| Via Science Daily I ran across a news release from the African NGO International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) about bananas and fertilizer that illustrates the complexity of the agricultural system in the developing world. IITA calls themselves "Africa's leading research partner in finding solutions for hunger and poverty" and is involved in many activities, including improving agricultural biodiversity, building or supplying seed banks, and investigating biological controls for pests. They receive funding from a wide variety of NGOs and governments, including the Gates Foundation, various national governments, U.S. AID, Rockefeller Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. |
Science Daily reports on a new study from IITA that finds benefits from moderate use of fertilizer on East African banana farms. Bananas are a staple food in that part of the continent, with average consumptions of hundreds of pounds per year. Science Daily writes: "The application of fertilizers not only increases bunch weight but also shortens the crop cycle so the plants produce more bunches in a year", says van Asten [an IITA agronomist based in Uganda and co-author of the study].
However, the study also found that less than 5 percent of the farmers apply fertilizer on their banana crop. The farmers cited high costs, erratic supply, and inconvenient packaging as the main reasons for not using fertilizers. They also indicated the lack of access to credit facilities, limited knowledge on fertilizer use, and the perceived negative effect on soil quality and on the taste of the bananas.
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He adds that another consideration is distance to the markets. "Bananas are perishable and costly to transport because of their bulkiness. One needs to be close to the market to fetch a really good price," he says. "Uganda's production zones are too far from markets, some more than 150 kilometers away. This leads to low banana prices at the farm gate. Fertilizer use in such cases becomes risky and, therefore, may not be recommended."
This last paragraph seems especially important, reminding us that it will take far more than just "green revolution" technology or GMOs to improve the status of African farmers. They'll need training, better access to financing (to buy the fertilizer and/or seeds long before they sell their crop), improved transportation networks, a more responsible government, and access to markets (local and international), to name a few things. Unfortunately, the Science Daily page and IITA website doesn't have a link to the actual report. If I find it I'll leave the link in the comments. Also, on the subject of Africa, the public radio program Living on Earth had a piece about how chickens are helping women improve the lives of themselves and their families. An effort to set up women with chicken coops and teach them to care for the birds is resulting in the direct benefit of eggs and meat (either nutritionally or financially) and indirect benefits from the fertilizer the chickens produce. You can read the transcript or download the audio file from their website. |
