Rabat – The African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) has renewed its commitment to helping Africa’s agriculture and tackling food security issues in its latest annual report “Towards transformation,” released in June 2023.
In a message included in the report, APNI Director General Kaushik Majumdar referred to the impact of the geopolitical climate on food production and security in Africa.
Central to the work of APNI is the controlled and effective use of fertilizers of which Africa only uses on average 22 kilograms per hectare, compared to 146 kilograms per hectare used in the rest of the world.
Majumdar also touched on the war in Ukraine and how it impacted the ability of African parties to obtain fertilizers.
The World Food Programme has reported that global fertilizer prices have risen by 199% since 2020. Prices have doubled in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, according to a different report.
Considering “fertilizer is unquestionably the central pivot for improving crop productivity in Africa,” the ramifications of the war in Ukraine appear to present a significant roadblock to the work of the APNI.
The war in Ukraine has also directly impacted Africa, which despite having 60% of the world’s uncultivated land, is a net importer of food. Before the war, African countries imported $75 billion of cereals annually, with a vast proportion coming from Russia and Ukraine.
More specifically, 15 countries imported 50% of their wheat products from Russia or Ukraine.
In a climate of disruptive geopolitical developments, the APNI implemented a range of new projects, with their scientific experts playing active roles across the globe in representing the organization and leading the discourse on agriculture in Africa.
One such project, the Ferticlim Project, was implemented in Morocco.
Water challenges
With 78% of Morocco’s land classified as desert and dry zones, the country is susceptible to high levels of desertification. Some experts also predict that rainfall could fall by 10 to 20% across North Africa by 2050.
Desertification and land degradation, due to agricultural malpractice, create an environment where the impact of climate change is exacerbated. Consequently, the work carried out by the APNI in Morocco is of significant importance.
The year 2022 saw the implementation of the Ferticlim Project by the APNI in Morocco, which seeks to gain information on the extent to which deficit irrigation can preserve water and nutrients.
Reducing water consumption is not only economically beneficial for the agricultural industry, but also essential in preserving water which has come under stress in Morocco in recent years.
Dams across the country have lost significant portions of their reserves, with the Al Massira Dam losing 60% of its water over a three year span.
With different plants reacting differently to deficit irrigation methods, monitoring and research is vital in order to achieve both sufficient agricultural yields and considerable water preservation.
With continued climate change and desertification across many regions in Africa, the work of the APNI is vital in providing agricultural breakthroughs beneficial to both producers and consumers.
Focus on Africa’s food security
The APNI has also been striving this year to provide greater food security and yield for smallholder farmers, who constitute 60% of sub-saharan Africa’s population, by improving soil quality. With Ghana alone home to over 1.5 million smallholder cocoa farmers, the requirement for improved soil quality is crucial and its impact sizeable.
Improving soil quality, biologically and chemically, directly correlates to improved crop yield and quality.
Through sustainable climate-friendly Integrated Soil Fertility Management, smallholder farmers and their products become more resilient and can provide farmers with greater stability. The APNI also works on continued rigorous analysis of crops, which according to The World Bank, is essential in attaining tangible development.
The APNI, in line with the “one health” concept, has been increasing its understanding around the perception of soil health & carbon sequestration potential & drivers across West, North and East Africa. Increased understanding of the benefits of healthier soil to smallholder farmers is essential to increasing food security on the continent.
Read Also: Fertilizers Leadership & Pan-Africanism: OCP’s Sustainable Transition Explained
Last year was an impactful one for The APNI, from the implementation of new projects to expert scientists representing the organization on a global level.
Climate change, continued desertification, and the geopolitical climate provided substantial challenges to food security in Africa. However, the work of The APNI is offering some hope for the future of agriculture in Africa.
Commenting on the report, APNI Board Chair Hicham El Habti stressed the need to boost Africa’s food security as the continent “woke up to the reality that it cannot always rely on food imports as a source of sustenance.”
“Now more than ever, the role of Africa’s scientists in optimizing solutions is paramount to serving its complex agricultural value chain,” El Habti said in a message included in the report.
Morocco, through fertilizer giants OCP, has been frequently emphasizing commitment towards contributing to solving Africa’s food security challenges.
CEO of OCP Mostafa Terrab himself said that “we have to find ways to make Africa contribute positively to global food security.”
Promising fertilizer tests in Nigeria and Ethiopia across different soil compositions has encouraged OCP to scale-up its operations across Africa.
With Morocco home to over 70% of the world’s phosphate rock reserves, and OCP itself able to create “fine-tuned” fertilizers for varying soil types, Terrab’s commitment could prove pivotal on the journey to a more self-sufficient Africa.
