502
A. Vushe
collaborative research must be nurtured for owners of the technology and interested
African institutions.
Coastal seawater greenhouses could be a cost-effective mechanism for turning vast
desert coasts of Africa into productive green belts. Further studies are required for
adopting this technology for larger-scale production of low-cost staple crops and/or
complement rainfed production systems in order to reduce the cost of production and
risk of drought-induced failure. Finding cost-effective ways to scale up technology
under existing patent laws for mutual benefit of patent holders and poorly resourced
African farmers is a challenge that must be tackled. Widespread use of such seawater
greenhouse projects could complement environmental conservation efforts to halt
desertification.
Generally, desalination is an energy-intensive process, and hence irrigation with
desalinated water is often too costly for production of low-value crops. Proposed
sustainable solutions for resilience against droughts and flooding lie in provision of renewable energy like solar pumps which can drive simple but efficient
seawater green houses and irrigation systems, and installation of small-scale local
grids that can power cold storage and post-harvesting processing mechanisms.
These can enable smallholder farmers in remote areas to add value to their crops
and store and market their produce more profitably, thus creating jobs; increasing
income; socially stabilizing communities; and potentially decreasing poverty, hunger,
crime, and extremism while increasing resilience to socioeconomic turbulence (UN
2016; Thomson Reuters Foundation 2018; The Economist 2014). Major challenges
facing the developing countries of Africa are sustainably funding implementation of
these food security measures, and seamlessly developing and adopting technologies
productively, commercially, and competitively.
4 Strengthening Capacities of Urban and Rural
Communities to Circumvent Institutional Constraints
and Economic and Socio-Political Turbulence
FAO (2016) stated that eliminating poverty in rural and peri-urban areas is essential to eradicating hunger and poverty globally. Peri-urban poverty and rapid growth
of informal settlements in African urban areas are closely linked to rural-to-urban
migration as the rural population seeks jobs and improved standards of living in the
cities. Vibrant land markets are slowly developing in peri-urban communities, but
it is unclear if this is resulting in increased land productivity. The lack of political
will to prioritize agriculture, particularly to transform peri-urban and rural smallholder agriculture, may be among the most serious post-independence misjudgements by African nations. Smallholder agricultural development, job and wealth
creation, and food security in African rural areas should be taken seriously by
researchers and extension services. These developments cannot be divorced from
A. Vushe
collaborative research must be nurtured for owners of the technology and interested
African institutions.
Coastal seawater greenhouses could be a cost-effective mechanism for turning vast
desert coasts of Africa into productive green belts. Further studies are required for
adopting this technology for larger-scale production of low-cost staple crops and/or
complement rainfed production systems in order to reduce the cost of production and
risk of drought-induced failure. Finding cost-effective ways to scale up technology
under existing patent laws for mutual benefit of patent holders and poorly resourced
African farmers is a challenge that must be tackled. Widespread use of such seawater
greenhouse projects could complement environmental conservation efforts to halt
desertification.
Generally, desalination is an energy-intensive process, and hence irrigation with
desalinated water is often too costly for production of low-value crops. Proposed
sustainable solutions for resilience against droughts and flooding lie in provision of renewable energy like solar pumps which can drive simple but efficient
seawater green houses and irrigation systems, and installation of small-scale local
grids that can power cold storage and post-harvesting processing mechanisms.
These can enable smallholder farmers in remote areas to add value to their crops
and store and market their produce more profitably, thus creating jobs; increasing
income; socially stabilizing communities; and potentially decreasing poverty, hunger,
crime, and extremism while increasing resilience to socioeconomic turbulence (UN
2016; Thomson Reuters Foundation 2018; The Economist 2014). Major challenges
facing the developing countries of Africa are sustainably funding implementation of
these food security measures, and seamlessly developing and adopting technologies
productively, commercially, and competitively.
4 Strengthening Capacities of Urban and Rural
Communities to Circumvent Institutional Constraints
and Economic and Socio-Political Turbulence
FAO (2016) stated that eliminating poverty in rural and peri-urban areas is essential to eradicating hunger and poverty globally. Peri-urban poverty and rapid growth
of informal settlements in African urban areas are closely linked to rural-to-urban
migration as the rural population seeks jobs and improved standards of living in the
cities. Vibrant land markets are slowly developing in peri-urban communities, but
it is unclear if this is resulting in increased land productivity. The lack of political
will to prioritize agriculture, particularly to transform peri-urban and rural smallholder agriculture, may be among the most serious post-independence misjudgements by African nations. Smallholder agricultural development, job and wealth
creation, and food security in African rural areas should be taken seriously by
researchers and extension services. These developments cannot be divorced from