"To attain an acceptable level of food security and sufficiency, African countries need tough new land reforms, which must favor mechanized methods of food production and, unfortunately, disfavor subsistence farming which, after many centuries of service, has failed to live up to the expectations of most Africans."
By Joachim Arrey
As the world globalizes, economic competition becomes stiffer. Weak and traditional economies find it hard to catch up with dynamic, well-managed and well-planned economies, which are driven by research, innovation and technology. This process has been on-going for a couple of decades now and many African economies have done very little, if anything at all, to position themselves properly with a view to benefiting from this new world economic order.
The purpose of this write up is to underscore the importance of technology, research and innovation in modern-day agriculture. It also seeks to suggest possible means African countries can adopt in order to help solve their perennial food crisis.
Research, Innovation, Technology in Food Production
Good planning and management are, incontestably, inextricable components of the whole game of good governance. Good governance, it should be recalled, imposes great responsibilities on leaders – that of exhibiting great leadership, a clear vision and the adoption of innovative economic and management approaches that will result in higher productivity, sustainable economic prosperity and better living standards for the citizens regardless of their political and social status – to steer their countries out of grinding, degrading and humiliating poverty.
Rich countries of the North have, in keeping with their commitment, determination and will, availed themselves of all the great theories and concepts relating to good governance, strategic management and astute planning. They have adopted modern soil, crop and pest management techniques so as to boost production. Research and innovation have helped them to depart from outdated paper-based recording systems. The results of their commitment to research and technology show clearly on their citizens, and they explain, in part, the reason why their countries enjoy a high measure of political stability, and why their citizens have great faith in their leaders and the institutions that govern them.
Despite the economic progress of rich countries of the North, the determination to sustain whatever they have achieved over the years has driven them into more research, more democratic management of their scarce resources and the adoption of new and innovative technologies and approaches to attain higher heights in terms of prosperity.
The Way Out for Africa's Chronic Food Problem
Africa needs to emulate rich countries of the North if Africans have to depart from their unfortunate and disgraceful legacy of corruption, mismanagement and lack of political will to turn things around for their citizens. Agriculture, which has been the mainstay of most African economies, has to undergo rapid and radical reforms. If African countries, such as Cameroon, have to be economically competitive at the global level, great new attitudes – love for research, acceptance of new and innovative approaches to production and management, adoption of smart technologies – have to become part of their unproductive and archaic cultures. Africa has to be part of the technological revolution that is sweeping the agricultural sector.
Africa has to be part of the agricultural globalization, especially as it is becoming an imperative in our times. Globalization, rather than being considered as an objective, should, preferably, be seen as an imperative as markets and geographical barriers become increasingly blurred and even irrelevant. Africans therefore have to get involved in research; they need to adopt new agricultural technologies and they need to be innovative so as to increase food production in order to feed their ever-increasing populations, as well remain competitive in the international agricultural marketplace; an initiative that will help to boost their economies.
The importance of research and technology in any modern economy cannot be overemphasized, but it suffices to underscore what research can do to a people and its economy if its leaders can show proof of seriousness and determination. Larry Reichenberg, agricultural technology expert, says it all when he declares, “…technology will make you a better farmer – one more likely to stay in business in a highly competitive marketplace.”
One of Africa’s greatest headaches, over many centuries, has been the inadequacy of food and other basic necessities that make life pleasant. Food production must be stepped up in order for Africa’s teeming population to feel safe and secured. African children need to be sure of their food in order to have faith in the future of their countries. This, unfortunately, looks less obvious in the immediate short term given that Africa’s chronic food problem has been engendered by traditional and archaic land ownership methods, the absolute lack of modern technology, the indifference of policymakers and political authorities vis-à-vis food production, and the near-absence of research relating to food production.
To attain an acceptable level of food security and sufficiency, African countries need tough new land reforms, which must favor mechanized methods of food production and, unfortunately, disfavor subsistence farming which, after many centuries of service, has failed to live up to the expectations of most Africans. While carrying out land reforms, peasants whose lives and those of their families depend entirely on their pieces of land, will need to be assigned new income generating jobs that will enable them sustain their families in order not to go through great distortions in their lives.
