Inter Press Service (Johannesburg)
3 July 2008
Caution needs to be exercised in developing African food production to avoid long-term social and environmental harm, according to an ecologist credited with averting mass hunger on the continent.
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CORPORATE FARMING WITH A PHILANTROPIC APPROACH can revolutionise food production (and food quality) in Africa, and do so in a sustainable manner. HOW? African agriculture's main problems are lack of knowhow, lack of technology, lack of funding and lack of infrastructure. A strong, well managed company can provide all of these resources by itself, and the benefits will be shared by surrounding communities, bringing jobs and rural development. However much money the World Bank throws at small farmers, they will never have the capability to feed Africa's rapidly growing urban population. Large scale, sustainable, cost efficient food production is a job for professionals. I am trying to start an integrated project in Tanzania: a/because of it's superb record of peace and political stability b/because it has a huge untapped agricultural potential. If we can get New Vision Farms up and running, it will become a new African institution, leading by example. You can find more details on Alibaba.com /agricultural projects
Africa's food problems have more to do with water and aquatic weeds than with trade and fertilizer. Fertilizer will not offset desertification and clogged irrigation channels. Africa needs to control its waterways and clear them of: Typha; water hyacinth; water lettuce; and reeds. The effort to clear them must originate from your governments, but can only be sustained at a profit. All of these weeds are biomass that can be brewed into ethanol. Some of them, Typha in particular, can be made into food.
With their clearance and control, you will be able to irrigate more successfully, will have less flooding, and will have fewer pests like mosquitoes and the Quelea bird.
Picture one of the rivers now overgrown, cleared of Typha with its water flowing freely. A few places along it, picture a little Typha plantation, producing food and fuel, and employing the men and machinery that will periodically be needed to clear the ever resurgent Typha from those places you want clear of it (98% of the stream). The first, and biggest harvest would be financed as clearance. The remaining clearance would be financed at least partially from the harvest.