Could Organic Farming be the Solution to Africa's Quest for Bottom Up Prosperity?
Could Organic Farming be the Solution to Africa's Quest for Bottom Up Prosperity?
The enviable economic and growth development acquired through traditional farming, use of crude equipments and food sufficiency decades back is quite overwhelming. With 96% of food domestication which was accessible to all, affordable, adequate, nutritious and safe. Organic farming inherently influenced the sharing formula of Nigeria's commonwealth at that time compelling the federation to upheld a template of 50: 30: 20 ratio as a result of healthy competitive production among the regions.
Organic products were common agriculture items sought after from the continent, with the most populated black nation playing leading role in the global market.
Is intriguing that rural farmers with their unsophisticated tools were able to contribute over 70% of Nigerian export. Prior after Nigeria independence, agriculture was the engine for growth for almost two decades. Some scholars called such period agricultural economy. The sector was literally the leading sector as its affect the overall economy. The agricultural sector contributed over 60% of the GDP despite the reliance of Nigerian peasant farmers on traditional tools and indigenous farming methods.
To date, there are indications that consumers attitude in term of food choices are drifting towards the direction of organic food consumption. Consumers are willing to pay higher price on organic food items knowing these are associated with lower risk of ill health related issues . Organic food consumers are less likely to be overweight or obese, suffer allergic conditions compared to other consumers. It is a known fact, that consumers who regularly buy or consume organic food have healthier dietary patterns.These dietary patterns are associated with various health benefits. Also, consumption of organic food substantially decreases the consumer’s exposure, from acute and chronic risks which is most often contracted from pesticide residues
According to IFOAM, the encompassing benefits of organic farming to the society is worth embracing;
Organic agriculture fosters participation and bottom-up wealth creation, which strengthen solidarity of rural communities
Organic agriculture brings innovation in rural systems, requiring higher levels of information and lower technological input
Organic agriculture protects the quality and the amenity of rural landscapes, preserves the natural and cultural diversity of rural settings, while improving rural well-being and meeting the multiple urban demands on the countryside
Organic agriculture is more labor intensive than conventional agriculture, and therefore sustains rural employment (job creation)
Organic agriculture is a viable option for family farms and smallholders and therefore supports food security and food sovereignty.
Organic agriculture increases resilience to market and climatic fluctuations, therefore stabilizing rural income and livelihoods.
Organic agriculture maintains more diverse and attractive landscapes and preserves natural heritage, which provides a basis for the recreational enjoyment of the countryside and for tourism development
Organic agriculture enables people in rural and less favored areas to earn a decent income and therefore helps to sustain a balanced territorial development of rural economies and mitigates rural-urban migrations
Organic agriculture supports biological pest control services and fosters ecological equilibrium
Organic agriculture sustains pollination services
Organic agriculture preserves water quality and therefore minimizes the need for expensive water treatments to get potable water Additionally, organic agriculture enhances water infiltration and retention, thus reducing the need for irrigation and increasing groundwater recharge.
Organic agriculture protects against soil erosion, desertification and maintains soil fertility which is the most important natural capital asset to sustain food production for future generations, and in adapting to climate change
Organic agriculture contributes to carbon sequestration and consumes less fossil energy, thereby mitigating climate change
Organic agriculture protects and enhances biodiversity and sustainable agro-ecosystems. Biodiversity plays a fundamental role in directly providing goods and services as well as in regulating ecosystem properties
Organic agriculture avoids contamination of the general environment by toxic chemicals that have an adverse effect on public health
Organic agriculture helps preserve the health of agricultural workers through the avoidance of pesticide exposure.
Organic agriculture helps reduce the overall amount of pesticide residues in food and therefore reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer, Parkinson or allergies.
Organic agriculture reduces exposure to antibiotics and other animal drugs that are usually contained in conventional animal products. It reduces the risk of antibiotics resistance in human pathogens - an increasingly serious public health issue.
Organic agriculture ensures good health and welfare standards for animals used for food production Healthier animals are, in turn, less of a risk for human health.
Organic products should contain no pesticides, less nitrates, less food additives, and more healthy nutrients, and therefore generally represent less of a health risk for consumers, especially children
Organic products are generally of higher taste quality than their conventional equivalents
Organic agriculture favors diversification of diet. Diversified organic agriculture can therefore be considered “nutrition-sensitive”, helping to reduce malnutrition in poor rural populations
Globally organic farming is gradually being embrace as the world cannot afford to close its door to meeting the urgency in balancing health burden and food insecurity, rural urban challenges, inequality in income distribution and the need for organic food items with promising foreign exchange earnings in the the global market while the world look forward to a better ecological landscape. Among countries that have being committed to implementing organic action plan are;
Tunisia: In 2007, there was a presidential decree to exempt Tunisia organic farming equipments and supplies from value added tax, custom duties, as well as biocontrol for organic agriculture
In 2005, Thailand government launched, the National Agenda’s Organic Agriculture, a 5 year program designed to support over 4 million farmers to use organic inputs instead of the import of agro-chemicals, resulting in 50% synthetic chemical reduction while boosting organic export by 100% annually
The Sri Lanka “Toxin Free Nation Program” invariably advance government's commitment to increase state interventions and investments to expand the use of traditional seeds
It makes political and economic sense to embrace organic farming, as it contributes in many ways to the welfare of society, income distribution, employment opportunities, rural development, and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. It is also an emerging economic sector with strong global demand and market potential.
