The Americas can help Africa become the world’s food basket, said scientist Rattan Lal at a Summit that brings together ministers from the two continents
San Jose, 28 July 2022 (IICA) - Africa has the ability and resources to become the world’s food basket, and the American continent can help it to achieve this, said award-winning scientist Rattan Lal at the first Africa-Americas Ministerial Summit on Agricultural and Food Systems in Costa Rica, which brings together ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials of Agriculture, Environment and Science and Technology from 40 countries.
Lal, considered the world’s leading authority on soil sciences, gave a detailed overview of the main obstacles facing agricultural production in Africa and said that, despite the problems, the African savannahs can be transformed into a great source of food, as the Brazilian ones have been, if scientific knowledge is transformed into action.
The scientist, co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, World Food Prize winner and IICA Goodwill Ambassador, participated in the panel “Climate Change and Resilience” at the Summit together with the Ministers of Agriculture of Nigeria, Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar; of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saboto Caesar; of Somalia, Said Husseinm lid; of Uganda, Rwamirama Bright Kanyontore; and the Deputy Minister of Costa Rica, Rocío Valerio Rodríguez.
“A green revolution in Africa must be based on science and on the soil. People are a reflection of the soil in which they live. When the soil is degraded, people suffer. At the same time, if people do not have a good quality of life, the soil deteriorates. This is a vicious circle that never ends”, said the scientist, Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (C-MASC), at The Ohio State University.
Since December 2020, Dr. Lal and IICA have obtained positive results in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean through the “Living Soils of the Americas” initiative, which has coordinated public and private efforts in combating soil degradation, a phenomenon that threatens food production and security.
The specialist considered that the work carried out by his team together with IICA could be of great use to the African continent: “It would be a privilege to be able to help together with IICA. Africa and South America were united millions of years ago and were later separated by geological movements, but today we can create a bridge and work together to implement a plan that increases their food production and, at the same time, contributes to climate change mitigation”.
Among the problems facing agriculture in Africa, Lal said that the main one is drought. He also mentioned land degradation, increasing urbanization and climate change.
Dr. Lal stated that small-scale farmers should be paid for the services they provide to the entire planet by carrying out good practices on their land, which in turn favor carbon sequestration in the soil and contribute to the global fight against climate change.
“Everyone says that producers should be rewarded, but nobody rewards them. They need resources to take care of the soil”, he explained. And he added that the private sector can play a very important role in providing the technology that producers need to carry out conservation and regenerative practices.
Regarding urbanization, Lal said that the population of the major cities in Africa is growing 10 to 12 times in 30 to 40 years.
“By 2100”, he stated, “the largest city in the world will be Lagos, Nigeria, with 85 million people. You have to think that a city of 30 million requires 200 tons of food per day, so urban planners have to take into account that 20% of agriculture must be done within the city limits, with more hydroponics and backyard crops”.
“If Africa has the political will to do it, together with IICA we can help. But there must be a timeline to reach these goals. Africa must be part of the solution”, concluded Lal.
Afterwards, Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar, Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria, pointed out that his country is promoting technologies for innovation in agricultural activity. “We seek to develop climate-smart agriculture, improve productivity, strengthen key crop value chains and increase resilience”, he said.
Rocío Valerio Rodríguez, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica, said that the Americas and Africa are “two continents with many things in common, which we must use in our favor. This Summit is being held in post-pandemic times and with a military conflict that has disrupted world markets and trade flows. Food insecurity is affecting an increasing number of people”.
Said Husseinm lid, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation of Somalia, considered that “famine is a man-made disaster, especially in Africa. Africa is a very rich continent and can feed its population, but we face different problems for political and economic reasons. Africa can have a good relationship with the Americas that will bring many benefits”.
Meanwhile, the Ugandan minister Bright Kanyontore recognized that “there are numerous opportunities for cooperation with a positive impact on the environment, for instance by reducing the use of pesticides and favoring good agricultural practices with production efficiency. Uganda has sought cooperation, which has given us the opportunity to be more resilient. In conclusion, continental organizations such as AGRA contribute to exploring investment opportunities in areas of science, technology and innovation”.
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