Tag Archives: security
Tanzania: Agro Forestry Greatly Improves Food Security
BY ORTON KIISHWEKO, 30 JUNE 2013 IN his publication, “Is agroforestry a suitable response to climate change”, the Regional Director of the Environment of Bas- Sassandra, notes that he exploitation of natural resources – land, water, biodiversity is reaching saturation point and this is compounded by expanding population growth. “The degradation of the natural forests is aggravating the impact of climate change,” he notes. But the most important point, he adds is “Agro forestry systems, can contribute to the mitigation of the effects of climate change, mainly by improving the microclimate and the biodiversity and the attainment of food security goals.” According to available scientific information, climate change is already affecting forest ecosystems and the services they provide including ecosystem sustainability and the maintenance of biodiversity. It is also expected to have increasing effects both positive and negative on the ecosystems and socio-economic development in the future. For example, while deforestation is responsible for about 18 per cent of greenhouse gases, forests currently still absorb more carbon than they emit and an increased tree growth is foreseen in some regions bringing new opportunities for forest industry and forest-dependent communities. To succeed in a better integration of trees and human activities on city outskirts is thus an issue for the future: improving the urban dweller’s quality of life, increasing revenues from cultivated plots in periurban areas, product diversification, etc. The tree then serves as a biodiversity reservoir in increasingly urbanising areas and could also be a factor in limiting pollution caused by leaching and runoff of chemical fertilizers used by farmers, a significant problem with peri-urban agriculture. As such, urgent efforts are required to make political decision makers understand that agro forestry is both a tool to be distributed widely as well as a different way of production. The move to strengthen this natural phenomenon was boosted this year when Vice- President Mohammed Gharib Bilal paved the way for further regional collaboration on agroforestry projects to address climate change and food security issues. He went to the World Agroforestry Centre’s Nairobi campus to learn more about our research and development activities. “We are truly honoured and humbled by the effort you have made to join us ,” said Director General Dr Dennis Garrity. In a short presentation about agroforestry and the Centre’s work, Dr Garrity highlighted partnerships with Tanzania over two decades and opportunities which exist for the future. He touched on the areas he knew were of particular interest to the Vice-President, namely climate change and food security. Dr Garrity spoke about the Centre’s work on climate change adaptation in Morogoro and about Shinyanga, Tanzania where 500,000 hectares of land are now under improved agroforestry systems. “Over 20 years, we have seen a transformation in the landscapes of Shinyanga,” he said, “this highly successful project is an example of community-based natural resource management in coland it has been hailed a global success story”. Dr Garrity went on to explain the concept of Evergreen Agriculture and his vision for the widespread integration of fertilizer trees species – Gliricidia, Tephrosia and Faidherbia albida – to provide farmers with a continual and permanent supply of fertilizer on their farms to improve crop yields. He proposed a range of opportunities for collaboration, including up-scaling Evergreen Agriculture and reigniting the Kilimo Kwanza Programme (Kiswahili for Agriculture First). Dr Garrity called for reinvigorating Tanzania’s National Agroforestry Committee to investigate applying agroforestry science across the country. The Centre’s Tanzania Country Representative, Aichi Kitalyi, added detail about some of the local issues and the need to learn from what has happened in order to develop actions for the future. Partnership Coordinator, Professor Temu, elaborated on climate change and how the integration of trees on farms can help the poor, especially those in rural villages in his native Tanzania. In his response, Vice- President Dr Bilal spoke of the goodwill that has been generated by the Centre in the country. “The environment is everything,” he said. “Your organisation is looking at the problems of food security and the environment. “The work of your institute is very important,” The Hon Bilal continued, posing the question “How can we use your knowledge and experience for strong and tangible activities that will help Tanzania and other countries in the region?” The Vice-President requested the Centre to advise his office, and keep them informed of developments in such work. He said this was of particular relevance now as they struggle to address climate change in the wake of the COP 15 meeting which failed to reach a binding agreement at the end of last year. As the discussions wrapped up, participants looked to future collaboration and maximising opportunities for agroforestry to directly benefit Tanzania. Dr Bilal toured the World Agroforestry Centre’s stateof- the-art soils and tree seed laboratories and planted a Faidherbia albida tree at the grounds. The Faidherbia tree – the tree is being advocated for Evergreen agriculture from Zimbabwe and Southern Tanzania in an attempt to improve soil fertility. Under such arrangements, villages have good crop harvest year-in year-out whether the rains were good or bad. The farmers enjoy a bumper harvest when there is a lot of rain