A new approach to a transversal food and farming system: Circular agriculture and the urgent need to develop ecological fertilisers.

Are food systems under threat?

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Food and agricultural production systems around the world, and particularly in Africa, with 70% of the world's population living in Africa in a few decades' time, are currently facing unprecedented challenges, due to increased demand for food as a result of population growth, rising hunger and malnutrition, the negative effects of climate change, over-exploitation of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, and current and future food losses and waste on a global scale. For more information on the current state of food and nutrition security in the world.

Sustainable agriculture and food contribute to the four pillars of food security - availability, access, utilisation and stability - and encompass the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic). At global level, five principles have been set out to promote and support sustainable food and agriculture.

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Improving current practices across the board, from production to consumption, based on a circular approach, can significantly improve the productivity of many agricultural and food production systems in developing countries, particularly in Africa.

There is therefore an urgent need to improve productivity gains to ensure an adequate supply of food and other products in the agricultural value chain, while at the same time limiting the expansion of agricultural land and containing its encroachment on natural ecosystems. Faced with the scarcity of resources and the impact of climate change on water scarcity and climate variability combined with high energy demand, production systems will have to be more intelligent in order to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions linked to agriculture and therefore have an impact on the use of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs.

The availability of ecological and organic fertilisers is therefore a matter of urgency, both as a solution for increasing yields and as a natural solution for reducing the carbon footprint associated with agriculture and food.

In December 2022, MAFDE received the first instalment of $8.73 million from NORAD (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation), representing part of the funding granted by the latter, which has been channelled into strengthening the African Emergency Food Production Facility, initiated by the AfDB Group to address the food crisis facing Africa, exacerbated by climate change, conflicts, pests and diseases.

How much of this funding has been earmarked to promote research into local production or to support local African producers of organic, ecological fertilisers?

When we talk about transitions, the same applies to agricultural uses, because the proper use of fertilisers will help to preserve ecosystems, but even more so to reduce inequalities in the agricultural sector, given that rising prices have increased the deficit in fertiliser supply and reduced accessibility, jeopardising agricultural production throughout Africa. It will be possible to double agricultural productivity and the incomes of small-scale food producers when the continent's small-scale farmers have access to quality fertilisers on time and at affordable prices.

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????????MAFDE urgently needs to review its funding policy and give greater emphasis to developing and supporting local producers of organic, ecological fertilisers, which are four times cheaper than synthetic chemical fertilisers. But more than that, the three pillars of the emergency food production plan for Africa are totally out of step with the real needs of local populations.

A climate-compatible approach, in line with local farmers' practices and expectations, proposes reformulating these pillars as follows:

- Supplying certified seeds, supporting and popularising local organic fertiliser production for 20 million farmers, using innovation as well as internet and communication technology platforms. Support post-harvest management and market development.

- Provide financing and credit guarantees for the large-scale supply of ecological fertilisers to wholesalers and aggregators.

- Support policy reforms that facilitate farmers' access to modern inputs, and the implementation of a common African agricultural policy.

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By cultivating our land with care and implementing sustainable agriculture, current and future generations will be able to feed a growing population. Sustainable agriculture has considerable potential to revitalise the rural landscape, grow countries in an inclusive way and bring about positive change in the context of the SDGs.

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????????To ensure the sustainability of agriculture, it is absolutely essential to create a favourable policy environment and to encourage the relevant ministries to change the way they work so that they coordinate their policies at all levels, hence the urgent need for a cross-cutting common agricultural policy. To make progress, it is essential to encourage both legal frameworks that recognise and guarantee the access rights of smallholders and local communities, and policies that are favourable to the private sector to encourage it to engage in sustainable commercial activities. Uniting mechanisms and new participatory governance structures will strengthen policy approval while helping to mobilise capacity, information, technology and access to financial and production resources.

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By focusing on strengthening the livelihoods of the poorest, improving the links between rural and urban areas, and empowering rural people to become major agents of change, it is possible to lay the foundations for ensuring that no one is left behind

Eng. Bel-Dieu CHARLES-GUILLOM

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