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Organic Agriculture related success stories in Africa |
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The benefits of Organic Agriculture in Africa
Organic farming practices deliberately integrate traditional farming practices and make use of locally available resources. As such they are highly relevant to smallholders - the majority of African farmers - producing for themselves and local markets. Organic farming contributes to achieve public good goals at the national and local levels in Africa.
Organic Agriculture
Contributes substantially to food security in Africa. Organic management systems have doubled yields in arid and degraded soils (e.g. in Tigray, Ethiopia). An internationally acknowledged computer model of global food supply grown organically concluded that a fifty percent conversion to organic farming in sub-Saharan Africa would likely increase food availability and decrease food import dependency.
Offers the most effective way to reverse the currently dramatic desertification processes taking place in Africa - where two thirds of the continent is desert or drylands - through preventing soil erosion and land degradation as well as by helping rehabilitate degraded land.
Establishes sustainable livelihoods for African farm families and their communities by giving access to new market opportunities resulting in premium prices for their products. Moreover, the possibility of receiving a premium for organic produce is not only a major incentive to individual farmers, but also provides greater opportunities for broader communities to become more self-reliant, and to generate new education and economic opportunities.
Improves human health and maximizes environmental services by maintaining biodiversity, improving soils and avoiding chemical inputs that contaminate people and ecosystems.
Reduces costs of external inputs by refraining from using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetically modified organisms and pharmaceuticals.
This page highlights interesting organic practice stories from the field that demonstrate how Organic Agriculture contributes substantially to poverty and hunger reduction in Africa.
The Tigray project in Ethiopia
This project in northern Ethiopia has succeeded in reversing the developments in an area formerly severely affected by problems such as soil erosion and hunger.
EPOPA - Development Through Organic Trade
This project demonstrates how the impacts associated with conversion to Organic Agriculture have the capacity to establish sustainable livelihoods for African farm families and their communities.
Mainstreaming Gender in Organic Agriculture: The Northern Uganda Organic Shea Project
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