Organic Agriculture in Africa: a Source of Innovation for Agricultural Development
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October e 2018 persp ctive 48 the CIRAD policy brief Through Perspective, CIRAD provides the opportunity to explore new avenues for discussion and action based on research, without presenting an institutional position. Organic agriculture in Africa: a source of innovation for agricultural development Hubert De BOn - Ludovic TempLe - Éric mALÉzieux - pauline BenDjebbar - Ève FOuiLLeux - pierre SiLvie 48 In Africa, official statistics contain little data on productivity, even if its yields are on average organic agriculture, even though its products are lower than those in conventional agriculture. increasingly available on local and export markets. Organic systems are labour-intensive, and as African consumer demand is growing, providing such can be a source of employment for young a dynamic economic opportunity. Today, there people in rural areas. Some scientific studies and is no doubt that organic agriculture is making an the initiatives undertaken by many local actors important contribution to the agro-ecological confirm the importance of organic agriculture in transition process underway in Africa. It reduces this continent. Agricultural research now needs the adverse environmental and health impacts to support its emergence, in a context in which of agriculture, particularly because it uses no very few studies have so far been conducted on synthetic chemical inputs. It improves the resilience this subject. To ensure these fledgling initiatives of agricultural systems. Under certain conditions, develop, research could also contribute to its specific techniques can increase agricultural appropriate public policy making at different levels. The African context In these countries, organic agriculture is generally recognised under its certified form for export. Directly At the global level, organic agriculture covered 57.8 million organised by importers and experts rather than by farmers hectares in 2016, including in-conversion areas, or almost themselves, it responds to demand for tropical organic 1.2% of cultivated farmland. For the African continent, products in the developed countries. Traditionally, African certified organic agriculture covers 1.8 million hectares, or governments have paid little attention to this sector, only 0.2% of cultivated land on the continent, according to and the same is true of most development programmes. statistics from IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Indeed, agricultural policies in Africa are generally still Agriculture Movements) and FiBL (Research Institute of marked by the pursuit of a production-oriented pathway, Organic Agriculture). supported by agribusinesses, private foundations and most international organisations. The few projects that In African countries, the development of organic have sought to develop organic agriculture in Africa have agriculture often raises the issue of ensuring food security done so with a view to exporting. Consequently, there is for a rapidly growing population. However, little data still too little recognition of its potential for agricultural is currently collected. Scientific and technical studies development and for feeding local populations. on organic agriculture are uncommon in Africa, as are development projects, and are often led by groups Most research institutions also fail to acknowledge managed by specialised institutions. organic agriculture as a potential lever for agricultural 1 development. This is partly due to controversies specific to recommendations varies, especially regarding the use the industrialised countries, which are directly transferred of synthetic chemical fertilisers (urea, NPK fertilisers), to Africa, despite the fact that the problems are different, systematic organic fertilisation (compost, manure), the whether agricultural, environmental, economic or use of local seeds, the association between agriculture social. These controversies concern the yields observed, and livestock farming, animal well-being, and organic which are on average lower than in conventional pest control (insects, diseases, etc.) with natural plant- agriculture, meaning more space would need to be or mineral-based substances. They also vary in the way allocated to organic agriculture and its products would they present local specificity, the importance given to the be sold at a higher price. They also relate to access to development of traditional knowledge, the sales channels products in all social categories, to the higher production used (in the field, on stalls, basket deliveries, specific costs involved (a larger workforce), and to third-party shops, organic markets, supermarkets) and the consumers certification. targeted (foreign expatriates, African middle-class, consumers with lower purchasing power). Finally, they However, the characteristics of organic agriculture make it differ in terms of the political vision supported by their a mode of production that is potentially suited to African promoters, which ranges between local organic agriculture agriculture, which is typically family-based with a low with autonomous practices (local inputs, local participatory level of mechanisation, small-scale, labour-intensive and certification) and regulated organic agriculture (imported diversified (a variety of cultivated plants), using local organic inputs, third-party certification). resources and satisfying different needs (feeding the family, generating income). Scientific studies highlight Lower average yields but similar variability the advantages of organic agriculture in the African context: fewer health risks for producers and consumers, At the global level, a yield analysis published in 2017 better protection of natural resources, a more resilient shows that yields in organic agriculture are on average environment, increased and enhanced agricultural lower than those in conventional agriculture, in the order diversity, higher income for farming families, and more of 10 to 32% for fruit and vegetables. But in some cases, secure outlets. Health risks are a serious concern in they may be up to 50% higher, suggesting that productive Africa: this is the case for fruit and vegetables consumed organic agriculture is achievable. This global analysis also in cities, which contain pesticide levels that are often far shows that organic agriculture does not increase yield higher than the maximum residue levels. Pesticides are variability: this is very important for producers, especially sometimes used in excess or for the wrong reasons, and in Africa, for whom risk aversion is a decisive factor. Thus, some are even unauthorised or expired. Finally, at the despite lower average productivity, organic agriculture economic and social level, organic agriculture is labour- has many advantages: an increase in the resilience and intensive (manual weeding, composting), which seems stability of agricultural systems due to the diversity of conducive to its development in countries with a large species and varieties used; lower dependence on external agricultural workforce. inputs; and, above all, its proven environmental, health and social benefits. The diversity of organic agriculture in Africa In conventional agriculture, chemical pesticides and In Africa, the current development of markets for organic genetically modified crops contribute to simplifying products is a response to growing social demand, generally work or to obtaining high yields; since these inputs from increasingly well-informed urban consumers looking are prohibited in organic agriculture, specific practices for healthy food. These consumers find themselves faced need to be developed. Phytosanitary constraints are a with a growing range of products with an ever increasing major technical challenge that calls for further research, list of alleged “health” benefits. especially for vegetable crops, which are very sensitive to insect pests and diseases. In four countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal), the ABASS project (see box p. 4) has analysed the different The institutional aspects types of agriculture that resemble organic agriculture. of organic agriculture in Africa In association with the term agriculture, seven qualifiers have thus been listed by a panel of actors in this field: In the European countries, citizen recognition of organic agro-ecological, certified organic, non-certified agriculture emerged in the 1960s. In the 1970s and organic, sustainable, ecological, natural, and healthy. 1980s, private standards were created, then specific The actors identified all shared the desire to draw on public policies were defined. In 1992, the European Union local knowledge and to end the use of synthetic chemical created a regulation for the European market – standard, inputs, especially pesticides and fertilisers. label, monitoring mechanism (third-party certification, accreditation of third-party certifier). Some of these types of agriculture are consistent with European organic agriculture standards, while On the African continent, despite the preservation in others are less so. The level of detail in their technical some regions of traditional farming systems without persp ctivee October 2 201848 chemical inputs, the development of organic agriculture producers for export crops (coffee, cotton, tropical fruit, is more recent. Its institutionalisation is still fragile, in and fresh and processed vegetables), without government spite of the progressive structuring of networks and support. specialised organisations at the national, regional and continental levels