NO doubt, African nations are nonetheless struggling to feed their residents amidst rising inhabitants coupled with uncertainties in meals manufacturing.

This growth has led to continued dependence on imported processed meals into the continent, which has penalties on the continent’s financial system.

Unavailability of improved local weather good seeds, lack of know-how and lack of different farm inputs have been linked to poor yield which has set the continent as dependant on the West for meals which it will probably produce.

Majority of African farmers have deserted their farms because of frustration, whereas some smallholder farmers have resorted to subsistence farming to cater for his or her households.

This growth has additionally left most manufacturing firms in comatose whereas these operational are working beneath put in capacities.

The attainment of self-sufficiency in meals manufacturing by many of the developed economies is immediately associated to know-how adoption which has over time served because the driving power for enormous meals manufacturing for consumption, processing and exportation.

Recently, Professor Garba Sharubutu, Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) mentioned funding in agricultural analysis and know-how by African governments will allow the continent to feed itself as its inhabitants surges.

Professor Sharubutu maintained that Africa’s agricultural panorama is among the immense untapped potentials of the continent, including that the significance of know-how can’t be overstated.

Nigeria, for instance has 84 million hectares of land, beneficial local weather, resilient youth inhabitants and sufficient water our bodies that may allow farmers to do all-year spherical planting.

But the current actuality reveals that the land, water and different pure sources are largely underutilised, because the nation continues to import meals it will probably produce in giant amount.

According to the professor, the AATF has been within the forefront of driving change in agricultural analysis and know-how dissemination.

AATF by way of collaborations with governments and personal sectors has facilitated the event and deployment of progressive options to handle among the most urgent challenges confronted by farmers in Africa.

“Without know-how, the hunt to attain meals safety in Africa will proceed to be a dream. Hoe and cutlass can not produce meals to feed the rising inhabitants.

“Africa needs investment in the food system especially in the area of seed technology, mechanisation and policies to ensure sustainability,” he mentioned.

Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Goodwill Ambassador of the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), mentioned insufficient integration of applied sciences within the agricultural sector in Africa has contributed to low yields and elevated post-harvest losses which in some meals objects equivalent to fruits and vegetable are as excessive as 40 p.c.

The Nigeria’s former president mentioned using applied sciences has elevated productiveness in lots of nations of the world. He mentioned with know-how, smallholder farmers are assured of high quality harvest and elevated yield.

Yield improve is a results of the safety of the crop from insect harm and planting of high quality seeds that are all technologically pushed.

Talking about insect harm, African farmers are main victims as a result of their crops on the sphere are susceptible to pest and bug assault because of lack of safety gene.

Meanwhile scientists in Africa with the help of the AATF and different companions have developed some transgenic crops which have the aptitude to face up to drought, resist insect and pest and, on the identical time, improve the yield.

AATF, by way of its venture, Agri-Drive, has additionally deployed applied sciences to farmers with the intention of lowering drudgery, improve yield per hectare, create wealth for the farmers and improve the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabiru Ibrahim, famous not too long ago that Nigeria’s quest to attain meals safety can solely be expedited by way of the adoption of contemporary know-how, equivalent to biotechnology.

With the excessive efficiency recorded with the already authorised Genetically Modified (GM), the way forward for the nation’s agriculture seems nice with the adoption of biotechnology.

The GM know-how has confirmed to be extra resilient in addressing meals scarcity in Africa. From drought tolerant to insect resistant, GM crops has proven that meals safety in Africa is feasible.

Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, mentioned current applied sciences equivalent to genetic modification, new strategies of bettering soil fertility and different rising applied sciences can deal with considerations about meals safety.

Corroborating this, the DirectorNormal and CEO of Sheda Science and Technology Complex, Professor Paul Onyenekwu mentioned biotechnology has confirmed to be a catalyst for ground-breaking discoveries, revolutionising the way in which folks method healthcare, agriculture and setting.

Agricultural biotechnology has confirmed to be probably the most reliable resolution to mitigate local weather change by way of using local weather good crops, power environment friendly farming, and scale back artificial fertiliser utilization and carbon sequestration.

The solely method farmers could be inspired to return to their farms is when farming is made engaging by way of the deployment of applied sciences. Farmers who plant count on that in harvest, they are going to make revenue.

The situation for teens to take up agriculture as a profession is when farming will probably be introduced to them as enterprise and never as developmental programme. A youth expects that after harvesting his crop, he’ll be capable to pay his payments and cater for his household.

Dr Rose Gidado, the Director, Agriculture Biotechnology, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), mentioned biotechnology is supposed to enhance the lifetime of farmers by way of getting excessive yields from the crops they planted.

She mentioned the challenges of local weather change, insect infestation and drought required that African scientists suppose exterior the field to develop crops that may deal with these challenges.

“African governments must get up, strengthen insurance policies that may permit seamless deployment of agriculture biotechnology as a method of securing the way forward for the continent.

Also, there ought to be large funding in analysis to give you extra applied sciences that may proceed addressing the dynamic points affecting meals manufacturing, equivalent to pest and illness infestation, poor yield and others.

It can be pertinent to harmonise biosafety and biotechnology framework in Africa. In doing so, nations within the continent can share know-how breakthrough with out encountering hitches,” she mentioned.

There must also be large schooling for farmers and policymakers in Africa on the advantages of know-how deployment, this may pave method for hitch-free deployment of the know-how and vast acceptance.

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