of biotech crops has been felt for there are a number of enjoyable benefits that have been accrued like high yields (Bt cotton, maize, soybean), alleviation of poverty like in India, South Africa, China and Brazil, reduced pesticide application with both accruing health environmental benefits, increased incomes and social benefits.

“In order to face the future with a lot of courage, responsible and efficient regulatory systems that are appropriate for developing countries with limited resources need to be establish, scientists, researchers, scholars should improve on communication strategy with society about attributes and potential of biotech crops and reach to more people, countries and in a variety of native languages,” said Dr. James.

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