The problem
Across eastern Africa, many farmers are unable to produce enough food to make a decent living.
Their yields are held back by challenges including degraded soil; climate extremes; lack of high-quality inputs such as improved seeds, fertilisers and animal feed; lack of mechanisation and limited knowledge of good agricultural practices.
Source
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1101632
Unproductive farming doesn’t just mean low incomes, it damages wildlife and the environment too.
Farmers are clearing forests to try to push up yields by expanding the amount of land they farm on.
The opportunity
With knowledge of good agricultural practices, irrigation and access to high-quality inputs like improved seeds and fertilisers, farmers can double or triple their yields of crops without needing more land.
When livestock herders and small-scale farmers have access to animal health services, animal breeding services, water and quality animal feeds, they can produce more meat, fish, milk and eggs.
The outcome
When productivity increases, farmers can sell more food, earn more money and invest in their families’ futures.
Families’ nutrition can also improve when more healthy foods are available.
Boosting productivity also means less land is needed for farming. This reduces deforestation and degradation of rangelands.
Less habitat is lost so wildlife and biodiversity can be preserved.
How we help farmers boost productivity
Farm Africa works with small-scale farmers to boost productivity on their farms in ways appropriate to the local context. These include:
- Promoting good agricultural practices that increase the fertility of soil. Agriculture practices such as mulching, organic composting and diverse cover crops build soil fertility and soil organic carbon stocks.
- Increasing farmers’ access to high-quality inputs such as improved seeds, fertilisers and animal feed. We support Village-Based Advisors, Farmer Training Centres and Farmer Service Centres, which sell inputs as well as give practical agronomic advice using demonstration plots on local farms.
- Making climate information readily available so farmers can make decisions based on accurate weather forecasts.
- Introducing mechanisation and expanding access to small-scale irrigation. Increasing farmers’ access to finance to buy inputs and invest in mechanisation.
- Building farmers’ links to profitable markets so they have an incentive to invest in boosting productivity.
- Training Community Animal Health Workers who offer advice and services such as vaccinations.
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