Organic farming provides a development model for Africa as it respects the environment and prevents food crises. By integrating traditional farming practices and using local resources, organic farming is particularly suitable for African farmers as they produce their own food and sell their products on the local markets. Organic farming therefore provides public goods at the local as well as the national level in Africa. Furthermore, organic products can easily be exported.
Datas : Organic-world.net, FIBL and IFOAM 2010 Study
What is organic farming?
Organic farming is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. Organic farming systems are based on ecosystem management practices rather than external input farming (pesticides, fertilizers, GMO), which degrades the environment and encourages African farmers to get into debts.
Organic farming contributes to sustainable food security in Africa
The evidence from Ethiopia's Tigray Project demonstrates that organic farming can double yields in arid zones and in most degraded regions. The experts estimate that conversion to organic production in Sub-Saharan Africa (up to 50% of lands) would stimulate growth in food production and reduce food import from other countries. Furthermore, this farming model is the most effective way to slow down the process of desertification on the continent (where the two thirds of the continent are deserted or contain arid lands)which implies preventing land degradation and restoring degraded soils.
Developing markets for organic farming
Organic farming creates good living conditions for African farming families and their communities. Because the demand for organic products in the world is increasing, African farmers can start developing organic markets.
Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency created the Export Promotion of Organic Products to promote exports of organic products from Africa. The latest evaluation made in 2004 showed a high impact and significant improvements in the livelihood of some 27 000 farmers from Uganda and Tanzania.
Indeed, the income from organic products isn’t only beneficial to individual producers but it also helps farming communities become more autonomous and develop new opportunities in terms of education and employment.
Moreover, organic farming preserves biodiversity, improves human health and maximizes environmental services. It also improves soils and excludes chemical inputs which contaminate humans and harm ecosystems.
