S06 AF March_April 2022 Fertiliser_Layout 1 14/03/2022 13:22 Page 20
CROPS
Though some farmers in Africa rely on organic fertilisers, the need to implement the use of chemical fertilisers is becoming vital.
Fertilisers, the much-needed boost to crops
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PTIMISED USE OF mineral fertilisers, combined with amendments in integrated crop management, is the foundation to achieving food system goals — increased production of nutritious food, increased farmer profitability and improved sustainability. The IFA Strategic Forum, which was held by the International Fertilizer Association, facilitated the exchange of ideas among key stakeholders in Africa to develop new partnerships. The event explored how the fertiliser industry and its partners can help in supporting farmers and strengthen food systems to unlock Africa’s huge potential to sustainably feed itself and others amid climate change and COVID-19. Speakers shared their visions for the future of Africa’s food systems. His excellency Hailemariam Dessalegn, former prime minister of Ethiopia and chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, stressed the need for increased access to fertilisers to improve soil health. “African soils are becoming extremely degraded. Well managed soils offer resilience to climate change and adaptation. Fertiliser use in Africa is currently too low to counter nutrient mining.” Beth Bechdol, deputy director general of the FAO, also stressed the importance of improving plant nutrition. “In Africa, climate change, infertile soils and a lack of nutrient supply are challenges to closing the yield gap. Plant nutrition plays a crucial role in creating more sustainable systems,” said Bechdol, who noted the key role of the fertiliser sector for providing nutrients.
20 African Farming - March/April 2022
Improving fertiliser access on the continent was the focus of Session 1, which looked ahead to the crucial second Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit planned for 2023. Participants highlighted the low levels of fertiliser use on the continent, which accounted for 3.5% of global use in 2019. Challenges that were noted included the high cost of logistics, poor access to finance, farmers not knowing how to use fertilisers properly and distribution channels being under threat due to pandemic-related issues. Despite these obstacles, the session emphasised the crucial role of fertilisers for improving productivity and allowing smallholder farmers to grow-to-sell and export while protecting the environment.
The Africa Fertilizer Map is the first-ever visualisation tool that contains the continent’s fertiliser data provided by different associations. Mapping data The Africa Fertilizer Map is the first-ever visualisation tool that contains the continent’s fertiliser data provided by different associations – primarily AfricanFertilizer.org (AFO) and the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) – and inputs from others, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), African Union (AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Antonella Harrison from Astrategia Limited developed the Africa Fertilizer Map
Image Credit: Adobe Stock
Fertilisers play a crucial role in improving productivity and allowing smallholder farmers to grow-to-sell and export while protecting the environment.
in partnership with AFRIQOM. ”Besides displaying imports/exports, manufacturing and blending plants and projects, consumption figures, we focussed on the impact of initiatives geared to the development of African agriculture, like the 4R Solutions Project led by APNI in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal; the role of AFAP Agro-dealers and government fertiliser subsidies,” she added. Turning towards alternatives In Kenya, farmers are looking at an organic fertiliser Bokashi, which is restoring depleted soils. It is made by fermenting organic material to quickly create a nutrient-rich compost. According to reports by Mongabay, after attending a workshop run by the Resources Oriented Development Initiative (RODI Kenya), farmers put the techniques offered by the workshop to use in three gardens around their home in Tharaka Nithi. According to Patrick Gicheru, a leading soil scientist who directs the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in Embu county, south of Tharaka Nithi, farmers across the country are working with soils that lack important nutrients. The most common reason for depleted soils is overuse. When a field is planted repeatedly without being left fallow, farmers effectively extract vital nutrients with each harvest without replacing them. Adding chemical fertiliser is one way to replace nutrients, but according to scientists, such fertilisers can harm soil microbes, which are key to replenishing nutrients. h
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