Organic farming 'could feed Africa', The Independent, 22 October 2008

Comment: FICTION

On considering current pressures on agriculture such as population growth, unpredictable weather patterns and a decrease in soil fertility, and increasing pressure from pests, one can affirm that being a farmer today is not an easy business. If you add the poorest soils in the world to the equation, it is even harder.

Scientists indicate that many African farmers suffer from chronically low-yielding crops due to the quality of the soil. According to BBC’s “New soil map for African farmers”, more than 50% of land in Africa is unsuitable for any kind of cultivated agriculture except nomadic grazing.
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Organic agriculture requires more land and more labour. In fact, researchers at Cranfield University found it needed anywhere between 65 and 200% more land than non-organic. It also entails more ploughing or tilling, which can be more damaging to soil structure than employing herbicides. Organic employs manure and compost, which leads to a wide variety of chemicals being unnecessarily introduced into the soil. And, the yield of organic foods is not as stable as conventional crops.
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The pressure of pests and diseases is escalating due to the changing weather conditions, even more so in the developing countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that crop losses are being “exacerbated by the changing climate and its increasing volatility, threatening food security and rural livelihoods across the globe. Developing countries with a high reliance on agriculture are the most vulnerable to today’s changing patterns of pests and disease.”
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Robert Paarlberg, a professor of political science at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, offers a different view. In “FOOD FANTASIES: Africa's organic farms”, he highlights how Africa's urgent need for agricultural modernisation is being rudely ignored. 
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