Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Monday 8 June 2020

Food Inflation: The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Demand and Supply in Nigeria.

Food inflation is said to occur when the total demand for food within a given period exceeds supply, leading to an upsurge in the price (Qayyum and Sultana, 2018). It is a reduction in the purchasing power per unit of money as it applies to food, implying too much money chasing too few food items. In simpler terms, food inflation occurs when the value/quantity of food items a consumer can purchase declines as a result of increased prices. While research has shown that food inflation may favour export-driven economies that will benefit from increased prices, it remains a major challenge for countries that depend on imports. Worse hit are developing nations where a shock in food price volatility translates to more persons going hungry and without food. 

According to reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in April 2020, food inflation in Nigeria increased to 14.98% in March 2020 - the highest rate year-on-year since March, 2018. This report was released prior to changes that came with the COVID-19 lockdown measures initiated by the Nigerian government in parts of the country from 30th March 2020. 

Although the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported a sharp decline in the world prices of food items such as vegetable oil, cereals, sugar and dairy products except for rice, because of “demand-side contractions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the decline in crude oil prices”. The same cannot be said of domestically produced and consumed food items like staples in Nigeria. This is due to a spike in demand and interrupted supply hinged on logistical issues associated with the restrictions in movement. It is expected that demand for food may continue to increase or reach a sustained peak for as long as the full or partial lockdown persists, with production almost unaffected for as long as farmers remain uninfected and are encouraged to continue with farming activities. But sustained supply related issues from both ends of agricultural inputs to farmers and output commodities to consumers despite continued production may lead to an upsurge in Consumer Price Index (CPI) which will lead to higher rates of food inflation if left unattended.

Therefore, the likelihood of a COVID-19 induced food inflation to occur would be hinged on containment measures, inhibiting supply and consumer panic behaviour, increasing demand. This is a deviation from the conventional causes of food inflation such as climate change, high oil prices, and world trade policies. Consequently, if adequate measures are not put in place, food inflation may become a term synonymous with the world’s current order – a period described as the “new normal” and characterized by never-before-seen challenges and the need to develop new survival strategies. 

The need for countries to look inwards is imperative. This could be achieved by intensifying local production, opening up reserves, researching on improved ways to manage supply chains domestically and across borders for countries highly dependent on imports. Achieving this provides more opportunities for farmers who are able to take advantage of increased demand for staples as full and/or partial lockdowns are in effect. Some measures to manage the current situation and prevent more spikes in food prices would be the implementation of food price stability by the government, linking farmers to market programmes, deliberate efforts to support the supply of agricultural commodities as well as the intensification of research and knowledge sharing amongst relevant stakeholders.

PS: At the point of publishing this article, the National Bureau of Statistics’ latest report revealed that food inflation in Nigeria for April spiked to 15.03% from 14.98% in March as local markets in some parts of the FCT - the country’s capital - are running out of stock of fresh food items mostly imported from the far North as restrictions on inter-state movements persist. Although the increased inflation rate is only about 0.05% increase from March to April as against a 0.08% increase from February to March 2020, measures still need to be put in place to prevent a sustained increase.



References:

Food and Agriculture Organisation (2020): World Food Prices Drop in March. Available at http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1269050/icode/

National Bureau of Statistics (2020): Selected Food Prices Watch, March 2020. Available at https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary

National Bureau of Statistics (2020): CPI and Inflation Report, April 2020. Available at https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary

Trading Economics (2020): Nigeria Food Inflation:1996-2020 Data | 2021-2022 Forecast | Calendar | Historical. Available at https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/food-inflation 

Qayyum, A. and Sultana, B. (2018): Factors of Food Inflation: Evidence from Time Series of Pakistan. Journal of Banking and Finance Management, 1 (2), 22 – 30


The Author

Ogbole Esther.

''As an agricultural enthusiast, I have long had a passion for contributing my quota to the growth and development of the Nigeria agricultural sector and this birthed an interest in research to see what and how precisely agricultural strategies are implemented in developed economies of the world and how they can be adapted to suit the Nigerian scenario''.

 

 

 

 


Wednesday 20 May 2020

Rebuilding for better: Policies for post-COVID-19.

