Background

More than 60 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture as the main source of livelihood. Agriculture’s dominance in Africa’s economies makes its performance a major determinant of the continent’s economic development. Despite vast arable land with potential to feed Africans and produce surpluses for export, undernourishment and famine are widespread and even increasing. Africa today is a net importer of food and its food trade deficit has been widening. The low productivity of farm labour and land is a clear indication of the untapped potential of Africa’s farms.
Facing this challenge, there is an increasing need to re-think the overall approach to agricultural development in Africa. There is a tremendous need for innovation, for locally adapted technologies and a need to cross-learn from each of the various agricultural systems and models in order to increase the productivity, sustainability and resilience of food production in Africa. African farmers need support to increase their knowledge, capacities and skills to develop their own technology to sustainably produce more food. Interdisciplinary approaches are required, involving economic, ecological, social, cultural and political dimensions.
This introductory module provides the trainer background-information to facilitate open initial discussions amongst the training participants about challenges and possible solutions as well as about the potential benefits organic agriculture can provide. Details about organic farming tools and management techniques are the focus of the following modules. Section 2 of this module provides an overview of the key challenges facing agriculture in Africa. Section 3 discusses a range of possible agricultural systems applied in Africa. Organic agriculture is one of the systems in the 'family of sustainable agriculture' with a high potential to provide valuable solutions for the African rural population and a high level of ecosystem services. Section 4 focuses on the definitions, tools and benefits of organic agriculture. Section 4.2 aims to give scientific background to the debate about the benefits of organic agriculture, quoting studies and literature. This section may be theoretical for most farmers, but it is important background information for trainers, advisors and researchers.