as the crops also benefit from the fertility below the trees. “During drought,” he continued, “the tree canopy and mulch from leaf fall reduce the amount of water evaporating from the soil. This ensures that sufficient moisture remains in the soil below the trees to enable crop growth and ample harvests. The falling albida pods and leaves, it is said, were like earthworms. “They improve soil fertility,” he said. In such cases, farmers do not buy fertilizers for their field crops. This is because “applying fertilizers to crops under the F. albida trees spoils the crops as they become excessively vegetative and unproductive”. In addition to its fertility- enhancing qualities, F. albida has other uses that the villagers value highly. There is potential for enhancing crop productivity through agroforestry at the farm level. Some trees can enhance on-farm productivity and improve livelihoods of the smallholder farmers. Agroforestry is a profound investment vehicle to alleviate poverty and build environmental resilience, particularly in remote areas. It could realize the vision for creating an Evergreen Agriculture in Africa through fresh approaches to agroforestry, Farmers and policy makers have so far not taken advantage of the potential of agroforestry to contribute to poverty alleviation, to soil fertility to increased crop yields, to protection of watersheds, biodiversity, to climate mitigation through increased carbon sequestration. The role that agroforestry can play in restoration of degraded lands, in helping to reduce carbon emissions (by taking the pressure off indigenous forests) and contributing to climate mitigation through increased carbon sequestration. Such investment would build on the ongoing analyses of potential target areas for restoration being researched by WRI. In 1999, ICRAF began a project on “improved land management in the Lake Victoria basin” in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture). The project has generated new insights into the state and causes of land degradation as well as the opportunities for farmers to improve both their incomes and the local environment through the use of new crop varieties, agroforestry and simple water harvesting techniques. Also, a major new study indicates that farms and forests may not be as incompatible as we often assume. Using detailed satellite imagery, scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) found that on almost half of all farmed landscapes around the world, landowners are either sparing some existing trees or planting new ones, leading to what the study calls “significant” tree cover. Continue reading
G8 Leaders ‘Need To Go Further’ On Food Security In Africa
G8 leaders ‘need to go further’ on food security in Africa by Jonathan M. White 14 June 2013 When they meet at Lough Erne, G8 leaders will have to reconcile two competing visions of the New Alliance initiative started last year to lift millions of people out of poverty, says think-tank The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition – a joint initiative of African leaders, the private sector, and G8 governments – was launched at last year’s G8 Summit with the ambitious goal of lifting 50 million people out of poverty by 2022. Over the past 12 months, 91 per cent of G8 government commitments have been disbursed on time, and more than half of the private sector investments, worth a total of over $3bn, have commenced. From creating an electronic customs clearance system for agriculture commodities in Burkina Faso to a new seed law in Ghana, New Alliance policy actions could prove to be transformational and strengthen food security in participating countries, which also include Ethiopia, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique. During a pre-G8 Summit event on nutrition last week, Nigeria, Benin and Malawi signed up as well. When they meet at Lough Erne, the G8 leaders will have to reconcile two competing visions of the New Alliance. Some argue that, although well intended, it will not result in sustainable or responsible investments. Big global companies only understand large-scale intensive single crop production models, which are often highly destructive to biodiversity and the social fabric of smallholder farming communities. While the flow of corporate investment and the adoption of modern farm management, skills, and technology will increase agricultural production, these benefits would come at a high cost. Investments will also go toward exportable products and not the local market, making smallholder farmers increasingly dependent on volatile international markets. Others contend that the New Alliance aligns public and private resources with country-led strategies that are consistent with host-country priorities and needs. The initiative is also supportive of multinational guidelines on the governance of land, fisheries, and forests, designed to guard against land grabs and social disruption. Proponents argue that corporate investors, non-governmental organisations, and development partners will assist smallholder farmers integrate into agriculture value chains by helping them organise into cooperatives and engage in contract farming Public-private partnerships and innovative business models will ensure both development and commercial goals are achieved. Which narrative is right? Each holds some merit. In at least four New Alliance countries, there is evidence that local communities have not been sufficiently consulted by investors or governments in land transactions. In two countries, the compensation to households affected by these land investments has been determined to be