For a long time, one of the reasons deemed responsible for slow progress in the diversification efforts of economies in parts of sub-Saharan Africa was Rural-Urban Migration, which has seen large numbers of young people moving into the already crowded big cities in search of better opportunities. Informal job roles in rural communities within the agriculture value chains have been abandoned for ‘decent’ employments in cities, leaving fewer hands to produce our much-needed farm foods and resurrect our economies through the exportation of cash crops. This begs the question, ‘what happens after the coronavirus pandemic?' What will be the new normal for food production, cost of inputs and access to new markets, with jobs lost and businesses shutting their doors for good, what policies should be adopted to help us rebuild our food systems for a food-secure future.

The world found ways to move on from several plagues in the past, such as, the Black Death (1346-1353), which was said to have changed the course of Europe’s history, the Flu pandemic (1889-1890) killing over a million people, the Spanish flu (1918-1920) of over 500 million cases of which no less than one-fifth died from it, and many others. One similarity about these past incidents is that the world devised ways to re-build all that was lost and move on, but what about lessons learnt? Especially on how vulnerable and outdated our systems are.

Before the Covid-19 global pandemic, the United Nations had a global target of ending hunger and poverty (SDGs 1 and 2) among 15 other goals, by the year 2030, it was projected that the global food production will need to increase by anywhere from 25-70% between now and 2050 in order to feed our growing population. These projections from available data, informed food policies in many countries of the world and formed bases for intervention programmes in developing countries. Now, more than ever, the impact of Covid-19 on achieving sustainable development goals 1 and 2 is likely to cost us additional years than earlier planned as we have seen a rapid rise in the number of hungry children and families around the world. Local economies are halted, and countries are at the verge of falling into a recession. The affordability and accessibility to essential food items are limited in vulnerable communities, leaving many households hungry and impoverished

Post-COVID-19 will see drastic changes in many sectors around the world, for sub-Saharan Africa to build on lessons learned from this global pandemic, re-building for a better food system will require: 

  • Drawing lessons from previous events to design better policies: Policies that facilitate the transfer of food products to places where they are most needed, policies around the export of agricultural products and Fairtrade.
  • Developing standards for agriculture in emergencies: Ensuring access to food in the middle of a global pandemic was never considered by most governments of developing countries, developing a working plan for similar incidence gives us a better fighting chance against future pandemics.
  • Investing in environmental and sustainable food production research: Investing in research aimed at sustainable ways of growing our food without causing harm to our environment is vital as climate change, in a few years maybe more severe than a global pandemic.
  • Prioritizing the needs of those who grow our food: The people who grow our food are some of the poorest in our communities and the least considered for capacity building opportunities and capital incentives.
  • Appropriate budgeting for the agricultural sector: Adequate budget allocation will increase the reach of intervention programmes, capacity building and technological advancement in sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture.
  • Resume an inquiry into existing ministries of agriculture, environment and other regulatory agencies to understand the work that they do and how this has changed over the years in line with the needs of our growing population.

Our collective effort will determine how effectively we rebuild our communities, countries and economies post-COVID-19, embracing changes we have seen as effective and modifying those that are less effective. Young people in agriculture, especially, have a role to play in building a more-resilient food sector within our different countries.


 The Author

Lilian Umeakunne

Lilian Umeakunne is a food security and livelihoods specialist devoted to making a change in African Agriculture. Follow her on social media to share your thoughts and contribute your ideas to solving Africa's greatest problem - hunger and poverty.

Handles
LinkedIn: Lilian Umeakunne
Twitter: @Lily_Umeh
Facebook: Lilian Umeakunne.

Thursday 30 April 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic - impact on Food Security in sub-Saharan Africa.


Ensuring access to safe and nutritious food during the COVID-19 pandemic is pivotal to saving lives among the most vulnerable as food prices increase drastically in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. As the regulations are tightened to prevent further spread of the virus, food supply chains are strained due to bottle-necks in transporting food products from point A to B. Before now, rural communities have had to deal with challenges facing the agricultural sector such as the limited  market for their produce, which now exposes vulnerable communities to hunger and starvation during this time. The Covid-19 pandemic not only affects significant elements of both food supply and demand but also exposes the lapses in our food systems with insight on areas we should look to strengthen in the future.

As countries are on either partial or full lockdown, people who depend on wages have lost their income-earning opportunities which have greatly impacted purchase/consumption and access to safe nutritious food. There have also been few changes in consumer behaviour, such as fewer visits to site markets (slaughterhouses), hoarding and dietary changes due to fewer food choices brought about by unavailability and increased cost of food. Unless we keep global food supply chains alive, food crises are likely to affect the most vulnerable during the global pandemic. The lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic will inform our food policies for years to come.

