Agroecology and the Solution to the current Food Insecurity in Africa.
The biggest challenge in Africa food security is the monoculture system in maize (corn) and coffee production, which unfortunately continues to increase the rate of land degradation.
There is an urgent need on the adoption of Agroecology whereby the adoption of legume fodder cover crops like Desmodium has several benefits. The benefits includes soil protection, atmospheric nitrogen fixation (125 kg/ha/yr), provision of livestock fodder (17 tons/ha/yr) and boosting crop productivity by more than 30% . Additionally they produce semio chemicals that confuse the moths of the fall army worm and maize stem borers in laying eggs on young maize plants further reducing the challenge of pest attacks on maize.
In areas where there is the parasitic Striga weed on maize, the desmodium produces some signals that result in suicidal seed germination of this parasitic weed, reducing the seed bank and resulting in better maize production. African must adopt agroecology and reduce on the excessive pesticide usage.
The monoculture systems being promoted will lead to increased food insecurity, soil depletion and dependence on imports for food security. Agribusiness leaders keen on adaptive climate action must embrace Agroecology.
Some of my studies have covered this.
1. Optimization of ecosystem services for sustainable coffee production under changing climate -
2. Evaluating Cover Crop Ecosystem Services for Buffering Coffee against Changing Climate -
https://www.innspub.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/JBESV19-No4-p16-35.pdf
3. Assessment of Ecosystem Services Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Coffee Farmers Using Legume Cover Crops.”Ecosphere13 (4): e4046.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4046
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4046
