Browsing: Africa’s food security

Africa's food security

Africa’s food security: Is more fertilizer the answer?

Industry and Trade

 

  • USAID commits $4 million to fertilizer use project in Africa
  • OCP Group commits another $3 million to the Rock Phosphate Amendment Project
  • African Leaders sign 10-year Action Plan to revive soils through fertilizer application

Africa’s Food Security

Africa’s food security relies on fertilizer access as the answer; the population is exploding, and climate change among other factors affecting food production, will more fertilizer solve this life-threatening puzzle?

The USAID seems to think so, more fertilizer, better-improved fertilizer, more affordable (questionable), all in all, the USAID is proposing fertilizer as a key solution to Africa’s food security.

“In a landmark move for African agricultural advancement, USAID and OCP Group, the world leader in plant nutrition solutions and phosphate-based fertilizers, have partnered to tackle critical barriers hindering Africa’s agricultural potential,” announces a recent press release from USAID.

The announcement comes on the heels of a visit by USAID Administrator Ms. Samantha …

The nexus between the Israel-Hamas war and food security in Africa

Countries
  • The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, is threatening to impose a new burden on food security systems in Africa.
  • African economies find themselves compelled to choose sides between Israel and Palestine carefully.
  • However, our analysis indicates that Africa faces a no-win situation when dealing with instability and the worsening conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war is having devastating effects on Africa's economic and political spheres, with food inflation being the first tangible negative impact.

As African economies are still recovering from the effects of the global COVID-19 lockdown and grappling with the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war is further destabilizing fragile food security systems in the continent.

The disruption in trade is attributed to new security challenges and what economists describe as investors opting for a "flight to safety." These investor actions are strengthening the US dollar and causing…

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Integrative Methods to Fight Desert Locusts  

East Africa

East Africa has since late 2019 been fighting swarms of desert locusts which have posed a serious threat to crops and grazing across the region. 

The locust plague In Kenya is the worst in 70 years. In the last two months, new swarms have been breeding and hatching leaving farmers devastated as they try to cope with the negative effects from previous pests not to mention the dry spells and floods that hit the region further destroying crops. 

“We expect the worst if the young hatch in March and April,” Kelvin Shingles, Kenya Country Director for German Agro Action (Deutsche Welthungerhilfe) said in a press release. 

In Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, it is reported that up to 38 percent of cropland and 48 percent of pastureland have been affected. 69 percent of households have also suffered losses due to the plague according to the Southern Africa Food and …