Border closures, lockdown regulations and market and supply chain disruptions could restrict people’s access to safe, sufficient, nutritious food especially in communities hit hard by the coronavirus or previously at risk of food insecurity. Prices of food have seen an unprecedented rise in the past few weeks in different parts of Africa and may continue to rise as food vendors report that restrictions on travel and high transportation costs make it harder and more expensive to move food products to places where they are needed. Food imports are one of the ways countries in the region supplement local production to meet the growing demand for food and food products, with international food export on halt, countries who depend largely on importation are facing great challenges in accessing enough food especially staples such as rice.

Local food production has been suspended by companies in lieu of government regulations to protect staff and the public, locally sourced staples have seen a great price jump threatening food and nutrition security in vulnerable communities. Food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa before now have struggled to receive the attention it deserves from government and policymakers which has increased the vulnerability of our food systems and our ability to manage our food supply amidst the global pandemic.

Recommendations

To avoid disruptions to the food supply chain and food production, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is urging all countries to:

  • Keep international trade open and take measures that protect their food supply chain (from obtaining inputs such as seeds to assuring smallholder farmers have access to markets to sell their produce).
  • Focus on the needs of the most vulnerable and scale-up social protection programmes including cash transfers.
  • Keep their domestic food supply value chains alive and functioning.
  • Taking all necessary precautions, seeds and planting materials must continue to flow to smallholders; animal feed to livestock breeders; and aquaculture inputs to fish farmers. Agricultural supply chains should be kept alive in-line with health safety concerns.
  • Maintain agricultural activities.





The Author.

Lilian Umeakunne

Lilian Umeakunne is a Food security and livelihoods specialist devoted to making a change in African Agriculture. 
Follow her on social media to share your thoughts and contribute your ideas to solving Africa's greatest problem - hunger and poverty.

Handles
LinkedIn: Lilian Umeakunne
Twitter: @Lily_Umeh
Facebook: Lilian Umeakunne.


Monday 20 April 2020

Global lock-down threatens food and nutrition security


The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed brought about major economic, social and political changes across the globe and life as we know has greatly changed. Markets, offices, schools and religious houses have been closed; major streets are now deserted while busy cities have been locked down in different countries. Amidst the imposition of curfews and restrictions of movement by various countries, one of the major concerns is how the pandemic impacts the food system. This is considering the frequent calls on citizens to stock up for a long haul thus increasing demand for food as well as affected food businesses that have had to close in the wake of the pandemic. It is now obvious that we require more than just technology to survive.

A post on the Bloomberg Opinion Instagram handle aptly read, the Corona Virus reminds us that were in our essence… creatures that cannot bite into bytes, eat algorithms or disinfect with bandwidth, as someone has to grow, harvest and deliver our food…” This emphasizes that the entire agricultural value chain is dependent on humans who must move from one place to another, thus, begging the question, how do we survive when availability due to inactivity becomes a problem?

An interaction with role-players in the agricultural sector across different countries revealed that current issues and fears in agriculture at this time include scarcity of agricultural commodities; inefficient supply chains; food-price volatility arising from the aforementioned as well as rising demands amidst a shortage of supplies; wastage/loss of agricultural commodities; shortage of agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and other agro-chemicals, considering individuals have since closed down businesses and are remaining at home; rejected exports due to border closure; slow imports for countries that depend mainly on imported food items; halted extension services; poor coordination of agricultural activities; fears of delayed/lost 2020 farming season; paused research efforts and so much more.

In Nigeria, as soon as the government announced its intention to lock down the three main States affected by the pandemic viz-a-viz Lagos – the commercial hub of the country, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – the country’s administrative capital and Ogun State due to its proximity to Lagos State to stem the spread of the virus, food prices doubled as many traders took advantage of the opportunity to exploit desperate consumers. Rural farmers on the other hand have gone ahead with activities in preparation for the 2020 farming season with an uninformed notion that the Corona Virus is an infection that affects only the rich. In addition, certain projects like the PIATA funded Fertilizer Systems Strengthening Project that seeks to promote the use of crop/site-specific fertilizers across four commodity value chains in the country has since been brought to an abrupt halt.

In a joint press briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF), the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), a journalist posed a question at the Federal Government’s representative as to what its plan was to deal with the Food and Agriculture Organizations predictions on looming food crises; while various responses were given, there was none that addressed this particular question. The FG does have plans beyond opening up grain reserves to meet the current food demands of the country’s population.

