Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have collaborated to produce a book that outlines 50 technologies and 11 essential pillars aimed at assisting farmers in improving regenerative practices throughout Africa.
Titled “Basket of Regenerative Agriculture Technologies for Soil Health Improvement in Africa,” the book is authored by Dr. Stella Kabiri, the Lead for Regenerative Agriculture at the Sasakawa Africa Association.
It provides valuable insights to enhance their regenerative agriculture efforts.
“We have seen a lot of soil degradation in Africa. And because of this, we are not increasing the production of food the way we want. So, the issue has always been about increasing the fertility of the African soils using fertilizers, using good agronomic practices. But some of these technologies have not been moving forward because the soil health has had a problem, and it is behind the soil health that we are able to have these fertilizers operate and be taken up by plants the way they should be taken up.” Kabiri noted during the of book launch at the Sasakawa Africa Association-Uganda offices in Bugolobi.
She explained that the book examines relative agriculture through 11 principles, each associated with specific technologies that farmers can implement to enhance soil health in their fields.
Among these technologies is the practice of minimizing tillage, which is supported by our machinery designed for mechanized regenerative agriculture, stressing that over-tilling can damage soil structure, emphasizing the importance of keeping the soil covered.
Dr. Kabiri stressed that many farmers in Uganda have excelled in this practice.
“Our farmers in Uganda have really excelled at keeping the soil covered. We don’t recommend leaving the soil bare, even after harvest, always cover it,” she added.
The agricultural expert mentioned that the Sasakawa Africa Association is actively promoting increased crop diversity.
She noted that, this shift away from monocropping is crucial, as they have observed the challenges it presents.
She expounded that the interaction between the roots of various crops in a given soil at a specific time fosters the growth of microorganisms that can revitalize and enhance soil health.
“Another principle is to prevent soil erosion, because you can do everything well, but the soil is carried away in Africa. If you see in the book, we have shown how Africa has lost almost the three layers. The black soil is gone. We are now operating at the lower layers, because all the three top layers have been washed away with soil erosion,” She added.
She also discussed an additional key element, which is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, saying the due to climate change, the planet is experiencing severe heat, and the soil serves as one of the most significant carbon sinks available to farmers.
“Because climate change is here. The world is burning and the soil is one of the biggest carbon sinks that the farmers can use. In fact, we have a lot of projects in West Africa, especially in Nigeria, Benin and Mali on how we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions in rice production. That is part of our regenerative agriculture aspects,” she noted.
“Because the farmers don’t use a lot of chemical fertilizers because they can’t afford them. They are using manure to build organic matter. That is one of the key things that can really build the soil health,” she added.
Kabiri further noted that soils are currently not reacting effectively due to the degradation of their chemical, physical, and biological properties.
As a result, she said the application of fertilizers yields little response, leading to financial waste.
She stressed that by enhancing soil health, these soils can better retain nutrients, which can then be absorbed by plants, a practice evident in Uganda.
Saskawa conducted a survey among farmers in Uganda, specifically in the central, northern, and eastern regions, and findings indicate that farmers engaged in regenerative agriculture to enhance soil quality have successfully decreased their reliance on certain chemical fertilizers.
This shift has led to a reduction in costs and an increase in crop yields, with coffee and banana production rising by over 50%.
During the same event, Dr. Makoto Kitanaka, the President of the Sasakawa Africa Association, remarked, “As you already know in Africa, agriculture is in the tough conditions due to the climate change. On the other hand, more sustainable agriculture is attracting attention due to the environmentally friendly agriculture trends and advances in digital technologies, Sasakawa Africa Association has been supporting small scale Farmers in 14 African countries, together with governments and private agriculture extension workers.”
He stressed that Sasakawa Africa Association been active for near 30 years here in Uganda.
“At today’s event, we’d like to share the essence of our success story of regenerative agriculture and the promotion of digital nations in agriculture. Sasakawa Africa Association has been working to promote regenerative agriculture since 2021 and this is in response to the fertilizer and soil health summit held in Nairobi in May 2024,” he added.
Sasakawa Africa Association and the African Forum for Agricultural Extension and Various Services have officially agreed to establish an agricultural extension coalition aimed at enhancing soil health and water management at continental, regional, and national levels.
“This is a big challenge for us, but we recognize that the issue of soil health is unavoidable challenge for African agriculture, so we’d like to tackle it from medium and long term perspectives, including human resources development, especially youth employment,” he noted.
He also emphasized the importance of use of AI- artificial intelligences in Agriculture sector, noting that it will provide solutions to challenges affecting this sector.
“Africa can feed itself, if we pay attention to regenerative agriculture. We are honored to have a book on regenerative agriculture. Things have changed. Our soils are no more the same soils we used to know. These days you cannot find a single earthworm anymore that tells our soils are gone,” Robert Tabot Anyang, the Country Director Sasakawa Africa Association
