[LUM#15] Revisiting intensification models in Africa

[LUM Magazine] - Published on February 21, 2022 in Science-Society

Producing more to feed a rapidly growing population is the challenge facing in Africa. Can this necessary intensification be achieved through agroecology? Lum put the question to agronomists Nadine Andrieu and Eric Scopel*, co-leaders of the strategic thematic area " Agroecological Transitions " at CIRAD.

Promoting ecological processes for more sustainable agricultural production is one of the principles of agroecology. "It's a different way of looking at the production process, based on the proper use of natural resources such as water, soil, and biodiversity," emphasizes Eric Scopel." Implementing it reduces dependence on external inputs , particularly chemicals." It also reduces dependence on energy sources such as oil.

Agriculture without pesticides and tractors? "Not completely, " says the agronomist. " The idea is not to do away with them altogether, but to try to be as independent of them as possible and to use them in the most appropriate way. It's a different vision of agriculture." A vision with many dimensions: scientific, practical, but also social and philosophical. "Agroecology reexamines the place of agriculture in feeding humanity, with a long-term vision: we cannot jeopardize the agroecosystem we work on if in 10 years' time we can no longer use it!"

Pesticide cocktails

While agroecological practices are ancient, their scientific application began to take root in the 1980s, first in America, before spreading to the rest of the world. And in Africa? "The concept of agroecology emerged relatively late there, even though some NGOs were already concerned with reducing pesticide use on the continent, particularly in market gardening, which consumes a lot of pesticides, " says Eric Scopel.

This is one of the paradoxes of the African continent, where the green revolution is still in its infancy. "Overall, the use of inputs is significantly lower there. For example, the level of nitrogen fertilizer use is 10 times lower than in France. But the plant protection market still exists, and some sectors resort to the unregulated use of these products, without standards or controls." Due to a lack of information and technical assistance, some farmers sometimes use cocktails of pesticides indiscriminately, with significant consequences for health and the environment. "These practices cause pollution problems, such as groundwater contamination."

Agriculture is undergoing major changes and faces a huge challenge: feeding a growing population that is expected to double by 2050. "Average production levels in Africa are eight times lower than in Europe, so it is essential to increase productivity in order to feed everyone," explain the specialists. What is needed now is to consider the model of intensification to be developed on the African continent.

Fragile fertility

Can agroecology and intensification go hand in hand? For both agronomists, the answer is yes: "We can imagine achieving a 50% increase in production, going from 1 ton per hectare to 1.5 tons by adopting good agronomic practices." These practices are particularly relevant in tropical environments, where soil fertility is compromised by climatic conditions. "All it takes is one heavy rain to wash away the humus layer of the soil and render it uncultivable. We really need to work on soil management to slow down the natural processes of degradation." In practice? "Maintaining plant cover, mulching, creating field boundaries to better manage surface runoff, and reducing tillage are practices that help protect soil fertility, which is more fragile in Africa, " explains Eric Scopel, who describes agroecology as a model that is "low in inputs but high in knowledge." And labor-intensive, as Nadine Andrieu points out: "This may require an increase in the workload for farmers and their families, so we also need to explore ways of reorganizing the work."

To intensify production, agroecology also proposes to take advantage of the complementarity of species, for example by growing legumes and cereals together, as their cultivation is complementary. "Legumes live in symbiosis with bacteria that have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and transform it into a mineral form that is available to plants, acting as a natural fertilizer," explains the agronomist. " Restoring biodiversity to farms by moving towards polyculture is beneficial for food and nutritional security."

Creating the conditions for transformation

But the recipe is not always easy to apply. "In Europe, governments are showing a nascent but firm awareness of the need for an agroecological model, but this is not always the case in Africa, where a modern vision of agriculture based on inputs, tractors, and monoculture is still sometimes defended. This discourse coexists with another that promotes agroecology," says Nadine Andrieu. This is a delicate position for researchers, given that Europe itself has developed yield maximization without seeking compromise...

Hence the importance of involving all stakeholders in the sector, at all levels: farmers, of course, but also traders, cooperatives, local researchers, etc. Not to mention national and international political actors: "We need to work on all these dimensions simultaneously to create the best conditions for this transformation on the ground. There is a real challenge in revisiting intensification models in Africa, and if everything falls into place, then we can seriously consider meeting food needs through agroecology."

* Eric Scopel: Aida Agroecology and Sustainable Intensification of Annual Crops Research Unit – CIRAD
Nadine Andrieu: Joint Research Unit for Innovation and Development in Agriculture and Food (INRAE-CIRAD-Institut Agro)

Keywords: Agriculture, Environment, LUM#15, Research, Health, Company