Reports from other parts of Africa show that the virus has not been spread to rural areas where a bulk of the continents farming population reside and operate from. In Ethiopia, similar to the case of Nigerian farmers, plans for the forthcoming farming season is ongoing as the government makes frantic efforts to get agricultural inputs across to farmers at subsidized rates, while in Zimbabwe reports of fatality arising from the virus has forced farmers to shun farming activities. In Kenya, there were reports of destroyed fresh roses as the pandemic had crashed the commodity’s demand in Europe although the government has made efforts to provide grains to its population amidst the lock-down.  It is reported that in Sierra Leone, on the other hand, farmers continue to encounter difficulties in accessing agricultural inputs.

While it is comprehensible that at the top of our minds is the urgent need to flatten the COVID-19 curve, also of great importance is the need to strengthen our food distribution systems. It is therefore imperative for stakeholders as a matter of urgency, to strategize on ways to ensure steady food production and supply within and after this period. This we must achieve bearing in mind the strong words of the Ghanaian President – Nana Akufo-Addo – that “although we know how to recover our economies after the pandemic, what we do not know how to do is bring the dead back to life” thus emphasizing the need to stay at home and strategize on ways to co-exist even as we physically stay apart in the interim.

Thank you for reading. Please remember to avoid being emotionally isolated from family and friends. Let’s focus on strengthening bonds even with the physical distance to maintain sound mental health amid anxiety, fear, confusion and uncertainty.

The Author

''As an agricultural enthusiast, I have long had a passion for contributing my quota to the growth and development of the Nigeria agricultural sector and this birthed an interest in research to see what and how precisely agricultural strategies are implemented in developed economies of the world and how they can be adapted to suit the Nigerian scenario''.



Monday 13 April 2020

SOILS AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS


Soil resources are at the center of spurring economic growth across the globe, because in addition to other benefits, soils anchor the well being of natural and human resources that foster strengthened global economies. The soil is so important that it contributes meaningfully to at least six (6) of the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the achievement of the United Nation’s agenda for sustainable development by the year 2030.

Story Beneath Out Feet: The Soil Is Alive! - Door County Pulse
Source: doorcountypulse
I bet a lot of us have never thought so highly of the soils we trample upon daily and pay little attention to? Well, this article seeks to enlighten readers on the relationship or the place of soils in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.


SDG 1 – No Poverty: the first on the United Nations SDG’s is the achievement of a world with no poverty by ending all forms of poverty everywhere including in developing nations of the world. Agriculture owing to its numerous benefits plays a major role in eradicating poverty especially amongst the rural population who depend mainly on agricultural activities for survival and improved livelihoods. Beyond increasing farmer’s income, in eradicating poverty, agriculture lowers food price volatility, increases food supply, creates more job opportunities and contributes to nation building. However, it is also pertinent to note that in agreement with Parikh and James (2012), soils have an underlying role as the foundation for agriculture and agricultural production, which makes soil resources a major role player in eradicating poverty globally.


SDG 2 – Zero Hunger: According to Kopittke, Menzies, Wang, McKenna and Lombi (2019), soils account for 98.8% of the food produced globally.  The Sustainable Development Goal 2 seeks to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. This invariably implies that if soils are the largest medium for sustainable food production across the globe, then they have a direct impact on the achievement of food and nutrition security, considering that soil-less agriculture by itself may not be sufficient to meet up with the increase in global food demands as a result of industrialization and rapidly increasing human population. It is based on this that Soil Scientists make a common chant – “No soil, No food production”.


SDG 3 – Good Health and Well Being: how can we “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” if there is not enough nutritious food to cater to human nutrient needs, or if our degrading environmental resources put us at risk of water pollution, flooding, soil erosion, desertification and so on? Beyond contributing to economic growth through increased agricultural production, healthy soils have a major role to play in the preservation of environmental resources, as they contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, ensure the availability of clean air by providing a medium for tree growth, storage of carbon, regulate temperature and basically serves as foundation for ecosystem functionalities, thus ensuring that humans across the globe maintain good health and well being.


SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitization: soil is an integral part of the water cycle. According to Sindelar (2015) for Soil Science Society of America, the aforementioned is seen in the soils functionality of capturing water, serving as a natural water reservoir, as well as a natural filter in ensuring that clean water is available for all, at all times, thus contributing to the achievement of SDG 6 which seeks to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Target 6.3 identifies the need to improve water quality by reducing pollution and this can be achieved through healthy soils, as soils that are polluted invariably lead to polluted water bodies through surface runoffs thus endangering humans and the environment.


