9
account sustainable use of resources to ensure neither soil degradation nor expansion of agricultural land encroaches on areas such as water sources, wetlands, natural forests, and wildlife. Thus, ecological advocacies must be increased to ensure
sustainable intensification. Further, a more comprehensive analysis is needed to
come up with an innovative and sustainable intensification package that is sound in
terms of policy, technical, and environmental considerations. The papers in this
book provide some potential technologies and practices toward sustainable crop and
livestock production.
Climate change has become an additional challenge to rainfed agriculture among
smallholder farmers. Weather variability has been experienced, with some seasons
having adequate rainfall, others having it in insufficient amounts, while in other
seasons the onset of rain has been changing. Under such climate variability, efforts
to increase productivity by intensifying sustainable use of input have not yielded
results. In some cases, use of fertilizers and pesticides has rendered no yield due to
moisture deficit. Therefore, sustaining increase in population calls for innovative
intensifications that are resilient to climate change impact and weather variability.
Burian et al. (2019) suggested more changes in the farming system to bring on
board irrigation agriculture, mechanization, and increase in off-farm jobs. These
innovative technologies must be adaptive to the farming system in SSA, if the positive effect of increased population as market for agricultural produce is to be
realized.
3 Soil and Water Resources
Soil resources in general and those of SSA in particular are diverse and suitable for
agricultural land use and growing a wide range of food crops, horticultural crops,
and plantations and for livestock-based systems. Further, soil resources of Africa
have been mapped (EC 2017). The extent and severity of degradation by diverse
processes (i.e., erosion, salinization, soil organic carbon, and nutrient depletion) is
assessed, and their causal factors are identified (ITPS 2018). Yet, the agronomic
productivity of food staples has stagnated since the 1960s, soil degradation is rampant, food insecurity affects one in four Africans, and malnourishment and undernourishment are serious issues. Further, the problems of food and nutritional
insecurity may be exacerbated by the uncertain and changing climate characterized
by extreme events including the pedological drought and heat waves. Further, the
risks of the already serious problem of soil erosion by water and wind may be drastically aggravated because of the change in climate and the agronomic yields of food
staples adversely affected because of the increase in frequency and intensity of
drought, the prevalence of heat wave, and the increase in frequency of other extreme
events. Soil degradation is caused and aggravated by land misuse and soil mismanagement and perpetuated by the prevalence of extractive farming practices.
Soil and water resources in SSA, as anywhere else, are intricately interlinked
through climate. Soil is the largest reservoir of fresh water. Therefore, the soil
Agricultural and Natural Resource Sustainability Under Changing Climate in Africa
account sustainable use of resources to ensure neither soil degradation nor expansion of agricultural land encroaches on areas such as water sources, wetlands, natural forests, and wildlife. Thus, ecological advocacies must be increased to ensure
sustainable intensification. Further, a more comprehensive analysis is needed to
come up with an innovative and sustainable intensification package that is sound in
terms of policy, technical, and environmental considerations. The papers in this
book provide some potential technologies and practices toward sustainable crop and
livestock production.
Climate change has become an additional challenge to rainfed agriculture among
smallholder farmers. Weather variability has been experienced, with some seasons
having adequate rainfall, others having it in insufficient amounts, while in other
seasons the onset of rain has been changing. Under such climate variability, efforts
to increase productivity by intensifying sustainable use of input have not yielded
results. In some cases, use of fertilizers and pesticides has rendered no yield due to
moisture deficit. Therefore, sustaining increase in population calls for innovative
intensifications that are resilient to climate change impact and weather variability.
Burian et al. (2019) suggested more changes in the farming system to bring on
board irrigation agriculture, mechanization, and increase in off-farm jobs. These
innovative technologies must be adaptive to the farming system in SSA, if the positive effect of increased population as market for agricultural produce is to be
realized.
3 Soil and Water Resources
Soil resources in general and those of SSA in particular are diverse and suitable for
agricultural land use and growing a wide range of food crops, horticultural crops,
and plantations and for livestock-based systems. Further, soil resources of Africa
have been mapped (EC 2017). The extent and severity of degradation by diverse
processes (i.e., erosion, salinization, soil organic carbon, and nutrient depletion) is
assessed, and their causal factors are identified (ITPS 2018). Yet, the agronomic
productivity of food staples has stagnated since the 1960s, soil degradation is rampant, food insecurity affects one in four Africans, and malnourishment and undernourishment are serious issues. Further, the problems of food and nutritional
insecurity may be exacerbated by the uncertain and changing climate characterized
by extreme events including the pedological drought and heat waves. Further, the
risks of the already serious problem of soil erosion by water and wind may be drastically aggravated because of the change in climate and the agronomic yields of food
staples adversely affected because of the increase in frequency and intensity of
drought, the prevalence of heat wave, and the increase in frequency of other extreme
events. Soil degradation is caused and aggravated by land misuse and soil mismanagement and perpetuated by the prevalence of extractive farming practices.
Soil and water resources in SSA, as anywhere else, are intricately interlinked
through climate. Soil is the largest reservoir of fresh water. Therefore, the soil
Agricultural and Natural Resource Sustainability Under Changing Climate in Africa