In keeping with this philosophy, any African governments, which decide to tread the treacherous path of land reforms, must, first and foremost, engage in the promotion of industrialization, which is capable of creating brand new jobs, especially in the rural areas where most of the farming land is found. Huge investments in developing rural human resources will have to be initiated in order to enable the rural population find a place in the new context of industrialization. Compensations for the land will also provide some relief to those who might lose their land in the process.
One of such industrial projects could be the introduction of factory farms, which will likely recruit some rural hands in the process of producing chicken, pork, meat, fish and other sources of protein on a large scale. To ensure quality production in this sector, there will be a greater need not only for modern equipment, but also for new technology that will complement the efforts of human resources in the search for better and improved animal species. Research and technology will also be necessary when it comes to ensuring that the factory farms products are disease-free. To ensure that factory farms remain economically productive and dependable, it will be necessary to proscribe homebred poultry and animals, which in most cases, are not granted the proper medical treatment they deserve; thus, creating a potential health problem for the local folks.
Similarly, the use of chemical inputs to enhance food production will be an option that will require due consideration. Increase in food production in recent times has always necessitated the use of chemical inputs, especially in rich countries of the North, and that explains the reason for their food security and sufficiency. However, in many African countries, the acceptance of these agricultural inputs could cause some reservations among the local folks. The onus of convincing these folks about the reliability of these foods will, however, lie with the government and the research institutions. The citizenry of the country has to be convinced that such food is risk-free both in the short and long term, and continuing research and development will be the best way to go in order to prove things to the local, and even foreign consumers.
In the same vein, government policy through incentives by way of subsidies and tax breaks will go a long in achieving higher food productions for many countries. African governments will have to offer subsidies or tax breaks to companies that adopt new and innovative technologies as a way of encouraging research and development in the food sector. Also, large-scale farmers smallholders farmers who engage in locally produced farm products could be offered huge subsidies and tax breaks as means of encouraging local effort. This will certainly go a long way in boosting local production, and will help create jobs for the local population. Similarly, scarce local financial resources that could have been used to import these products could be diverted to other economic activities within the local economy. The multiplier effects of such investments will certainly be great and the economy will be given a great boost.
However, producing the food locally, especially in the rural areas will not solve lots of food problems within the country if the food is not taken to where it is most needed. Most of the food produced in the rural areas of most African countries targets the major cities, which serve as their markets. Over the years, due to poor transportation and communication network systems, the food sector has been seriously hurt. This situation has been compounded by the absence of good and modern storage facilities that can enable local businessmen and women preserve their products. Much of the farm products have unfortunately been lost in the course of transportation; a situation that has led to increasing shortages of food across whole nations on the continent.
To alleviate or remedy this sad situation, governments across Africa have to engage in road and railway infrastructure development if the food produced in the rural areas will have to reach the targeted markets. Governments have to established sound, reputable and reliable financial sectors, which will have policies that will grant investors in the agricultural sector, unfettered access to loans and credits. African governments have to open up their markets to food products from their neighbors so that their populations can have access to a wide variety of food, especially those that cannot be produced in their own countries due to climatic conditions.
Governments will also have to underscore the importance of technical training to ensure that adopted new technologies will find trained employees to take care of the machines and, even, trained local technicians who will be in charge of maintenance. Technical education has to be a priority among priorities, and investments in this sector should be administered in keeping with modern corporate standards and rigor.
Future of Food Policy
Government policies should be made in a manner that will let technology trickle down into every part of the agricultural sector. African governments should encourage the use of modern methods and technology, and they should understand that the effort to attain higher food production is supposed to be a partnership between the private sector, the media, the government and the global community. The governments should therefore develop a spirit of openness and should think of sharing data will all those involved in the effort. © The Entrepreneur Newspaper 2009. All Rights Reserved
References:
Reichenberg, Larry, Technology is Trickling Down into Every Part of Agriculture, Article Published in www.findarticles.com, September 2000
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