SDG 13  - Climate Action: the European Environment Agency in a publication released in 2019, stated that soils and climate change have a conjunct relationship because soils are the second largest Carbon sink, giving soils the opportunity to naturally trap carbon stocks. In addition, soils provide a platform for plant growth in the form of trees and generally, crop covers that ensure that carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored. This enables soils to contribute meaningfully to “taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”. In climate change adaptation, healthy soils with high organic matter content have the potentials to hold water in terms of excessive rainfall, thus hindering floods and soil erosion and emphasizing the role of soils in both climate change adaptation and mitigation.


SDG 15 – Life on Land: this goal seeks to “protect, store and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, more sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”. Globally, nutrient imbalance; acidification; organic carbon loss; soil leaching; soil erosion and so on are major threats and causal factors of land degradation (FAO, 2015). This puts land/soil resources at risk in meeting environmental and economic needs (through progressive and sustainable agriculture). This invariably implies that to ensure that there is life on land, soil resources need to be protected and put to efficient use and this can be achieved through the promotion of sustainable soil management practices such as precision nutrient management in the form of soil analysis; application of site specific fertilizer products; ensuring soils are protected through cover cropping and so on. On the other aspects of the goal, soils are required to sustainably manage forests because it is the medium upon which forests are formed. Combating desertification also requires soils for afforestation and reforestation and other methods of cover cropping to serve as wind breaks.

The role of soils in the achievement of these SDGs further emphasizes the important role soils have to play in human existence. This calls for collective actions to ensure that soil resources are effectively managed as earlier stated to ensure that by 2030, we have a world void of poverty, food and nutrition secured that will ensure healthy living with reversed effects of climate change.


References

European Environment Agency (2019): Soil, Land and Climate Change. An article published on the European Environment Agency website. https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2019-content-list/articles/soil-land-and-climate-changeood
Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO (2015): Status of the World’s Soil Resources: Main Report
Kopittke, P. M., Menzies, N. W., Wang, P., McKenna, B. A.&Lombi, E. (2019): Soil and the Intensification of Agriculture for Global Food Security. Environmental International, Vol. 132.
Parikh, S. J. & James, B. R. (2012) Soil: The Foundation of Agriculture. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):2
Sindelar, M. (2015): Soils Overview: Soils Clean and Capture Water. Soil Science Society of America, April, 2015.
Soil Science Society of America (2013): Why is Soil Important? https://soils.org/files/science-policy/sssa-marketing-2013.pdf
Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform: Sustainable Development Goals. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs

Author:

Ogbole Esther

'As an agricultural enthusiast, I have long had a passion for contributing my quota to the growth and development of the Nigeria agricultural sector and this birthed an interest in research to see what and how precisely agricultural strategies are implemented in developed economies of the world and how they can be adapted to suit the Nigerian scenario''.

Wednesday 12 February 2020

CURBING FOOD WASTAGE FOR ZERO HUNGER


How can we achieve food security if one-third of the food produced globally is wasted?
The first part of this article (here) gave a brief overview of the global status of food waste and proffered smart individual waste reduction practices such as to avoid overfeeding; making a shopping list before heading to the supermarket; checking the refrigerator before shopping to avoid buying what you already have and so on. These simple yet effective practices are important as it is often said that the best means to curb waste would be to not produce it at all.
Notwithstanding, other approaches can be adopted to manage food waste. These include: reuse or recycle (or up-cycle as it is sometimes called) the waste produced.

Reuse: This involves the use of food in its original form for other purposes such as redistribution to regions of inadequacy; as animal feed and as a good source of compost for home gardening. Basically, reusing food waste involves re-purposing without technological transformation to serve as raw material for other industries as is the case with recycling.

Image source: Google
Recycle: Despite being one of the most advocated approaches in food waste management, it has been stated previously that recycling is less sustainable in comparison with reuse of food waste, seeing as recycling can also produce waste and cause pollution in the treatment process. In spite of this line of thought, recycling of food waste is a fast-rising, profitable aspect of the agricultural value chain and is known to be an effective means of food waste management. This involves the transformation of avoidable (bread, rice, vegetables) and unavoidable (yam peels, eggshells, snail shells, orange peels) food waste into reusable forms like animal feed, organic fertilizers high in Calcium such as fertilizers produced from snail and eggshells, generation of sustainable and renewable energy as is in the case of biogas plant and so much more.

