Using "good old-fashioned" farming techniques will help deliver a sustainable green revolution in Africa, says Tensie Whelan. In this week's Green Room, she warns that failure to protect biodiversity, water supplies and forests could spell disaster for the continent.
 |   I have seen many ways in which farmers in Africa have increased quality and yield... through the implementation of better farm management and farm husbandry  |
The new green revolution that is needed on the continent of Africa has been much discussed of late.
With pressing development needs in many parts of Africa, and with a growing population, that revolution is desperately overdue.
But when it comes, it must be sustainable; socially, economically and environmentally.
A green revolution created and developed at the expense of sustainable, clean water supplies, good forestry protection and good soil management will not only be a disaster for the people of Africa, it will be a disaster for its ecology as well.
Yet so far, much of the debate has been on the technology of agricultural inputs such as the role of fertilizers and genetically modified (GM) seeds.
Whether the stance taken in the debate around these often controversial issues is pro- or anti-, my overriding conclusion is that those advocating for or against are missing a fundamental issue.
Back to basics
The debate - dominated by the West - has become, like so many western debates on big environmental questions, fixed on the technological solutions that will magically create tomorrow's paradise.
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In doing so, it has largely ignored the role good farming and forestry practices can play in mitigating food scarcity, protecting scarce water supplies and soil productivity, addressing climate related issues and both preserving and enhancing biodiversity across the continent.
Our experience at the Rainforest Alliance shows that by using "good old fashioned" farming techniques, such as good land-use management and harvesting practices, or reintroducing native tree cover to provide shade for the crops, leads to an improvement in the productivity and quality of farmers' crops and reduces susceptibility to pests and natural disasters.
This approach delivers clear economic, environmental and social benefits.
The Ethiopian coffee regions are biodiversity hotspots. Here, more than anywhere else the work to combine sustainable coffee production, forest conservation and biodiversity is vital.
Such an approach directly benefits Ethiopian small coffee farmers. It is also in Ethiopia's best interest and in the collective interest of us all.
Sustainable farm management techniques also increase net farm income. In studies of Rainforest Alliance cocoa farms in Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana, researchers consistently find higher yields and higher net income for farmers who have embraced these practices—without expensive new technologies.
Under pressure
Elsewhere, local populations have relied on Morocco's cork forests for generations.
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The forests provides vital resources and services including; timber, fuel wood, honey, mushrooms, berries and watershed protection.
But illegal logging, over grazing, forest fires and the over-collection of firewood are destroying these biodiversity rich forests.
By working with local people, providing the skills and incentives to maintain their forests, we are laying the ground work for people to gain a sustainable livelihood from the cork and argan oil found in these forests.
And sustainable forestry management and extraction is essential if we are to preserve some of the most charismatic of African species, the great apes.
In the Congo basin - home to the chimpanzee, bonobo and gorilla - only 10-15% of the forests are protected as either national parks or nature reserves.
Most of the Congo's great apes live outside these areas, in forest covered by logging concessions.
Where these concessions are managed under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification schemes, these populations remain healthy.
There is currently 4.5 million hectares of FSC logging concessions housing healthy populations of gorillas and chimpanzees.
While this sounds a big number, it is only a fraction of the total logging concessions available.
By giving more political and financial support and priority to FSC certification governments, communities and companies can help to meet their commitments under the UN biodiversity conventions while ensuring a sustainable economic use of this natural resource.
Returning to agriculture, I have seen many ways in which farmers in Africa have increased quality and yield, as well as lowered production costs and improved working conditions for themselves and their workers through the implementation of better farm management and farm husbandry.
All of this results in better long-term management and stewardship of soil, water, biodiversity and human resources.
It creates a balanced relationship whereby wildlife is both protected and enhanced and farmers are able to compete in the global market which so many of them supply.
Tensie Whelan is president of the Rainforest Alliance
The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website
Do you agree with Tensie Whelan? Are "good old-fashioned" farming techniques being overlooked in favour of hi-tech solutions? Are global demands for resources plunging Africa into an ecological crisis? Is it possible to balance the growing demand for crops with a sustainable future for all in Africa?
Why do we always assume that Western technology is the answer to everything? Technologies developed for temperate climates may not be suitable for sub-Tropical and Tropical regions of Africa. Also the farmers cannot afford the seeds and associated fertilisers and pesticides. There was a program years ago about "front door farming" in southern Africa where starting with small plots, no bigger than a front door, on a soil that was basically sand and by working in small groups to save compostable material families were able to grow firstly fresh veg to support themselves and then eventually a small surplus to sell. Not a single GM seed or artificial fertiliser was used. The system was self sustaining based on good old-fashioned care, and in this case creation of, a fertile soil. Local food varieties have developed over millenia to cope with local conditions and with a bit of support the knowledge of local people can be used to improve the environment for themselves and the biodiversity. The arrogance of the West that we have the answer to everything is extremely worrying and often appears to be purely profit driven. We should be tapping into and supporting the local knowledge before it is lost.
Jane, Cardiff
The old fashioned farming is goood techniques,no model material.Becauce we use simple material like cutless,hoe etc.
mohammed, chad
in my point of view, I think Environment is so important factor in processing of maintaining life. that could be more essential for human-beings who got many achievements from nature, Nature is so marvelous and surprising but It gets annoyed when whatever harmful impacted on it. so Need have a program-me for this campaign!
van, ha noi/ viet nam
A little simplicity will go a long way. We have to stop looking at life in the context of better, faster, cheaper and spend more time doing things right for a healthier and more sustainable future for generations to come.
mary garrett
Dogooder space must be getting pretty crowded these days. How many people work in all these NGOs? Hearing about a different NGO every other day. All funded by the UN?
Schlonz, Hamburg, Germany
Tensie is entirely correct. Why do we have to keep repeating the same mistakes? We don't, but the reality is that traditional low tech options do not support the large multinatinal corporations and their sponsoring governments, they do not stimulate growth of first world economies. Exports support those, so we will continue down the road of self destruction. Naturally we will need more high tech fixes to fix the mess caused by our current high tech fixes ....more profit, more "growth". There is no end to this madness
Dr Sam Slattery, Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands
The'developing world' has to a greater extent been using sustainable (domestic) agricultural methods for centuries. When foreign capital by way of outside companies look to 'develop' and ramp up production in these nations the problems of irrigation, disease, energy (fuel) can occur plus labour may be 'forced' used. Unfortunately many of these countries are so poor the governments by way of the World Bank and United Nations have no choice but to service debt.e.g Haiti's banana production 'replaced' by western companies.As long as internal governments are not corrupted and support their populations, all the best to them.
Rupert Rols, Elgin
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