The enviable economic and growth development acquired through traditional farming, use of crude equipments and food sufficiency decades back is quite overwhelming. With 96% of food domestication which was accessible to all, affordable, adequate, nutritious and safe. Organic farming inherently influenced the sharing formula of Nigeria's commonwealth at that time compelling the federation to upheld a template of 50: 30: 20 ratio as a result of healthy competitive production among the regions.
Organic products were common agriculture items sought after from the continent, with the most populated black nation playing leading role in the global market.
Is intriguing that rural farmers with their unsophisticated tools were able to contribute over 70% of Nigerian export. Prior after Nigeria independence, agriculture was the engine for growth for almost two decades. Some scholars called such period agricultural economy. The sector was literally the leading sector as its affect the overall economy. The agricultural sector contributed over 60% of the GDP despite the reliance of Nigerian peasant farmers on traditional tools and indigenous farming methods.
To date, there are indications that consumers attitude in term of food choices are drifting towards the direction of organic food consumption. Consumers are willing to pay higher price on organic food items knowing these are associated with lower risk of ill health related issues . Organic food consumers are less likely to be overweight or obese, suffer allergic conditions compared to other consumers. It is a known fact, that consumers who regularly buy or consume organic food have healthier dietary patterns.These dietary patterns are associated with various health benefits. Also, consumption of organic food substantially decreases the consumer’s exposure, from acute and chronic risks which is most often contracted from pesticide residues
According to IFOAM, the encompassing benefits of organic farming to the society is worth embracing;
Organic agriculture fosters participation and bottom-up wealth creation, which strengthen solidarity of rural communities
Organic agriculture brings innovation in rural systems, requiring higher levels of information and lower technological input
Organic agriculture protects the quality and the amenity of rural landscapes, preserves the natural and cultural diversity of rural settings, while improving rural well-being and meeting the multiple urban demands on the countryside
Organic agriculture is more labor intensive than conventional agriculture, and therefore sustains rural employment (job creation)
Organic agriculture is a viable option for family farms and smallholders and therefore supports food security and food sovereignty.
Organic agriculture increases resilience to market and climatic fluctuations, therefore stabilizing rural income and livelihoods.
Organic agriculture maintains more diverse and attractive landscapes and preserves natural heritage, which provides a basis for the recreational enjoyment of the countryside and for tourism development
Organic agriculture enables people in rural and less favored areas to earn a decent income and therefore helps to sustain a balanced territorial development of rural economies and mitigates rural-urban migrations
Organic agriculture supports biological pest control services and fosters ecological equilibrium
Organic agriculture sustains pollination services
Organic agriculture preserves water quality and therefore minimizes the need for expensive water treatments to get potable water Additionally, organic agriculture enhances water infiltration and retention, thus reducing the need for irrigation and increasing groundwater recharge.
Organic agriculture protects against soil erosion, desertification and maintains soil fertility which is the most important natural capital asset to sustain food production for future generations, and in adapting to climate change
Organic agriculture contributes to carbon sequestration and consumes less fossil energy, thereby mitigating climate change
Organic agriculture protects and enhances biodiversity and sustainable agro-ecosystems. Biodiversity plays a fundamental role in directly providing goods and services as well as in regulating ecosystem properties
Organic agriculture avoids contamination of the general environment by toxic chemicals that have an adverse effect on public health
Organic agriculture helps preserve the health of agricultural workers through the avoidance of pesticide exposure.
Organic agriculture helps reduce the overall amount of pesticide residues in food and therefore reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer, Parkinson or allergies.
Organic agriculture reduces exposure to antibiotics and other animal drugs that are usually contained in conventional animal products. It reduces the risk of antibiotics resistance in human pathogens - an increasingly serious public health issue.
Organic agriculture ensures good health and welfare standards for animals used for food production Healthier animals are, in turn, less of a risk for human health.
Organic products should contain no pesticides, less nitrates, less food additives, and more healthy nutrients, and therefore generally represent less of a health risk for consumers, especially children
Organic products are generally of higher taste quality than their conventional equivalents
Organic agriculture favors diversification of diet. Diversified organic agriculture can therefore be considered “nutrition-sensitive”, helping to reduce malnutrition in poor rural populations
Globally organic farming is gradually being embrace as the world cannot afford to close its door to meeting the urgency in balancing health burden and food insecurity, rural urban challenges, inequality in income distribution and the need for organic food items with promising foreign exchange earnings in the the global market while the world look forward to a better ecological landscape. Among countries that have being committed to implementing organic action plan are;
Tunisia: In 2007, there was a presidential decree to exempt Tunisia organic farming equipments and supplies from value added tax, custom duties, as well as biocontrol for organic agriculture
In 2005, Thailand government launched, the National Agenda’s Organic Agriculture, a 5 year program designed to support over 4 million farmers to use organic inputs instead of the import of agro-chemicals, resulting in 50% synthetic chemical reduction while boosting organic export by 100% annually
The Sri Lanka “Toxin Free Nation Program” invariably advance government's commitment to increase state interventions and investments to expand the use of traditional seeds
It makes political and economic sense to embrace organic farming, as it contributes in many ways to the welfare of society, income distribution, employment opportunities, rural development, and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. It is also an emerging economic sector with strong global demand and market potential.
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