The environmental, social and economic impacts of food waste as stated in the last article cannot be overemphasized, thus, in aligning with the thoughts of Jasmine Crowe in a TedTalk on “what we’re getting wrong in the fight to end hunger” that we need to waste less to feed more and reduce the number of persons who are food insecure across the globe. It is imperative for governments and private individuals to intensify efforts especially in developing regions of the world like the sub-Saharan Africa where food is not only wasted as a result of poor infrastructural development but as a result of little-to-no awareness on waste management as well.

Farmers within this region are most affected as they painstakingly produce surplus with the hope of making huge profits but are often left disappointed as large quantities of these produces are left to waste owing to the inability to store, process or access existing markets outside their communities. Therefore, a good place to start would be to intensify sensitization of rural farmers who bear the most grunt of food waste. In the absence of immediate government infrastructural intervention programmes, they can be taught local recycling methods that would not only benefit the environment but also serve as another source of income thus, improving their livelihoods and contributing to the achievement of food and nutrition security.

Need I say that the gateway to achieving food security might just be to adopt effective means of redistributing food currently produced across the globe from regions of surplus to regions of the deficit, rather than focus on intensifying food production; but we just might never know if we fail to collectively combat food waste.




Author:

Ogbole Esther.
''As an agricultural enthusiast, I have long had a passion for contributing my quota to the growth and development of the Nigeria agricultural sector and this birthed an interest in research to see what and how precisely agricultural strategies are implemented in developed economies of the world and how they can be adapted to suit the Nigerian scenario''.

Tuesday 11 February 2020

WHY AFRICA NEEDS TO EMBRACE DIGITAL MARKETING FOR AGRIBUSINESS


The world is experiencing major dynamics with rapid urbanization and rising human population in the midst of stressed environmental and natural resources, thus, emphasizing the need to evaluate our approach towards achieving food and nutrition security. Some of these approaches include:
  • ·   Strengthening systems for research and innovations and dissemination of findings on improved and sustainable agricultural practices;
  • ·      Protection of environmental and natural resources;
  • ·      Adopting efficient methods for distributing and redistributing food;
  • · Creating opportunities across the agricultural value-chain in the form of agribusiness ventures that never existed or were taken for granted before now;
  • ·    Taking advantage of the digital space (digital marketing) and so much more.

Narrowing the lens to digital marketing, the internet has over time become an effective and efficient marketing tool that gives marketers the opportunity to generate leads and sales by reaching out to millions of customers from across different parts of the globe per time. Digital marketing is an efficient approach to distributing and re-distributing agricultural produce especially amongst smart modern-day farmers and small-holder farmers with the help of computer literate intermediaries.

Although not fully harnessed in Nigeria and parts of sub-Saharan Africa, an overview of agribusiness activities on the internet reveals a clear deviation from what was in the recent past (say 3 to 4 years ago). This is because quite a number of agribusiness companies now have an online presence, providing different forms of agricultural services to interested persons, and I must confess that this is quite encouraging. Whether these companies were established by Nigerian youths who were arm-twisted to start up something for themselves considering the looming unemployment rate in the country or young adults who are passionate and committed to the growth of agriculture, agribusiness activities on social media sure create a feel like there is a shift in Nigeria’s agricultural sector. More like a movement that seeks to ensure relevance for a sector that has been neglected for too long.

Services advertised and marketed by these companies range from production and supply of locally produced agricultural commodities such as palm oil, yams, vegetables, poultry and dairy products, fruits (in dried, powdered and fresh forms); linking farmers with investors; supply of agricultural equipment, recycling/upcycling of agricultural wastes; import and export of a wide range of agricultural commodities, consultancy services; extension services (depending on the demographics of farmers involved), packaging, branding and so much more.
We have come to see that the benefits from taking advantage of the digital space are endless as it gives fast-rising service providers the platform to reach out to millions of people around the globe through quality and fascinating pictures, videos and short captions. It also gives people the opportunity to support farmers in rural areas through companies who stand in the gap for them on the digital space; it gives modern-day (smart) farmers and consumers the opportunity to buy and sell agricultural produces without stepping into traditional markets (interesting times are here I must confess) etc. In a nutshell, the digital space provides agribusinesses with the opportunity to offer business to business, business to government and business to consumer services all in one click.

