The food security crises in sub-Saharan Africa existed from way before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of supply-chain disruption, climate change and political unrest, food security has now become an urgent call for action.
Agriculture is central to African economies, however, 95% of Africa’s agriculture is rain-fed which makes them susceptible to the effects of climate change. The production of crops and food is heavily impacted by increasing moisture stress and aridity, which results in food insecurity and malnutrition in the population. Educating and providing adequate resources for African farms to mechanize agriculture will go a long way in developing food security.
Mr. Sanjeev Mansotra stresses that now more than ever, the mechanization of agriculture in Africa is an urgent priority. Mechanization of agriculture includes the use of more advanced motorized equipment to help reduce manual labor. This also includes the use of more advanced farming technologies to aid efficient use of a farm’s resources and, in turn, improve the quality of the crop. This will not only help increase core food production, but mechanization also reduces costs for farming and promotes alliances between farms. Studies have also shown that agricultural mechanization reduces environmental impact and is able to support more sustainable energy options such as solar power and hydroelectric power. Mr. Sanjeev also notes that agricultural mechanization increases soil fertility and quality, which then improves the efficiency of fertilizers and increases both the quantity and the quality of crops.
With climate change ravaging the planet rapidly in recent years, one of our core initiatives is to create innovative and sustainable measures to help the agriculture industry adapt. While mechanization has been on the rise in African farms in the past few years, Mr. Sanjeev believes that it is high time to introduce new technology to improve food production and efficiency. Furthermore, rising food prices around the planet is also an opportunity that the African agriculture industry can benefit from. And while food security is a challenge sub-Saharan Africa has been facing for years, it is also an opportunity for a radical improvement in agricultural practices that will improve the way of life of farmers and their communities.