Large Scale Mechanized Farming Will Boost Sub-Saharan African Food Production and Employment

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From The World Bank reports agriculture accounts for employing 65% of Africa’s labor force and accounts for 32% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Sub-Saharan Africa is basically a continent of small holders and its environments are terribly sensitive. At comparatively low population densities rudimentary ways begin to degrade the soil and threaten future production. Climatic and environmental realities result, except within the humid zones, in frequent crop failures from drought or dry spells within the planting season. Most Sub-Saharan African soils are derived from extremely weather worn granite and gneiss parent material. Soils are therefore coarse with low contents of fine clay particles and organic matter and are deficient in most nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. The water holding capability of Sub-Saharan African soils is poor so precipitation leaches out soluble nutrients. Soil organic matter is quickly decomposed underneath high temperatures except within the cooler highlands. Once vegetation is taken away water and wind erosion remove the top soil, the surface crusts simply and is then sealed against infiltration. From the year 2000 the Sub-continent has seen a spike in food prices largely because its food supply growth proportionally less than its population growth. Just within 2000-2010 when global food prices increased by 170% staple food prices grew in some sub-Saharan African countries like Somalia and Uganda by 1300% and In 2016 Nigeria has seen prices in consumer products grow by 50%.

Following reports from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), farmers from sub-Saharan Africa have over the past 20 years experienced incommensurate or poor agricultural performance because of shrinking farm sizes and inequitable land-distribution patterns, depleted soils and limited use of fertilizer and soil amendments (either organic and inorganic), unreliable rainfall and lack of irrigation capacity, and limited access to improved varieties and seed distribution systems. All these became possible because of old farming methods that make use of rudimentary tools and bad agricultural practices such as clearing farms by burning the grass. To enable high production growth, farmers in sub-Saharan Africa must embrace new methods of farming, incorporate technology to their farming and make use of fertilizers. In regular business a in farming the more input of investment higher output is a guarantee.

Sub-Saharan governments should promote large scale mechanized farming and farmers should embrace it because compared to other parts of the world land is cheaper in Africa. Towns in Sub Saharan African countries grow in a nuclear manner, this means the population density is higher at the center of town, leaving the outskirts with land as big as the cities, and towns are connected by vast uninhabited land. These lands at the outskirts will go at relatively cheaper prices and farmers can use them for large scale farming.

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Ernie J. Burgher is a bi-lingual freelance journalist and author, and speaks English and French. Ernie writes for SitiTalkBlog.

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