Digital marketing is the way to go seeing as it ensures relevance in the midst of shifting industry trends (agriculture really cannot be left behind though); by taking advantage of and creating useful marketable contents on social media channels, establishing business websites as well as taking advantage of paid advertising with the goal of making profit and achieving zero hunger on a wider scale through well-thought-out, meaningful posts that meet the needs of different persons in different parts of the world.






Author:
Ogbole Esther 
''My strategy is to bring to the fore various challenges faced by the Nigeria agricultural sector vis-a-vis efforts made the Federal Government so far and how these similar scenarios were managed in other countries''.


Monday 27 January 2020

AGRICULTURE IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.



Written by Lilian Umeakunne


Youths growing Africa's agriculture.
Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa has been a source of livelihoods for centuries, from cocoa, tea, spices and known staples to other cash crops and vegetables sold locally and internationally. For a population that depends mostly on farming, the impacts of climate change will be hard-hitting on food production and the environment throughout the region.

Most of the farming models used in parts of sub-Saharan Africa are designed with less attention to soil health, sustainable farm practices, heavy or zero reliance on fertilizers and pesticides which makes the region even more susceptible to climate impacts in the coming years. The continuous production of food in Africa is vital to feeding the ever-growing population which according to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects, was 1,038,627,178 in 2018. The current growth rate is 2.3% with most of its population, young people.


How the change in climate is affecting crop and animal agriculture
There has been a record of decrease in rainfall amount over the past few years with visible on-set of droughts in certain areas within the region. The change in precipitation patterns will likely intensify over the next few years with periods of heavy rains and periods of drought. This changing circumstance is affecting agriculture as it becomes even more difficult for farmers to predict the onset of the rains and seasons.

Change in temperature patterns
Maize farm showing weeds resistant to sprays.
Recently, there have been records of more extreme heat during the raining season and the dry season, crops and animals suffer heat stress which can be a major setback in overall growth and development.

The emergence of new pests, weeds and pathogens


Just as farmers are advised to adopt new practices, new viable seeds and prolific animal breeds, they will also need to worry about new pests and diseases, emerging weeds and problems associated with the adoption of new farming methods.

Changes in crop viability
As crops are suited for a specific location as a result of the prevailing climatic conditions and other demographic factors, as these conditions change, there may be a need for farmers to find new crop varieties to adapt to the new conditions.

Changes in animal viability
Like crops, animals are found in areas where they have been domesticated for thousands of years, suited for the climate, they have thrived. Farmers may need to find new livestock breeds in other to adapt to the change in the climate.

Flooding of farm and grazing lands
One of the impacts of climate change is flooding which drastically washes off nutrients from the soil, pollutes water bodies, and causes erosion. The recorded rise in Sea levels is fuelling flooding of farmlands within the coast and riverbanks across the region.

What we can do.
Ignoring the existence of climate change and denying the visible impacts of the changing climate will not solve the problem it poses to agriculture and our planet. Collaborative efforts to devise sustainable adaptation strategies for our communities is pivotal as a problem does not go away by a simple denial of its existence.

Re-thinking our agroecosystems
An example of agroforestry. Source: Montpellier.inra.fr.
Reports from previous researches show several benefits of agroforestry as against monocropping. The combination of trees, shrubs and food crops on the same land area is beneficial to both our environment and the crops as it maintains soil health and reduces reliance on fertilizers.

Appropriate use of Ecology Funds
It is very likely that climate impacts will strike, but when it does, timely support to affected areas/farms is necessary to limit further losses as this is the idea behind the establishment of the Ecology Funds in most of the countries within the region.

Development of new crop varieties and animal breeds
The Agriculture Ministries in countries within the region should invest in research and development to develop new crop varieties and breeds of animal that will be resistant to climate impacts.

Soil Health
Practices that preserve soil health should be adopted through practices such as planting deep-rooted perennial crops and cover crops. The impact of climate change on food production in sub-Saharan Africa will most probably not end in a day but cumulated efforts towards building a more sustainable food future will save our tomorrow.


References

Climate Change and Agriculture | Union of Concerned Scientists [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/climate-change-and-agriculture (accessed 1.25.20).


US EPA, O., n.d. Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply [WWW Document]. URL /climate-impacts/climate-impacts-agriculture-and-food-supply (accessed 1.25.20).



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Lilian Umeakunne is a Food security and livelihoods specialist devoted to making a change in African Agriculture. 
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