inadequate. While public-private partnerships are promising, it is clear that some companies simply do not understand how to engage with smallholder farmers. At the same time, the Grow Africa initiative, which is supporting the New Alliance, has reported that more than $60 million invested so far has incorporated smallholder farmers into market-based activities. Approximately 270,000 metric tonnes of commodities were sourced, generating $300m in sales for farmers. Nearly 800,000 smallholders have benefited from a mix of training, service provisions, and market access. While land grabs are a concern, the New Alliance is not dominated by large global corporations. Many sizeable investments are, in fact, driven by African firms and small and medium-sized enterprises. Grow Africa data covers New Alliance countries minus Côte d’Ivoire and plus Kenya and Rwanda. At the heart of the debate over these competing visions is the role of the private sector. Business and trade are often viewed as sources of plunder in Africa – the depletion of oil, gas, and natural resources through shadowy networks of business and government officials. Africa’s economic growth and rising middle class are promising, and African leaders have clearly committed to private sector development. Yet, this has not completely tipped the balance in local perceptions about the private sector. Weak governance and corruption further undermine trust in both governments and business. As the host of the upcoming G8 Summit, British Prime Minister David Cameron will have to navigate this thicket of issues. He is off to a good start, forming a ‘coalition of the willing’ to publish guidelines for land transactions and making progress on nutrition through the Global Nutrition for Growth compact and commitments . Transparency through the release of the 2013 New Alliance progress report will build confidence behind the initiative. But global leaders will need to go further. New Alliance dialogues must be embedded in local contexts, opening them more broadly to public debate through formal platforms or institutions. This means local public and private sector leaders will have to step up. Others can help, but it is these local actors who must ultimately build the mechanisms that will strengthen governance and reveal which investment models succeed or fail, so that we may learn along the way to enabling agricultural transformational in Africa. Jonathan M. White is a transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, which first published this article in its Transatlantic Take series as Can the G8 Navigate Competing Visions for Food Security in Africa? Read more: http://www.publicser…a#ixzz2WrP1lKzS Continue reading
Unilever And Nestlé Join Aid Charities To Call For Biofuel Curbs
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2023d3e6-ceae-11e2-ae25-00144feab7de.html#ixzz2W6Bin3bz By Andrew Bowman ©Eyevine Unilever and Nestlé have joined development non-governmental organisations in calling on David Cameron to use the Group of Eight presidency to press for an end to the use of biofuels made from food crops. In a letter to Downing Street, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the Nestlé chairman, and Paul Polman, the Unilever chief executive, say agri-biofuels are “exacerbating global hunger”, with many varieties “worse for climate change than the fossil fuels they were meant to replace”. The letter, co-signed by ActionAid, Oxfam, and WWF, urges the UK to back a European Commission proposal for a 5 per cent cap on the use of agri-biofuels in the EU’s overall consumption of transport fuel. International development charities have long criticised EU biofuel policy, with ActionAid researchers estimating that foodstuffs converted to fuel by G8 members each year would be sufficient to feed 441m people. Concerns about the impact on commodity prices are shared by the two food multinationals, who say that biofuel mandates in EU and G8 countries are affecting their ability to make affordable products. In a statement, Unilever said: “The development of a new generation of biofuels which do not compete with food crops is essential.” The companies have stepped up their lobbying efforts in advance of the mid-June G8 summit in Northern Ireland and a meeting of the EU’s energy council on Friday to discuss the European Commission’s proposals. On Saturday, Mr Cameron will host Nutrition for Growth, an international summit, and a meeting of the New Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition, an initiative launched by President Barack Obama at last year’s G8 summit to spur investment in African agribusiness. The EU renewable energy directive set a target of sourcing 10 per cent of all transport fuel from renewable sources by 2020, with much of this expected to come from biofuels. As well as the 5 per cent cap, the European Commission’s proposals released in October include environmental reporting obligations to account for carbon sinks destroyed by farmland expansion, and the promotion of “second generation” non-food biofuels. This week, the UK parliament’s international development committee said in a report that Britain should revise the country’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to remove support for agri-biofuels, and push for similar reforms in the EU. The commission’s proposals have provoked angry responses from European biofuel producers, however, and on Tuesday the UK’s Renewable Energy Association said it “would mean the destruction of thousands of jobs, see millions of pounds of investment squandered and increase the cost of meeting renewable energy targets”. Continue reading
