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Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

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Home Climate Change

Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened food security in South Africa, but an agricultural scientist says ecological farming practices can be the solution for sustainable food systems

by Lucinda Dordley
9th August 2022
in Climate Change, News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

Regenerative farming in South Africa may be the solution to battling food insecurity in a manner that costs farmers less than traditional farming practices. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

As the world is recovering from the financial havoc caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many food systems are still recovering as well. In South Africa, food security and nutrition were heavily impacted. But, says an agricultural scientist, the implementation of ecological farming in South Africa may be the solution to battling food insecurity.

According to Statistics South Africa, almost 23,6% of South Africans in 2020 were affected by moderate to severe food insecurity, while almost 14,9% experienced severe food insecurity due to Covid-19.

“The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic denied many South Africans their right to adequate food as enshrined in the South African Constitution, and undermined the efforts that have been made to meet the National Development Plan’s goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of “Zero hunger” by 2030,” says Statistics South Africa.

The implementation of wide-scale ecological farming in South Africa may be the solution to battling food insecurity in a manner that costs farmers less than traditional farming practices.

According to Christian Thierfielder, the principal research scientist of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), in areas where farmers have limited access to fertilisers, “ecological intensification” can be the answer.

“We believe these practices act to increase the supply of nitrogen to crops, which explains their value in low-input agriculture,” he says.

During his tenure at the CIMMYT, he has worked on long-term experiments on conservation agriculture. Some of these include the performance of no-till fields, growing a range of crops under these conditions and how tilling (or a lack thereof) impacts crop residues found in soil.

“Diversifying cropping with legumes can increase profits and decrease nitrogen pollution by reducing the fertiliser requirements of an entire crop rotation, while providing additional high-value food, such as beans,” Thierfielder explains.

“Crop diversity can also confer resilience to weather variability, increase biodiversity, and suppress weeds, crop pests and pathogens. It’s essential, if farmers are to improve maize production [on continents] like Africa.”

What exactly is ecological farming?

According to GreenPeace, ecological farming means to make use of what nature has to offer in agricultural practices. Another name for the practise is regenerative farming or organic farming.

“Most ecological farming methods harken back to the days of the small family farm where many different crops were grown and a good deal of the land, such as wetlands and field margins, was left undisturbed. In fact, ecological farming is the way most farming has been done throughout human history. Ecological farming rejects genetically modified (GM) crops, chemical fertilisers, and pesticides. Ecological farmers limit insect damage to their crops by avoiding large monocrop plantations and preserving ecosystem diversity,” the organisation says.

“Ecological farming restores soil nutrients with natural composting systems. It also avoids the soil loss from wind and water erosion that typifies many agricultural regions given over to industrial farming.”

Agricultural soil has sustained damage due to the overuse of chemical inputs over the course of the past 100 years. Now, many countries across the world are working to develop and employ ecological farming practices, and using alternatives to chemical pesticides and fertilisers in an effort to heal damaged soils.

Support is needed

Thierfielder adds that the large-scale and wide-scale adoption of ecological farming, however, requires stringent support from policymakers. This support ranges from market access available to farmers to helping farmers calibrate their practices to be more ecologically-friendly.

“Dire and worsening global challenges – climate change, soil degradation and fertility declines, and scarcening fresh water – threaten the very survival of humanity,” he concludes.

ALSO READ: Conservation agriculture: Start your journey

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Tags: Climate changeGreenPeaceInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)Sustainable agriculture
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Lucinda Dordley

Lucinda Dordley

Words and people: these have been Lucinda's only two passions from a very young age. As soon as she found out that journalism was the perfect marriage of the two, she knew it was what she had to be. She has worked in many spheres within journalism, including crime and human interest news, lifestyle, and tech for publications such as The Cape Argus, Fairlady Magazine, Cape Town Etc, Getaway Magazine and Popular Mechanics. In her spare time, she can be found with a book in hand or chatting to someone to find out what their story is.

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