The
CAADP process is among many African initiatives that are working to improve
food security in Africa.
Conservative
Agriculture (CA) programmes have been identified to provide climate smart
options for African governments in addressing the food security situation.
Conservation
Agriculture has been spreading steadily in Africa in recent years as a response
to the ever increasing food insecurity, unsustainable farming and climate
change challenges.
The
concept combines profitable
agricultural production with environmental concerns and sustainability.
The
first Africa Congress on Conservation Agriculture held in Lusaka, Zambia, provided
“a platform to share experiences, raise awareness about CA, facilitate
interactions among the various schools of thought, and contribute to enhancing
the promotion and adoption of CA as a way to farm productively, improve
resilience in the ecosystems, and optimise both short and long term
productive-ability of the land-water systems”.
The
use of CA technologies, which address both land and water management, and productivity
issues, has the potential to minimize the impact of some of the major causes of
food insecurity, thus contributing to the success of food security initiatives
at national, regional and continental levels.
To
emphasize the central role of agriculture in Africa’s economic growth, the African
Union has declared 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security.
Putting
farmers at the centre of agricultural innovation and development is considered
one of the effective ways towards sustainable production intensification.
CA is
used in most of the world’s high-performing food production systems to
strengthen soil structure and fertility, improve water retention and bring
farmers savings in cost and labor for comparable yields.
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