By Meshark Sikuku, Farm Systems and Sustainability Coordinator
The rate at which land in Africa is degrading is concerning, and it has never been more important to work towards preserving and regenerating land health, particularly in Africa.
The challenge: need for land, need for food
This rapid loss of healthy and productive land is increasing day by day, with at least 100 million hectares lost each year, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The continent is at particular risk of accelerated soil erosion and loss of biodiversity due to high levels of deforestation, overgrazing, chemical contamination, water pollution and depletion.
But more people need land than ever before.
In East and South Africa, there is a growing population that requires the use of more land – this is worsening the existing situation of degraded land, as this land is then overused again and again, increasingly stripping it of its health and productivity over time.
Farmers can’t sustain crop production because their land becomes more and more unsuitable for growth, due to lack of nutrients, after each harvest. As a result, agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers has greatly declined, leading to food shortages and exposing communities to food insecurity and malnutrition. Recent figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate that that about 868 million people in Africa are food insecure, with one third of them (342 million people) being severely food insecure.
5 ways we are regenerating farming land
We work closely with small holder farmers in East and South African countries, sharing knowledge of how to make the best use of their land using our sustainable agriculture techniques. These methods support farmers in having abundant harvests while bringing back health to their land and nurturing it for long-term productivity, without the use of harsh chemicals or the need for deforestation. Here are 5 ways we are regenerating farming land:
1. Agroforestry
Planting trees amongst crops helps to protect and stabilise soil against erosion. It improves soil fertility as falling leaves decompose and increase the organic matter in the soil, feeding nutrients to the crops. Trees also reduce the rate of moisture evaporation from the soil, enabling soil to retain precious moisture for longer and better hydrating crops.
Our agroforestry initiatives focus mostly on fruit trees that provide additional nutrition and income benefits to farming households. In the last 5 years, Ripple Effect and communities have planted over 3.5 million assorted fruit and fodder trees such as avocados, mangos, calliandra, oranges and more.
2. Landscape protection and regeneration
Our work also protects and regenerates the landscape (wild non-farming land). When healthy, these un-farmed landscapes support vegetation growth, increasing soil cover. This filters and stores water by allowing it to percolate into the ground, a process which improves water quality, reduces risk of flooding, recharges underground water sources and increases resilience in a changing climate. We have worked alongside communities in East Africa to regenerate a total of 3450 km2 of land (farming and non-farming).
3. Nutrient recycling
We encourage the small holder farmers we work with to practice nutrient recycling. Nutrient recycling involves returning the organic plant or crop residues back into the soil to replace nutrients and increase organic matter.
We train farmers in agroecological practices such as composting, mulching and green manuring, which improve the soil structure, increase microbial functioning and create a balance in the soil’s chemical composition, making it healthier. This soil in turn accelerates plant and vegetation growth. Over 213,000 metric tonnes of organic waste is recycled and incorporated into the soil every year in our projects.
4. Water harvesting and protecting water sources
Water is the key source of healthy land and an abundant harvest. In East and South Africa, water can be scarce, with limited rainfall some years. Even with good levels of precipitation, degraded land can struggle with water availability, quality and storage. For this reason, we ensure our project participants are trained in water harvesting techniques such as trapping and storing running water from rain, diversion of road runoff water to the farm or landscape, and zai pits to trap water during planting. All these increase the availability of water for use either in the farm or in the landscape.
5. Community-led land management
Land restoration is better achieved and sustained through the stewardship of the people using it - in this case, the farmers. In our projects we ensure farmers recognise the consequences of damaging methods, and learn new ways to farm sustainably, helping improve their harvests and the land.
Currently, Ripple Effect is working with 1.38 million participants who work in either farming groups, cooperatives, cluster level associations or peer farmer associations. These institutions are trained to have strong leadership and better land management practices that are shared with farmers and the wider community.
By strengthening community structures, we ensure land is protected for generations to come.
Land regeneration is essential, particularly as a way of increasing resilience to (and slowing down) the climate crisis. There is a risk of losing more agricultural land if we do not act now by sharing our knowledge of sustainable farming more widely. These simple yet effective methods are needed to bring health back to millions of hectares of land, as well as support communities to achieve food security. Urgent change is needed at the community, national and international levels to scale up regeneration efforts and secure the future of farming communities.
You can set up a monthly donation if you would like to support us in championing sustainable agriculture practices and regenerating tired land in East and South Africa.
If you want to know more about our work in sustainable agriculture read more here.
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