Food-producing agriculture is essentially oriented towards self-consumption and the subsistence economy. It is largely self-consumed by farmers and the local population. It helps reduce household food and financial vulnerability, but also contributes to the erosion of biodiversity.
Food crop farming (or subsistence farming) aims to ensure households’ food self-sufficiency. It thus differs fromcash crop farming, which is intended for the agri-food industry and export markets. All BIODEV2030 countries have identified agriculture as a priority economic sector contributing to biodiversity loss and national development. Three of the 16 BIODEV2030 countries have specifically highlighted subsistence crops: Cameroon andUganda.
ECONOMIC STAKEHOLDERS & CHALLENGES Food crops
African agriculture faces a dilemma. On the one hand, it has to produce more to meet growing food needs. Uganda's population, for example, is set to double by 2050, to almost 90 million. On the other hand, we need to produce better, while preserving biodiversity.
Dominated by subsistence farming, this sector employs more than half of the continent's workforce (over 80% of the working population in Madagascar). It also feeds a rural population that is growing by over 3% a year. Mostly made up of small farms of less than 2 hectares, it uses few inputs, irrigation and agricultural technologies. It is therefore highly vulnerable to climatic hazards.
One of the challenges is to satisfy local demand without resorting to imports. Increasing production is therefore central. However, yields are low and not increasing. The gains of recent years have largely been achieved through a continuous expansion of cultivated land. Agriculture's contribution to food security and economic development will largely come from increasing the efficiency of agricultural production and improving the entire agricultural value chain (access to agricultural technologies, development of warehousing infrastructures, distribution, processing, etc.).
55%
Percentage of working population employed in the agricultural sector
Source : Agriculture stratégies. Agricultural investment in Africa: low levels... many opportunities. [on line] Available at: https: //www.agriculture-strategies.eu/2018/02/investissement-agricole-en-afrique-un-niveau-faible-de-nombreuses-opportunites/ (page consulted on 16/08/2022)
the negative impact of food crops on biodiversity
The pressures on biodiversity are manifold, and are set to increase with the growth in agricultural production (higher yields or larger agricultural areas). All environments are impacted.
The increase in agricultural land is leading to a change in land use. The natural habitats of many species disappear or are fragmented. Forests are the first to be affected by land clearance, with all the consequences this has for forest ecosystems, which are rich in biodiversity. On the other hand, certain practices such as clearing plots of land by fire, in addition to destroying soil fauna, can lead to uncontrolled fires in buffer zones or protected areas.
Soil quality is deteriorating as a result of overexploitation of the land, monoculture farming and the (low) use of unregistered chemical inputs. This leads to a loss of soil fertility, changes in soil properties (particularly with regard to water infiltration) and soil pollution. These effects are exacerbated by the reduction in traditional fallow periods between two crop cycles.
3 MILLION HECTARES
Surface area of natural habitats converted each year in Africa, mainly as a result of agriculture
Source: UNEP. The state of biodiversity in Africa, mid-term review of progress towards the AICHI targets. 2016. 112p.
Subsistence farming has negative impacts on biodiversity due to :
1. Land-use change to the detriment of many ecosystems, especially forests. Increased production does not have to be synonymous with habitat destruction and fragmentation. The ecological impact of food crops must be taken into account.
2. Unsustainable farming practices: overexploitation of the soil through practices such as shorter fallow periods and monoculture farming is leading to a decline in soil fertility. The reduction in fallow periods has a particular impact on the many species (particularly pollinators) that take refuge there. And yet, these periods of rest are agronomic assets, breaking the cycle of parasites and improving the quality of plots.